Digital Government

Census Bureau Must Fix 3,100 Cyber Vulnerabilities Before 2020 Count

The first digital census has suffered from delays and ballooning IT costs, an auditor’s report states.

Emerging Tech

NOAA Creates Workarounds for Malfunctioning Weather Satellite

The GOES-17 still isn’t working the way it’s meant to, but engineers believe they have a way to make it more functional than not.

Digital Government

Census Awards Last Major IT Contract Ahead of 2020 Count

The award comes as officials work to get preparations for the 2020 count back on track.

Emerging Tech

NOAA’s Next-Gen Weather Satellite is Still Malfunctioning and May Not be Fixable

The second satellite in NOAA’s $11 billion GOES program continues to experience issues with its most important instrument and officials still aren’t sure what’s wrong.

Cybersecurity

Census Should Be More Transparent About Cyber Protections, Former Officials Say

The Census Bureau will conduct its first largely online decennial census in 2020 but hasn’t said how it will secure the process.

Policy

State Sales Tax Collections Finally Move Into the Internet Age

The Supreme Court's ruling in South Dakota v. Wayfair scraps a precedent that dates back to the heyday of mail order catalogs.

Cybersecurity

Long-Awaited Botnet Report Calls on Industry for Solutions

The long-awaited botnet report from the Commerce and Homeland Security departments paint government as a facilitator, not a leader in the fight.

Emerging Tech

Next-Gen Weather Satellite Goes Online; NASA Orders Two More for $460M

The first satellite in the new Joint Polar Satellite System passed all its tests and is fully operational.

Emerging Tech

NOAA’s Newest Weather Satellite Isn’t Working Right

The satellite's “premiere” instrument gets too hot at night and engineers are struggling to find out why.

Cybersecurity

ZTE Kerfuffle Shows Cybersecurity Doesn’t Operate in a Vacuum

Lawmakers have decried the president’s efforts to reverse a ban on a Chinese telecom, citing security fears, but there’s a lot more at stake.

Digital Government

Census Bureau Goes Tech Shopping for 2020 Count

The bureau is looking for help with background vetting, app testing and other prep for the decennial.

Cybersecurity

One Cybersecurity Metric To Dwell On

If Commerce Department acting CIO Rod Turk had to pick just one cybersecurity metric to measure, this would be it.

Digital Government

How Mapping And Data Could Make The Census Cheaper

The tool can help the bureau tailor outreach efforts and find potential employees.

Ideas

Government Starts to Build New Links for Its Blockchain

The National Institute of Standards and Technology is prepping the final version of a report on effective blockchain use—and when to avoid it.

Digital Government

Lax Census Background Checks Could OK ‘Unfit’ Employees for 2020

Part of the problem is the type of contract the agency used to vet the temporary workers who handle the data, the inspector general found.