People

Report: States, localities to invest more in comms

Although a push for interoperable communications will increase tech spending by 40 percent by 2011, the goal could be elusive, says market research firm Datamonitor.

People

Web extra: Younger workers may leave and return

Although some young government employees may leave their jobs for various reasons, many return as more-seasoned workers who are ready to commit to public service.

People

Lieberman signals contentious time for DHS

He calls guidelines DHS issued for the 2007 Homeland Security Grant Program "ill-advised."

People

Web extra: Widening gulf separates acquisition, oversight

Concerns about procurement irregularities have significantly increased the level of congressional oversight.

People

Goodbye clerks, hello knowledge workers

FCW reported on workforce initiatives, including the Trail Boss program, that sound quaint today.

People

Despite improvements, FEMA's IT still needs work, IG says

Progress on the National Emergency Management Information System has come at the expense of formulating any strategic direction that will guide long-term IT investment and system development.

People

DHS: Time to put urban comms to test

Policies for interoperable communications now exist in 75 metro areas, but more testing is needed, according to a new report.

Acquisition

SARA panel pushes for better procurement data system

Efforts to get usable data from the Federal Procurement Data System-Next Generation were mixed, the panel said.

People

SARA panel: Boost competition through commercial best practices

It recommends moving away from time-and-materials contracts to performance-based acquisitions, setting up a new GSA schedule for professional services and redefining stand-alone commercial services, among other things.

Modernization

Pact aims to spark real-time 2-D/3-D Web visualization

A memorandum of understanding signed by the Open Geospatial Consortium and the Web3D Consortium allows them to collaborate on the 3-D graphics environment.

People

Immigration IT modernization efforts face critical challenges

DHS' IG says pending immigration reform could complicate the progress the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service has made so far.

People

GAO: US-VISIT still needs work

The program has improved immigrant processing at land ports, but it does not provide adequate management controls, according to a new report.

Digital Government

Google Mars, anyone?

The NASA Ames Research Center and Google have signed an agreement that will soon bring the features of Google Earth to the moon and Mars.

People

Survey: Most responders have interoperability

About two-thirds of emergency response agencies nationwide use interoperable communications at varying degrees, according to a new DHS study.

People

IG: FBI's Sentinel program is on track

The bureau has made good progress in addressing concerns about cost tracking and progress measurements, but the IG remains wary of funding issues.

People

DHS' IG office bustles in second half of 2006

It issued 33 management reports and 308 investigative reports between April and the end of September, according to a report to Congress.

People

Panel praises ICE’s management improvements

Agency is trying to reverse staffing and financial problems.

People

Panel praises management turn-around at DHS agency

NAPA's report on the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency is more optimistic than one released a year ago.

People

Plan for sharing terrorism information finally arrives

The plan is intended to make it easier for federal agencies and state, local and tribal governments to access and share terrorism-related information.

People

DOD plans major overhaul of service buys

In response to a GAO report, DOD officials say they plan to take a more strategic approach to services, aligning them more closely with the department's mission.