Modernization

Katrina highlights need for state telecommunicator teams

Deploying such teams requires formal approval through a congressionally ratified agreement among states to request mutual aid.

People

Agarwal tapped to lead California's new tech department

P.K. Agarwal has been vice president of Affiliated Computer Services since 2003, but he has served as a California state official for many years.

People

Web extra: GIS aids the Coast Guard

Geographic information system experts give officers the coordinates they need to rescue people after Hurricane Katrina.

People

GIS comes to the rescue

After hurricane, geographic systems vital to disaster relief

People

Law enforcement net goes IP

The 41 million-plus transmissions carried by the National Law Enforcement Telecommunication System each month can now be encrypted.

People

Justice bureau deploys more predictive analytics software

Tools can cross-check crimes with similar characteristics, idenitfy suspects who behave in similar ways and spot anomalies in collected data.

People

Tennessee renews NIC Web portal contract

The state uses a self-funded model to pay online services, in which the contractor pays for Web portal development costs but makes money from convenience fees.

Modernization

A laptop for every student

Massachusetts considers providing every middle and high school student with a laptop -- at a cost of about $54 million.

Digital Government

USAID awards $77 million contract

15 companies will develop a supply system to dispense medication and other resources to people with HIV/AIDS worldwide.

People

Harris County sheriff uses new integrated biometric solution

Motorola teams with Viisage for facial recognition and other capabilities for Texas law enforcement.

People

Bonner to retire from Customs and Border Protection

As former customs commissioner, Robert Bonner oversaw the merger of three agencies and 42,000 employees into the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol.

Digital Government

EDS picks new state and local chief

Rick Shaffer previously managed the integrator's state and local government business in midwestern and south central states.

People

Kentucky and New Mexico authenticate political campaign sites

The new technology creates a registry of genuine sites to make it easier to spot fakes set up to defraud donors or misinform voters.

Digital Government

USAID to award AIDS drug supply chain contract

The U.S. Agency for International Development will soon award a multimillion-dollar contract to develop a global supply chain management system for AIDS drugs.

Modernization

Congress pushes for more resilient telecom

As congressional lawmakers probe the weak, uncoordinated government relief and recovery responses to Hurricane Katrina, they have begun pushing for better communications networks that are interoperable and resilient.

People

Florida police to share data with other states

Support for XML justice standard will open door to secure info sharing

People

New York awards $2 billion public safety radio communications deal

M/A-COM will implement, operate and maintain a statewide interoperable wireless radio network.

Modernization

Congress seeks improved disaster communications

The FCC chairman tells a Senate committee that interoperability, better protocols and a comprehensive national alert system would help in future crises.

People

Census awards $500 million for 2010 project

The Census Bureau has awarded a six-year, $500 million contract to Lockheed Martin to capture and standardize 2010 census data.

Digital Government

Fewer than half of California's counties have EHR projects

Only 26 of the state's 58 counties are working to exchange electronic health records across disparate information systems.