Digital Government

IT tracks El Nino's path

El Nino the weather system that is creating waves in the Pacific Ocean also is creating a storm of activity among federal information technology practitioners and research scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and its related agencies. From satellites to buoys to telecom

Digital Government

GAO: DOD system puts soldiers at risk

The Defense Department computer system that helps supply Army troops with everything from M16s to beans is far behind in fixing its computers to be Year 2000compliant which could cause 'injury or death ' according to the General Accounting Office. The Logistics Systems Support Center (LSSC) is no

Digital Government

Insurance group to help feds weather budget cuts

In response to congressional budget cuts for agencies conducting environmental research the insurance industry has invested in information technology so that the National Hurricane Center can continue to research violent storms. The industry last month formed the nonprofit Insurance Friends of the

Digital Government

Feds signal deepening Y2K crisis (Part 1)

In the wake of Office of Management and Budget threats to bar four agencies from buying information technology in fiscal 1999 at least one top manager has asserted that his agency will need 'a massive infusion of money' to make its computers Year 2000compliant. Jim Harrel the Transportation Depart

Digital Government

Agencies expand Web sites to meet growing demand

As an increasing number of Americans are taking to the Internet in search of government information agencies with popular World Wide Web sites are beefing up their systems to meet the public's demand for online realtime data. NASA for example had 47 million hits on July 8 four days after the Pathf

Digital Government

Rubin fights IRS reform bill

Treasury Department Secretary Robert Rubin last week told the House Ways and Means Committee that any changes to the management of the Internal Revenue Service may result in a setback for the agency's agenda part of which is its current plan to increase its use of electronic filing of tax forms. De

Digital Government

FEMA mulls offering electronic maps

The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced last month that it is exploring whether to distribute electronic maps showing areas prone to floods so that the public and state and local governments can have quicker access to information before building houses or creating zoning ordinances. With

Digital Government

HCFA cancels pact; rethinks MTS program

After spending $43 million over the past three years to design a new system to process medical bills for the Medicare program, the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) last month suspended a prime contracting arrangement with GTE Government Systems Corp. and acknowledged it is not sure how t

Digital Government

Groups want CRS reports on Internet

A Washingtonbased advocacy group this month urged Congress to give the goahead for the Congressional Research Service (CRS) to make its reports electronically available to the public via the Internet. In a letter sent to Rep. William Thomas (RCalif.) chairman of the House Government Reform and O

Digital Government

FAR rule includes time fields

An amendment to the Federal Acquisition Regulation aimed at ensuring that government contracts address Year 2000 issues unnecessarily expands the definition of Year 2000 compliance possibly causing confusion among Year 2000 contractors vendors said last week. Issued late last week the final rule se

Digital Government

Agencies peddle own Y2K fixes

The federal government roundly criticized for falling behind on the Year 2000 problem has paradoxically emerged as a provider of dateconversion services. A handful of federal agencies offer or soon will offer Year 2000 services proposing their own computers as test beds for other agencies' app

Digital Government

Bell Atlantic rings up $11.7M win at FEMA

Bell Atlantic last week won a potential $11.7 million contract to provide wideranging telecommunications support to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Under the contract Bell Atlantic will provide FEMA with centralized acquisition ordering and coordination of local telecommunications service

Digital Government

Report: DFAS Y2K problems could affect millions

Millions of active and retired military and civilian personnel contractors and other parties could face financial hardships if the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) does not fix its Year 2000 computer problems according to a report issued last week by the General Accounting Office. In a