Volume 26 • No 05 • 2003
ISSN 0742-468X • Since 1978
On-line Since 2000
Out of the Box
Editor's note: In “Out of the Box” we bring you news snippets that are not necessarily related specifically to GIS. These are items that come across my screen that help me understand our industry, by understanding the world around us. For the complete article just click “Details Here.” Think of it as thinking Out of the Box
In State and Local Government …
•Assessor of Property Eddie Yokley told the Greene County (Tennessee) Commission’s Budget & Finance Committee that he believes the county needs the computer-based Geographic Information System Details Here
•Vanderburgh (Kentucky) County’s Geographic Information Systems program is getting international acclaim. Assistant Building Commissioner Steve Fuchs and GIS Technician Rob Brown were invited to make a presentation on Evanville's system during a conference this past weekend in San Diego. Details Here
• California agency capitalizes on GIS investment with Hummingbird
solution, adding seamless access to all business-critical information and
resources through a single web-based interface. Details Here
In Technology …
• Military Often Enlists Commercial Technology. As the United States invades Iraq, many of the information technologies used by the armed forces would have their origins in commercial rather than military initiatives–a shift from the way the American military traditionally developed the communications used to wage war. Details Here
• Intel announced that it has teamed with Alvarion, a maker of broadband wireless equipment, to develop wireless products based an emerging standard. Details Here
•In an effort to regain the U.S. lead in supercomputing, the Defense Department has awarded grants totaling more than US$146 million for three separate supercomputing initiatives. The three winners, Cray , Sun Microsystems and IBM are scheduled to complete their respective projects by the end of the decade.
Details Here
• A Web services security specification, introduced this week by IBM and Microsoft, could emerge as a rival to the existing Sun Microsystems-backed Liberty Alliance Project. Details Here
In Utilities …
• The Los Alamos nuclear laboratory said a small amount of low–grade plutonium turned up missing after a transfer of the material that is used to make nuclear bombs, but added the missing plutonium does not pose a threat. “The total amount of nuclear material involved is very small, but due  to security requirements the specific quantity cannot be disclosed,” Los Alamos National Laboratory said in a statement. A watchdog group called Project on Government Oversight said the missing material consisted of two grams (0.0755 ounce) of weapons-grade plutonium. A Los Alamos spokesman said the missing material was not weapons grade. Details Here
• Federal Energy Regulatory Commission staff laid out ways to shore up the accuracy of natural gas and electric deals that energy companies report.
Details Here
•P&E National Energy Group Inc., a major owner of electric generating plants in New England, filed yesterday for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The move had been expected since May, and officials said it should have no immediate impact on local electric supply reliability or company commitments to reduce emissions from its Salem Harbor plant.
Details Here
•Report: Top Greenhouse Gas Emitters in Oil, Utility and Auto Industries Not Disclosing, Acting on Financial Risks of Climate Change. Details Here
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