STEM Cloud Pilot Could Level Technology Playing Field
by tanya roscorla

Because of differences in lower-income and higher-income schools in Maryland's Prince George's County, not every student has access to identical technology -- and both government and education leaders are working to change that by partnering with the private sector on STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and communication pilot in the cloud.

The county's IT office and school system worked with the Maryland-based company Lockheed Martin to tackle this unequal access challenge creatively, something that the global security and aerospace company does for a living, said Vennard Wright, director of the Office of Information Technology and CIO for the county. This is the first step in the county's quest to work with industry on different problems.

By testing cloud-based tools that can be accessed anywhere, the county hopes to give each student a better chance to learn with technology, no matter their circumstances, Wright said. "We’re looking to level the playing board across the entire school district." continued…

first published week of:   04/29/2013

Technology Will Make or Break Oregon’s Mileage Tracking Program
by matt williams

Oregon’s plan to charge drivers by the mile is gaining speed with the help of cheaper off-the-shelf devices.

For more than a decade, Oregon has been perfecting technology that would allow the state to charge drivers for how many miles they drive rather than the current system that charges a 30-cent per gallon gas tax at the pump.

Governing magazine, a sister publication of Government Technology magazine, recently detailed how Oregon could make this big policy switch in how roads and other transportation infrastructure is funded. A bill passed earlier this month by the Oregon State Senate would create a pilot of up to 5,000 users for the “pay-as-you-drive” funding mechanism; the legislation is awaiting Gov. John Kitzhaber’s signature.

The legislation is new, but Oregon’s hard look at the necessary technologies is not. For several years, Oregon officials have worried that the rise of fuel efficient vehicles will cut into the state’s gas tax revenues. As early as 2001, the state convened a task force for the purpose of studying alternative funding sources -- everything from a tax on studded tires to tolls on new highways. The idea of a vehicle miles traveled (VMT) fee was also floated. continued…

first published week of:   08/05/2013

Technology's Real Value for Government
by jerry mechling

Most of us got into government because we wanted to add value. Unfortunately, when it comes to information technology, too often we're looking only at the beginning of the value chain, the small stuff. We clearly need to pay more attention to the downstream impacts, where the big value lies in improving services, whether it's protecting the environment, keeping communities safe or educating our children.

When we create value with IT in government, three fundamental steps are involved: We start with acquiring the digital tools of IT. We add IT staff, the people needed to select and manage those digital tools. And finally, we leverage those tools and staff to produce and improve government services, both external ones such as public safety, health care and tax administration and internal services such as human resources and financial management.

Let's look at what's involved in each of those steps.

Details Here

first published week of:   01/14/2013

Texas Moves More Than 100,000 State Workers to Microsoft Cloud
by colin-wood

More than 100,000 workers in Texas will be moved to the cloud in one of the largest cloud deployments in state government, Microsoft announced Feb. 15.

The contract, which will give state workers access to Office 365, will provide compliance with the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) and federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) security standards. This ability to meet stringent security standards was one of the main reasons Texas chose Microsoft as a vendor over its competitors, said Todd Kimbriel, director of e-government for the Texas Department of Information Resources.

“One element in the public sector here in Texas that everyone holds in the highest regard is that we have to protect the information of the citizens,” he said, adding that CJIS security standards in particular provide an unmatched level of security. “Anybody that's going to touch a computer system, server or mainframe where data exists has to go through an FBI background check,” he said. That means every administrator who has access to cloud data must first be vetted by the federal government.

Details Here

first published week of:   03/25/2013

The top 5 things we’ve learned about the NSA thanks to Edward Snowden
by cyrus farivar

Just over four months ago, the Internet at large became significantly more acquainted with the National Security Agency (NSA).

It's all thanks to Edward Snowden, a former NSA contractor (and longtime Ars reader) with access to an unprecedented volume of documents. Snowden's leaks detailed for the first time the vast scale of American international telecommunications surveillance. While many people may have speculated or even "known" about such capabilities, Snowden’s disclosures provided internal proof previously unavailable to the general public.

Ars has done its best to cover the day-by-day updates that have unfolded as a result of Snowden’s actions, both in terms of what we’ve learned of the government’s capabilities and what has changed since then. With most of the Ars staff at our annual two-day conference this week, we’ve decided to take some time to breathe and recap what we’ve learned so far. We've narrowed the revelations down to five, so this list is hardly exhaustive—but feel free to tell us what we’ve missed. continued…

first published week of:   10/21/2013

There’s an App for That State Service
by melissa maynard

After a long day of slogging through the woods, Arkansas hunters used to have to check in their game at the nearest mom-and-pop establishment. At the end of the season, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission staff would drive around the state to collect the paperwork.

Times have changed: Now Arkansas hunters can use a Game and Fish Commission app on their smartphones to upload the information immediately, allowing the state to enforce hunting regulations and manage game populations in real time.

The state’s hunting and fishing app was the first of its kind when it launched in 2010, but now at least 10 state natural resources agencies have their own versions. In addition to checking in game, there are apps that allow sportsmen to purchase licenses, find fishing holes, and get real-time reports from other hunters and fishermen. continued…

first published week of:   05/27/2013

Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Completes Strategic GIS RoadMap Initiative
by www.digitaljournal.com

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has regulatory and compliance authority for the Commonwealth of Virginia including Land, Air and Water resource media types. To meet these current and ever-increasing environmental demands, DEQ leverages GIS as a core tool for tracking permitted and regulated facilities, compliance issues, and other data sources to support business workflows. In an effort to continually improve their workflows and maximize their returns-on-investment (ROI) – DEQ hired Timmons Group to assist in the development of a GIS RoadMap.

Timmons Group was contracted to partner with DEQ in the development of a GIS RoadMap. The project involved heavy business and technical stakeholder engagement and initial discovery efforts in key functional areas including Governance, Data Management, Systems and Staffing. DEQ’s current state was ranked against a GIS Maturity Model during this initial “Health Check” phase. Timmons Group then worked with DEQ to develop a strategic “RoadMap” to systematically increase GIS program maturity in a managed way. Individual projects were created to address opportunities for improvement uncovered during the Health Check phase. Projects spanned from core Governance and organizational structure changes to improved technology used to manage data workflows in remote offices. All projects were placed in a project timeline creating a sense of order and priority to work efforts. continued…

first published week of:   09/02/2013

What does international law mean for cyber warfare?
by amber corrin

Creating rules of engagement for operations in cyberspace has been an ongoing process at the Defense Department, where such rules -- if and when they are finished -- will remain classified. Now some say a new international manual intended for application to cyber warfare could provide a boost for the Pentagon.

9The Tallinn Manual, commissioned by NATO but created by several dozen experts, builds on established international law, much as the Pentagon’s cyber rules are modeled on existing rules of engagement. The manual particularly focuses on the principles of jus ad bellum, which regulates use of force in international law, and jus in bello, which governs conduct in armed conflict.

From The Tallinn Manual, Sections 13 and 14 of Rule 22, the Characterization of International Armed Conflict:

"To be 'armed,' a conflict need not involve the employment of the armed forces. Nor is the involvement of the armed force determinative. For example, should entities such as civilian intelligence agencies engage in cyber operations otherwise meeting the armed criterion, an armed conflict may be triggered. Similarly, using the armed forces to conduct tasks that are normally the responsibility of non-military agencies does not alone initiate an armed conflict."

According to cyber and legal experts, the Tallinn Manual will help supplement DOD’s guidelines for cyber warfare by offering additional insight and references to international law that can help with strategic, tactical and operational decision-making. continued…

first published week of:   04/08/2013

What Does the Presidential Directive on Records Management Really Require?
by michael l. miller, director, rim consulting, array information technology

The August 2012 Presidential Directive on Managing Government Records is a major achievement for the federal records management community -- and it is the cornerstone for the long-awaited transition to electronic record-keeping by federal agencies. But what does it really mean?

As a former federal records officer and former Director of the Modern Records Program of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), I have taken a keen interest in the directive, of which a large number of articles, blogs and columns have appeared about its implications. And I would like to bring my perspective as a federal records manager to the discussion.  

My underlying message is that agencies can meet the directive’s targets if they carefully scope their response to its requirements and their agency goals, following a seven-year plan and bringing people, policy and process into the solution mix to supplement technology.  

Here are 12 ideas agencies can use to leverage staff rather than money on not only electronic record-keeping goals, but also other goals that are largely restatements of existing requirements.

1. Read the directive very carefully.
2. Identify the problem(s) you are trying to solve.
3. Determine what is a “good enough” records management solution.
4. Take a holistic view.
5. Take the long view.
6. Assemble your forces.
7. Break the problem into manageable chunks.
8. Assess your records management staff.
9. Assess your current policy and records schedules.
10. Managing permanent electronic records – manual, automated or a mix.
11. Managing email – not all records are created equal.
12. Look for outside help.

first published week of:   04/01/2013

What is ArcGIS for State Government?
by  arcgis resources

ArcGIS for State Government helps organizations to implement GIS. The objective is to help GIS professionals within State organizations to deliver value to their organizations by applying geographic information to operate programs more efficiently, to communicate more effectively, to save money, and to engage with citizens. Once implemented, GIS tools support a wide range of operations and workflows.

Details Here

first published week of:   04/01/2013