FEMA goes to new alignment for disaster response support contract

by  Ross Wilkers

The current iteration of the Public Assistance - Technical Assistance Contract has three companies, while the new version will have four and also splits up the work by geography

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has awarded four companies positions on a potential five-year contract vehicle for technical and professional services in support of FEMA's responses to presidentially-declared disasters and emergencies.

Each awardee has a ceiling of more than $500 million with the work divided up by their assigned geographic zones for this fifth iteration of the Public Assistance - Technical Assistance Contract, also known as PA-TAC V.

 Read full story at Washington Technology…

Smart City Tech Focuses on Efficiency, Safety, Privacy

by  Skip Descant

Tools like smart streetlights help cities understand what's going on at the ground level, but as solutions advance, officials say they should be easy to stand up and keep public privacy top of mind.

Many of the questions from city leaders involve how data is transported and stored, said Mike Grigsby, director of business development at Ubicquia, a smart city technology company. Other firms in the space include Aclima, which makes sensors that collect air quality data, and Samsara, an IoT platform that aims to improve urban safety and efficiency.

 Read full story at GovTech…

Top Cyber, Intelligence Chiefs to Call Out China as Leading Cyber Threat

by  David Dimolfetta

Researchers and officials have previously designated China as a clandestine, preparatory operator in cyberspace, quietly breaching and securing systems to use to their advantage at a later time.

Top cyber and intelligence chiefs are expected to deliver a stern message about the scale and threat of Chinese cyber activity against the U.S. at a high-profile hearing, a former White House cybersecurity official and other analysts told Nextgov/FCW.

 Read full story at NextGov…

What Are LLMs, and How Are They Used in Generative AI?

by  Lucas Mearian

Large language models are the algorithmic basis for chatbots like OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Bard. The technology is tied back to billions — even trillions — of parameters that can make them both inaccurate and non-specific for vertical industry use. Here's what LLMs are and how they work.

… LLMs are a type of AI that are currently trained on a massive trove of articles, Wikipedia entries, books, internet-based resources and other input to produce human-like responses to natural language queries. That's an immense amount of data. But LLMs are poised to shrink, not grow, as vendors seek to customize them for specific uses that don’t need the massive data sets used by today’s most popular models.

 Read full story at ComputerWorld…

What Is A Mobile SDK And Why It’s Important

by Georgia Bartlett

A Mobile Software Development Kit, or Mobile SDK for short, is a collection of pre-built software tools, libraries, and resources for apps.

In today’s fast-paced and technology-driven world, mobile applications have become an integral part of our lives. From communication and entertainment to productivity and healthcare, mobile apps play a crucial role in enhancing our daily experiences. Behind the scenes, software development kits (SDKs) power the creation and integration of these apps, enabling developers to leverage the full potential of mobile devices. But what exactly is a mobile SDK? How does it work? And why is it essential for app development?

 Read full story at N ewsReports…

Your Long Password Is Still Easy to Crack

by  Emily Price

Turns out, your long password might not be as secure as you think.

… As TechRadar reports, Specops Software finds that even passwords topping 15 characters can be circumvented by attackers. While longer passwords are often more difficult to guess and crack through brute force and hybrid dictionary attacks, the longer length doesn’t protect the passwords from phishing attacks or password-reuse issues. Those 15-character passwords came in eighth in the company’s list of common lengths for compromised passwords.

 Read full story at PCMag…

NPPD Begins Process to Add New Generation for Future Growth

by  Paul Ciampoli

Nebraska Public Power District, which continues to see substantial load growth, has begun the process of adding new generation capacity to NPPD’s resource mix, following board approval of a capital budget item Feb. 8.

NPPD Economic Development Manager Nicole Sedlacek noted, “There has been a recent and sharp increase in new ag, ag industrial, and data center loads siting their facilities in Nebraska, due in part to the affordable and reliable electric service provided by the public power entities that serve Nebraska.”

The new generation resources are targeted to be installed by 2027 and would include the following:

• 50 MW of battery storage located near NPPD’s Ainsworth Wind Energy Facility
• 50 MW of battery storage capacity purchased from an existing privately-owned wind facility  
• 216 MW of dual fuel reciprocating internal combustion engines that would use natural gas as a primary fuel source and have the option to utilize diesel
• 420 MW of dual fuel combustion turbines that would use natural gas as a primary fuel source and have the option to utilize diesel

The new generation increases diversity in NPPD’s overall fleet and provides a balance of operating flexibility and cost, it said.

 Read full story at Public Power Now…

US Reliability Commission warns of bulk EV charging’s grid impact

by  Yusuf Latief

The North American Electric Reliability Corporation has cautioned against the impacts of electric vehicle (EV) charging on BPS reliability.

Utilities Say They’re Ready for AI. Where Should They Start?