#DHS Sen. Paul’s amendment does not pass…12-5 against….to cut DHS levels back to 2007
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The highlight of yesterday’s Geospatial Summit for me was mention of the National Hydrography Data Set.
Tommy Dewald (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) and Keven Roth (U.S. Geological Survey, retired) set about the task of developing a surface water dataset of the nation in the 1990s with a vision to create a solution for the 21st century, when suitable water resources would become critical. What oil was for the 20th century, water would be for the 21st century. Keep reading →
One the nation’s most authoritative sources for residential address data, the U.S. Census Bureau, may soon have to confront a costly legal constraint that prevents it from sharing basic street address information with thousands of county, state governments and other organizations.
The limitation not only means that state and local governments must spend more to validate address information, so must the Census Bureau and other federal agencies, according to a group of data specialists speaking at a conference on the use of geographic data. Keep reading →
It used to be that most government organizations had a crisis communications plan that would be pulled out and reviewed maybe once a year, that was relatively static and standard in its contents.
The plan provided guidance on calling a press conference to update reporters who would in turn update the public on the process and progress being made in dealing with the crisis or disaster at hand, creating press releases and other briefing materials, etc. The process was largely reactive, rather than proactive, and definitely the information went one-way – from the public affairs representatives and government officials to the public. Keep reading →
Patent reform elicits cheers, but USPTO faces tough challenges, analysts say http://bit.ly/qTF12N #innovation #gov20 @aolgov
When Is A Federal Job Function ‘Inherently Governmental’? OFPP Memo Outlines New Terms
By Wyatt Kash
The Office of Federal Procurement Policy issued a long-awaited set of guidelines that clarifies what government functions “must always be performed by federal employees” and when it’s appropriate to turn to contractors to for a variety of services.
In a 75-page final policy letter, OFPP and Office of Management and Budget Officials lay out a new set of terms, guidelines and examples concerning government contracting. Keep reading →
As I sit here writing this, it’s raining. It’s been raining for days, as a result of the remnants of Hurricane Lee. Before that, we got rain from Hurricane Irene, although thankfully not what Vermont and Upstate New York received. Before that, innumerable August thunderstorms had dumped inches of precipitation on us. The forecast for the next few days? More rain.
Earlier this summer I read that our area was in a “moderate drought” state. Ha! I was just bemoaning our saturated state with a co-worker, in the course of which I said “I’ve been blogging about earthquakes and hurricanes, so I guess I’ll have to dig out a Government publication on floods.” Aha! Keep reading →
The passage last week of sweeping patent reforms may have finally given American businesses and innovators the boost they need to stay competitive in a global economy. But analysts and observers, including a former Under Secretary of Commerce, say it will take a lot more than the America Invents Act of 2011 to ensure the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) can become a facilitator of growth in a stalled economy.
The Senate on Sept. 8 passed the America Invents Act by an overwhelming 89-9 vote, ushering in an era of patent reform that American businesses have been urging for the better part of the past decade. Keep reading →
COMMENTARY:
The race to keep pace with conventional arms development recently ran head long into the race for cyber dominance–and sustained an eye-opening set-back.
These weapons programs take years to develop and typically cost billions of dollars. But the damage goes far beyond the dollars spent on the program to date. The loss of time in the conventional arms race is perhaps the biggest area of loss and the greatest concern for Defense Department strategic planners. Keep reading →