Citizen Services

World Bank Chief Calls For Increased Push For Open Government Data

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World Bank Group President Dr. Jim Yong Kim today challenged governments and institutions to support a growing international movement to harness data in an effort to foster greater economic prosperity.

Speaking at an international conference on government data, in one of his public appearances since arriving at the World Bank July 2 in Washington, Kim pointed to the bank’s own efforts to make its vast catalog of data available to the public and a growing community of data harvesting groups as a way addressing some of the world’s pressing economic issues. Keep reading →

 /  Published July 10, 2012 at 12:30 PM

National Park Service Delivers Fireworks To Viewers Around The Globe

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The National Park Service played more than host to the thousands who gathered to see the National Capital 4th of July Fireworks Celebration. It also made sure that American military personnel, their families and others stationed overseas could get a glimpse of the celebrations live via a Web-based global TV network devoted to Veterans and members of the U.S. Merchant Marine.

The live webcast gave viewers around the world a picture-perfect view from the top of the Netherlands Carillon bell tower, across the Potomac River in Arlington, Va., framing the fireworks against an iconic backdrop of the US Capitol, the Washington Monument, and the Lincoln Memorial. Keep reading →

 /  Published July 6, 2012 at 11:36 AM

Imagination at Work! Unleash Your Creativity With Our Census API

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This headline above – from a Commerce Department apps challenge hosted on Challenge.gov – attracted my attention. So I decided to take the challenge to develop apps using the 2010 Census Summary File 1 and the American Community Survey (five-year data). Keep reading →

 /  Published July 5, 2012 at 3:49 PM

Arlington National Cemetery to Launch Smartphone App

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Arlington National Cemetery plans to release a new smartphone app this fall that will provide a virtual tour of the grounds, list events and help visitors locate gravesites.

The application will be available in October and is currently in beta testing, said Maj. Nick Miller, the chief information officer for the cemetery. Keep reading →

 /  Published July 5, 2012 at 10:00 AM

National Weather Service Alerts Available Via Text Message

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The wireless industry and FEMA are joining forces in a unique partnership to send out text alerts from the National Weather Service, giving millions of smartphone users warnings they may be in the path of dangerous and life threatening weather such as that which hit the Mid-Atlantic Region last weekend.

The nationwide text emergency alert system – called Wireless Emergency Alerts- is the brainchild of CTIA-The Wireless Association which enlisted major telecom carriers to send out National Weather Service alerts to their subscribers whenever there’s a serious weather threat and partnered with the Weather Service to get it started. Keep reading →

 /  Published July 3, 2012 at 3:00 PM

Feds@Work: Taking On The National Anti-Bullying Campaign

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This is one in a series of profiles on the 2012 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal finalists. The awards, presented by the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service, recognize outstanding federal employees whose important, behind-the-scenes work is advancing the health, safety and well-being of Americans and are among the most prestigious honors given to civil servants. This profile features a finalist for the Call to Service Medal, Deborah Temkin, Research and Policy Coordinator for Bullying Prevention Initiatives at the Department of Education in Washington, D.C.

Lady Gaga may be a high-profile public face in the fight against bullying, but 26-year-old Deborah Temkin is playing an important parallel role in making it a topic for national action.
An expert on the subject at the Department of Education, Temkin delves into the research on bullying, and offers information and guidance to top leaders on what is relevant to policy and programs. She also provides advice on what federal, state and local governments can do to take action to prevent further victimization. Keep reading →

 /  Published July 2, 2012 at 7:00 AM

Feds@Work: Technology Aids NTSB Investigations, Future Safety

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This is one in a series of profiles on the 2012 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal finalists. The awards, presented by the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service, recognize outstanding federal employees whose important, behind-the-scenes work is advancing the health, safety and well-being of Americans and are among the most prestigious honors given to civil servants. This profile features a finalist for the Career Achievement Medal James Cash, chief technical advisor, office of research and engineering at the National Transportation Safety Board in Washington, D.C.

James Cash has spent nearly three decades successfully deciphering information from electronic recording devices to help determine the causes of major aviation and other transportation accidents, leading to reforms and greater safety for the traveling public. Keep reading →

 /  Published June 28, 2012 at 4:00 PM

Feds@Work: IRS Initiatives Provide Volunteer Tax Return Service to Low-Income Residents

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This is one in a series of profiles on the 2012 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal finalists. The awards, presented by the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service, recognize outstanding federal employees whose important, behind-the-scenes work is advancing the health, safety and well-being of Americans and are among the most prestigious honors given to civil servants. This profile features a finalist for the Citizen Services Medal, Michael A. McBride, Supervisory Financial Analyst at the Internal Revenue Service in Atlanta, Georgia.

Millions of low-and moderate-income residents have their tax returns completed and receive refunds from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) without paying a fee to third-party tax preparers, thanks to the skills and savvy of Michael A. McBride. Keep reading →

 /  Published June 25, 2012 at 7:00 AM

Feds@Work: A VA Medical System More Responsive To Women

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This is one in a series of profiles on the 2012 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal finalists. The awards, presented by the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service, recognize outstanding federal employees whose important, behind-the-scenes work is advancing the health, safety and well-being of Americans and are among the most prestigious honors given to civil servants. This profile features a finalist for the Career Achievement Medal, Patricia Hayes, chief consultant, Chief Consultant, Women Veterans Health Strategic Health Care Group at the Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington, D.C.

After more than two decades as an outspoken advocate for improving health care for female veterans, Patricia Hayes is now leading an ambitious Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) initiative to make the male-dominated medical system more responsive to the growing number of women who have served in the military. Keep reading →

 /  Published June 21, 2012 at 7:00 AM

Consumer Protection Bureau Launches Public Financial Complaint Database

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In a first by a federal financial regulator, the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has launched a public database of consumer complaints about credit cards – including the name of the company issuing the card.

“No longer will consumer complaints only be known to the individual complainant, bank, regulator, and those in the public willing to pursue this information through the Freedom of Information Act,” said , CFPB chief of staff and acting assistant director, in an agency blog posted June 19. Keep reading →

 /  Published June 20, 2012 at 12:32 PM
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