Innovation

Mobile computing is evolving from handheld to hands-free with the introduction of a new headset-mounted computer that may soon be helping first responders and technicians record and stream data back to headquarters, or view information, building diagrams or schematics using voice commands and head movements.

The Motorola HC1 is a headset computer consisting of a headset, built in video camera, microphones, earpiece and a “view pod.” Designed entirely for hands-free use, the computer is controlled through a combination of voice commands and head movements, explained Nicole Tricoukes, a business innovation manager at Motorola Solutions. The computer will be commercially available in the first half of 2013. Keep reading →


This feature showcases one video each Friday that captures the essence of innovation, technology and new ideas happening in government today.



This week’s video is courtesy of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Description: USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service has launched a water and wildlife conservation effort along the Gulf Coast of the United States. In the first of a five-part series on five different states, the USDA’s Bob Ellison has more on efforts on the Texas Gulf Coast. Keep reading →


It’s easy to take all the comforts of our modern lives for granted. Cars are basically parking themselves these days, and Wi-Fi on airplanes allows us to watch our favorite shows as we zip across the country in a matter of hours. Mobile devices can talk to and interact with us like humans – not to mention letting us securely accomplish our work from anywhere and at any time.

We sometimes forget that things haven’t always been this way. December 17 marks the 10-year anniversary of the E-Government Act of 2002 – America’s first step toward a modernized and accessible IT infrastructure.
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After two 20-something sisters lived through a tornado and its aftermath in their Massachusetts hometown last year, they vowed to transform a well-intentioned but unorganized disaster-recovery process.

The resulting online tool, recovers.org, is now helping local governments and nonprofits coordinate Hurricane Sandy relief efforts through a concept known as “community-powered” recovery. Keep reading →

How will the wide-scale adoption of always-on connected devices change the environment for federal leaders?

Of the five trends I outlined in my last post, the first, always-on connected devices, is so fundamental, so important, so paradigm-shifting, that it is quickly becoming invisible. Keep reading →

Our Video of the Week feature showcases a selected video each Friday that captures the essence of innovation, technology and new ideas happening in government today.

This week’s video and text courtesy of FEMA.


Keep reading →

This is one in a series of articles about innovation at the Department of Veterans Affairs and part of a larger series on innovation at agencies across the federal government.

A mobile app originally developed to aid veterans has been offered to mental health personnel helping Hurricane Sandy’s victims, an example of how innovation and technology within the federal government can have a broader reach than ever before. Keep reading →

This is the first in a series of articles about innovation at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

A collaborative effort to combine data previously scattered across multiple federal agencies has led to a single portal where veterans can access key benefits. Keep reading →

Chevron has teamed up with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab to bring space-age techniques to down-to-Earth energy exploration and production involving increasingly harsh environments. Keep reading →

Social media and a renewed emphasis on innovation and DIY – exemplified by the Maker Movement and the rise of intrapreneurs – is transforming how government agencies operate and how they interact with citizens. Within the past four years, the number of networked computers that can connect to public or private sensors and feed into or draw from massive databases has exploded, both in terms of absolute numbers and relative to the population.

The effect of these converging factors is that governments at every level are finding new ways to improve three critical tasks: Keep reading →

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