Research and Best Practices eNewsletter

Research NIST cloud computing guide (05/2011) – NIST’s Cloud Computing Synopsis and Recommendations provides cloud computing technology in plain terms for Information Technology (IT) decision makers interested in cloud services. The publication presents information on the relative opportunities and risks of cloud computing. http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/drafts/800-146/Draft-NIST-SP800-146.pdf Engaging the public in a wired world (05/16/2011) – The newRead… Read more »

Can 50 hackers save the world?

Hack for Change will bring together 50 engineers and designers for 24 hours to build applications to generate positive change. Change.org is sponsoring the June 18-19 hackathon in partnership with Mashable and Code for America. “The smartest people in the world are focused on problems that don’t really matter,” said Change.org founder Ben Rattray. “WhatRead… Read more »

Thursday’s political law links

IRS MOVE ON (C)(4)‘S PART OF A TREND? Michael Barone discusses recent news on (c)(4) donations here. “Punishing enemies and rewarding friends — politics Chicago style — seems to be the unifying principle that helps explain the Obamacare waivers, the NLRB action against Boeing and the IRS’ gift-tax assault on 501(c)(4) donors.” Huffington Post featuresRead… Read more »

“No poverty reduction strategy proposed”

The gritty challenges that are involved in making real progress with Open Government is effectively captured through a review of the Campaign 2000 work. As they report Canada voted in a party that has no poverty reduction strategy. (Federal Election 2011 review – 10 page PDF). Not much chance of tackling poverty issues if thereRead… Read more »

More Funding Released for Insurance Exchanges

INPUT Analyst Kate Tussey reports. In the world of health care, it seems federal funding is ever flowing. Yesterday, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a round of health insurance exchange establishment grants to Indiana, Rhode Island, and Washington state, totaling an estimated $35 million. Washington state is receiving $23 million, whichRead… Read more »

Big Data is Critical to the DoD Science and Technology Investment Agenda

The Secretary of Defense signed a memorandum on 19 April 2011 which articulates the Science and Technology (S&T) priorities for the Department of Defense (DoD). This memo flows from extensive planning including reviews of all defense missions and architectures to support those missions. The result: seven S&T priorities have been identified for strategic investment. TheseRead… Read more »

Chennai gets ready for smart cards

Chennai Metro Rail, under construction in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, will accept rechargeable smart cards when it starts operation in 2014-15. Officials are modeling the system on Hong Kong’s octopus card. “The plastic smart card will be sold in shops like mobile recharge coupons,” an official said. ”Passengers can recharge their octopus cardsRead… Read more »

Security Innovation Network “Showcase 2011″ 25-26 Oct 2011 in DC

The Security Innovation Network is a group with a mission. They seek to advance innovation and global collaboration between public and private sectors to defeat cyber security threats. They do this through a variety of focused activities and events, leading to a capstone event known as the SINET Showcase. The 2011 Showcase will be 25Read… Read more »

One in five MetroCard swipes falls short

As the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (NY) looks to a contactless future, an agency report estimates that MetroCards fail 20% of the time, requiring passengers to swipe their cards more than once to get through the turnstile. MTA officials chalk up the failure rate to multiple factors. Sometimes the card is defective, expired, or damaged; otherRead… Read more »

Online consultation and policy engagement

Neil Williams writes a great post about digital engagement on the AlphaGov blog: On the face of it, you could say it’s a simple case of government doing something a bit whizzier and more user-friendly than publishing thousands of PDFs on hundreds of websites for people to find, comprehend and comment on by email. AndRead… Read more »

Recent Articles on GovLoop