InformationWeek Stories by John Foley

InformationWeek Stories by John Foleyhttp://www.informationweek.comInformationWeeken-usCopyright 2012, UBM LLC.2013-05-20T08:00:00ZWhat's Next In Video SurveillanceDriven by the consumer market, video surveillance is the next big data challenge.http://www.informationweek.com/government/information-management/whats-next-in-video-surveillance/240155161?cid=SBX_iwk_related_commentary_Infrastructure_as_a_Service_cloud_computing<div id="inlineGreenPromoTop"> <div class="greenBand"></div> <div class="inlineGreenPromoContent"> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/052013gov?k=axxe&cid=article_axxe_os"><img align="left" class="greenIssueImage" title="InformationWeek Government - May 2013" alt="InformationWeek Government - May 2013" src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/government/021/smallcov.jpg"></a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/052013gov?k=axxe&cid=article_axxe_os"><img align="right" class="greenLeaf" title="InformationWeek Green" alt="InformationWeek Green" src="http://twimgs.com/infoweek/graphics_library/misc/Green_leaf_88x88.jpg"></a> <div class="greenPromoText"> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/052013gov?k=axxe&cid=article_axxe_os">Download the entire May 2013 issue of InformationWeek Government</a>, distributed in an all-digital format (registration required). </div> </div> <div class="greenBand"></div> </div> In the aftermath of last month's Boston Marathon bombings, government IT and security pros must reassess their video surveillance infrastructures. The video technologies used for homeland security are advancing well beyond closed-circuit TV cams on street corners. As I reported shortly after the attack, video captured at the scene was instrumental in identifying the two brothers who allegedly did it. On April 18, the FBI posted a 30-second video clip and still images taken from video of the suspects. Within hours, one of the men, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, died in a shootout with police, and the other, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, was captured shortly thereafter. The FBI has been criticized for failing to share critical intelligence on the threat posed by Tamerlan Tsarnaev in particular, but no one is questioning the effectiveness of the agency's use of video. And since my early report was posted, I've heard from several experts about some of the latest technology developments in video surveillance. Video surveillance is among the myriad technologies being driven by the consumer market. Amazon, Costco, Home Depot and other retailers sell full-blown systems that combine cameras, networking and monitoring capabilities. Earlier this year, I was checking in at Tampa International Airport for a flight to New York, where it was snowing. The airline check-in agent, who was from New York, pulled out a smartphone to show me, via a live video feed, the snow piling up in his driveway. Ivideon, a startup in the market, combines conventional video surveillance, from closed-circuit TVs, webcams and IP cameras, with Web capabilities such as online archiving, the ability to plot cameras using Google Maps, and feeding video to websites and even social media. When thousands of cameras run 24/7 in cities like Boston, New York and Washington, D.C., video surveillance quickly becomes a big data challenge. Analytics and automation technologies are the only answer. The FBI is developing facial recognition capabilities as part of its $1 billion Next Generation Identification program. And IBM sells video correlation and analysis software that provides facial recognition, real-time alerts and situational awareness. Behavioral Recognition Systems (BSR) is developing software that goes beyond the ability to respond merely to preprogrammed objects by learning about an environment, creating "memories" and providing real-time notifications when the software detects something out of the ordinary. On May 14, the vendor announced that it had completed interoperability testing of its flagship product, AISight (pronounced "eye sight"), with Cisco's Video Surveillance Manager, a sign that such advanced capabilities are moving into the mainstream. In one example of how this technology will be applied, Portland, Ore.'s public transit system, called TriMet, will use BSR's software to monitor bridges and overpasses. The system will learn the difference between a bus or light rail train and, say, a pickup truck that shouldn't be in the area. 2013-04-23T14:00:00ZNew York City Builds On Its Technology BaseAn expanding IT infrastructure and tech-savvy workforce are evidence of the Big Apple’s emergence as a global tech center.http://www.informationweek.com/government/leadership/new-york-city-builds-on-its-technology-b/240153276?cid=SBX_iwk_related_commentary_Infrastructure_as_a_Service_cloud_computing  <div id="inlineGreenPromoTop"> <div class="greenBand"></div> <div class="inlineGreenPromoContent"> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/042213gov?k=axxe&cid=article_axxe_os"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/government/020/smallcov.jpg" alt="InformationWeek Green - Apr. 22, 2013" title="InformationWeek Green - Apr. 22, 2013" align="left" class="greenIssueImage" /></a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/042213gov?k=axxe&cid=article_axxe_os"><img src="http://twimgs.com/infoweek/graphics_library/misc/Green_leaf_88x88.jpg" alt="InformationWeek Green" title="InformationWeek Green" align="right" class="greenLeaf" /></a> <div class="greenPromoText"> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/042213gov?k=axxe&cid=article_axxe_os">Download the entire April 2013 issue of InformationWeek Government</a>, distributed in an all-digital format (registration required). </div> </div> <div class="greenBand"></div> </div>    <img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/government/020/020GOVcoverart_flat_110.jpg" width="110" height="110" alt="Future Cities" title="Future Cities" width="110" height="110" class="artInlineTopImage" /> A massive data center -- 32 stories high and 1 million square feet in size -- opened last month in New York City. Mayor Michael Bloomberg, on hand for the launch, called it the latest sign of New York's emergence as a global technology center. That emergence didn't happen by accident. The city has been broadening its tech base since Bloomberg took office in 2002, encouraging Silicon Valley companies to make New York their second home, deploying Wi-Fi in parks and other public places, sponsoring application development competitions and using analytics to bring new efficiency to municipal operations. Signs of progress are evident throughout the city's five boroughs but concentrated in Manhattan. Google established a software development center in the Chelsea section, Facebook opened an engineering center on Madison Avenue and LinkedIn set up shop in the Empire State Building. Verizon, in partnership with New York's Department of IT and Telecommunications, has begun laying fiber cable across the city using a technique called "micro trenching" that's less disruptive to streets and sidewalks than using backhoes. The city will use the cable to extend broadband services to neighborhoods and small businesses that don't have them.  <div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/information-management/new-yorks-32-story-data-fortress-inside/240151545"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/968/Intergate-Manhattan-Data-Center_01_tn.jpg" alt="New York's 32-Story Data Fortress: Inside Tour" title="New York's 32-Story Data Fortress: Inside Tour" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">New York's 32-Story Data Fortress: Inside Tour</div> (click image for slideshow) </div>  City Hall is looking to replace 11,000 public pay phones with kiosks that provide wireless connectivity and information services, such as bus arrival times, neighborhood maps and emergency calling, to residents and tourists. The city invited technologists and urban planners to participate in a design competition, and it plans to begin replacing the iconic pay phones in the second half of next year. Bloomberg has assembled a leadership team to drive its smart city initiatives. CIO Rahul Merchant, who reports to the mayor, oversees the city's IT infrastructure, including its data centers and 311 non-emergency information service. But that's only half the job description. Merchant is also the city's chief innovation officer, reflecting a mandate to work with entrepreneurs, academic institutions and tech companies on innovations such as the next-gen pay phones. Chief digital officer Rachel Haot heads a team established two year ago with the mission of transforming the Big Apple into "the world's leading digital city." Haot's group leads the city's open government efforts, social media engagement and partnerships with educational institutions. Its initiatives have included expanding broadband access through federal grants and computer-equipped "digital vans" and, in collaboration with the private sector, creating an interactive evacuation-zone map during Hurricane Sandy. New York is also one of a growing number of cities that have assigned someone to drive the use of analytics. Michael Flowers, the city's chief analytics and open platform officer, is charged with creating a technology platform to facilitate information sharing among city agencies and with the public. For example, 23,000 metrics from the mayor's "management report" are available as raw data for download and analysis. Open government is a part of the bigger picture. The New York City Council last year passed legislation, Local Law 11, that requires agencies to make data available in open formats. More than 1,000 data sets, including ones covering building permits and crime data, are now available on the city's NYC Open Data portal. Developers are encouraged to use that data to create mobile apps for public consumption. The fourth annual NYC BigApps competition kicked off last month with $150,000 in prize money.   <div class="inlineReportPromo right"> <div class="reportHeader"><a href="http://www.ubmfuturecities.com/" target="_blank">What's Next For Cities</a> </div> <img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/government/020/ubmsfuturecities_top_logo.jpg" width="175" height="104" alt="Future Cities" title="Future Cities" class="reportCover" /> <div class="reportInfo"> Future Cities is the first global, online, multimedia community for 21st century city decisionmakers focused on sustainable urbanization. </ul> <center><a href="http://www.ubmfuturecities.com/" target="_blank">Click Here</a></center> </div> </div>   The mayor's office is also recruiting universities to the area to expand the pipeline of skilled tech professionals. Cornell University and Technion-Israel Institute of Technology are building an engineering campus, dubbed NYCTech, on Roosevelt Island between Manhattan and Queens. The ambitious project includes a grant of land and $100 million for infrastructure improvements, plus $350 million from an anonymous donor. Other developments include establishment of the Academy for Software Engineering and New York University's new NYU Center for Urban Science and Progress. And then there's the new 32-story data center, operated by Sabey Data Centers and located at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge in lower Manhattan. The facility's first tenant is the New York Genome Center, which will house high-performance computer systems used for genome-sequencing there. Dr. Robert Darnell, CEO of the Genome Center, says the data center will support "the convergence between medicine and technology in New York." With its mix of financial, tech, media and retail companies, Lower Manhattan is emerging as "a multifaceted 21st century business district," says Nicole LaRusso, senior VP of planning and economic development for the Alliance for Downtown New York. That's another big step in the direction of a future city. 2013-04-22T08:00:00ZIT Strategies For Future Citiesfuture cities, smart cities, predictive analytics, government technology, CIOs, Michael Blooomberg, infrastructure, presidnt obama, urban planninghttp://www.informationweek.com/government/leadership/it-strategies-for-future-cities/240153259?cid=SBX_iwk_related_commentary_Infrastructure_as_a_Service_cloud_computing  <div id="inlineGreenPromoTop"> <div class="greenBand"></div> <div class="inlineGreenPromoContent"> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/042213gov?k=axxe&cid=article_axxe_os"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/government/020/smallcov.jpg" alt="InformationWeek Green - Apr. 22, 2013" title="InformationWeek Green - Apr. 22, 2013" align="left" class="greenIssueImage" /></a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/042213gov?k=axxe&cid=article_axxe_os"><img src="http://twimgs.com/infoweek/graphics_library/misc/Green_leaf_88x88.jpg" alt="InformationWeek Green" title="InformationWeek Green" align="right" class="greenLeaf" /></a> <div class="greenPromoText"> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/042213gov?k=axxe&cid=article_axxe_os">Download the entire April 2013 issue of InformationWeek Government</a>, distributed in an all-digital format (registration required). </div> </div> <div class="greenBand"></div> </div>    <img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/government/020/020GOVcoverart_flat_110.jpg" width="110" height="110" alt="Future Cities" title="Future Cities" width="110" height="110" class="artInlineTopImage" /> President Obama, speaking last month at a $1 billion tunnel construction project at the busy Port of Miami, called for increased investment in the nation's infrastructure. The project promises not only to unclog Miami's streets, but to make room for future development downtown. "You ask any CEO where would they rather locate their business and hire new workers," Obama said. "Are you going to set up shop in a country that's got raggedy roads, runways that are potholed and backed-up supply chains? Or are you going to seek out high-speed rail, Internet, high-tech schools, new state-of-the-art power grids, new bridges, new tunnels, new ports that help you ship products made in America to the rest of the world as fast as possible?" The answer is obvious, and mayors, civic planners, business leaders and technologists across the U.S. are taking steps to transform their cities into sustainable, technology-ready urban centers -- so-called smart cities -- that aren't just good for business but also are great places to live. Miami is one example. In addition to the big dig at the Port of Miami, where a 3,900-foot tunnel will connect the shipping port with roads on the mainland, the city and surrounding Miami-Dade County are using analytics systems to analyze water usage, police reports and traffic flow. The city's managers "kept hearing about smarter cities, smarter communities, and they started looking at the landscape of what was available and what they could be used for," says Angel Petisco, CIO of Miami-Dade. Most places are still in the early stages of planning and implementation. Only 7% of the 198 municipal government IT pros surveyed by InformationWeek Government rated their city strategy for investing in IT as progressive and well conceived when it comes to providing better public services more efficiently. A much bigger group, 48%, considers their cities' strategies to be well planned in some areas but not all. A quarter rated their cities' plans generally poor.   <div class="inlineReportPromo right"> <div class="reportHeader"><a href="http://www.ubmfuturecities.com/" target="_blank">What's Next For Cities</a> </div> <img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/government/020/ubmsfuturecities_top_logo.jpg" width="175" height="104" alt="Future Cities" title="Future Cities" class="reportCover" /> <div class="reportInfo"> Future Cities is the first global, online, multimedia community for 21st century city decisionmakers focused on sustainable urbanization. </ul> <center><a href="http://www.ubmfuturecities.com/" target="_blank">Click Here</a></center> </div> </div>   Better Life InformationWeek Government's Future Cities Survey, conducted in October, reveals that municipal IT pros see many potential benefits of more effective IT planning and execution. Topping the list are more efficient public services, mentioned by 66% of respondents; improved municipal infrastructure (44%); lower municipal costs (44%); and better quality of life for city residents (36%). In what ways can Future Cities projects lead to better quality of life for the citizenry? Consider smart grids. Not only are smart electric meters more efficient, resulting in lower bills, but they let utility providers restore services more quickly when big storms knock out power to entire areas, says John McDonald, director of technical strategy and policy development with GE Digital Energy.  <center>To read the rest of the article, <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/042213gov/?k=axxe&cid=article_axxe_os">download the April 2013 issue of InformationWeek Government</a>.</center>  2013-04-19T10:05:00ZBoston Bombers Can't Elude City's Tech InfrastructureVideo surveillance played key role in identifying suspects in Boston bombing, setting precedent for increasing use of sophisticated security systems nationwide.http://www.informationweek.com/security/government/boston-bombers-cant-elude-citys-tech-inf/240153256?cid=SBX_iwk_related_commentary_Infrastructure_as_a_Service_cloud_computingWe don't yet have a conclusive report on the data gathered and analyzed in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings on Monday, but this much we do know: Video surveillance and other information technologies played a huge role in identifying the two main suspects, one of whom was killed by police early Friday morning amid a shootout. In fact, the city's Office of Arts, Tourism and Special Events was testing a new operations dashboard from IBM on April 15, the day of the marathon, and Boston CIO Bill Oates was on hand to oversee its use. Oates talked to InformationWeek contributor Michael Fitzgerald that morning from Boston's call center on the eighth floor of City Hall, where he and IT staffers were able to view on a monitor the marathon route and a two-block span around it. At the time, just a few hours before the bombings, Oates said the goal was to use the marathon "to get a sense of what the system is going to show us, so we can look at leveraging how to improve our coordination of events." The system wasn't available to police and emergency management officials in their event-control trailers near the finish line. But the city does plan to add 911 data and potentially video surveillance feeds in the future, Oates said. "Following the event, we'll be able to go to all the folks that have planned and operate the event and show them what's in this system so they can think about it," he said on Monday morning. [ Beware of hackers who exploit tragedy for malicious purposes. Read <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/attacks/malware-attackers-exploit-boston-maratho/240153142?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Malware Attackers Exploit Boston Marathon Bombing</a>. ] In the wake of the terrorist attack, the data gathered by Boston's operational dashboard could be invaluable. Oates certainly had high expectations that it would help the city plan, coordinate and manage the marathon more effectively. "It's the city's job to make sure all goes according to plan," he said in a blog post on the morning of the marathon. Among the challenges to be addressed, Oates wrote, "How many emergency personnel will we need, and where do we place them?" That blog post has since been taken down from the IBM website where it appeared. InformationWeek hasn't been able to reach Oates to ask about how the operational dashboard performed or whether data useful to the investigation was generated. Valuable Clues Video recorded in the vicinity of the explosions provided important clues to law enforcement. On April 18, the FBI distributed a video clip and still images in hopes of identifying two suspects, now identified as brothers from Chechnya: Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, the man killed by police Friday morning, and Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev, 19, who as of this writing was still on the run. In recent years, cities worldwide have been investing in video surveillance in an attempt to lower crime and improve public safety. The Boston Police Department in 2010 opened a "real-time crime center" that gets video feeds from dozens of street cameras positioned across the city. During the center's unveiling, the police demonstrated how they used video from a closed-circuit TV camera to arrest suspects in a shooting incident. Boston is now expanding its smart city initiative with sensors, predictive analytics software from IBM and performance-reporting software from SAP. In recent years, Boston has expanded the number of surveillance cameras on its street corners, under its bridges and in its local shopping areas, according to The Boston Globe. In the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, New York, San Francisco and other U.S. cities have done the same, often with funding from the federal government. Municipal IT pros tend to favor broader use of cameras and related technologies. 58% of respondents to InformationWeek Government's Future Cites Survey, completed in October by 198 municipal IT pros, say that cameras, motion sensors and other public safety devices have high potential for improving city operations and performance. Video surveillance on city streets is increasingly being used to deter and solve criminal activity. Scotland Yard used video footage to identify suspects in 2011 when rioters wreaked havoc on the streets of London and other English cities after the shooting death of a man who had traded gunfire with police. Last year, the New York Police Department used video to identify, arrest and charge a Staten Island man -- dubbed John Doe Duffel Bag because he was seen in pictures carrying a duffel bag -- in the slayings of three Brooklyn store owners. New York City is deploying a full-scale surveillance system, the Domain Awareness System, that pulls in data from 3,000 closed-circuit TVs, 2,600 radiation detectors and 100 license plate readers. Microsoft, which developed the system with the NYPD's Intelligence Division and Counter-Terrorism Bureau, is marketing the platform to other municipalities. The day after the Boston bombings, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg outlined steps his administration has taken to guard against similar attacks. "Our camera network now has the capacity to alert police to abnormalities it detects on the street, such as an abandoned package that is left on a corner," he said. Inevitably, the rising number of street cameras feeding into police nerve centers raises cries of Big Brother from privacy watchdogs. In Seattle, activists earlier this year destroyed more than a dozen security cameras to protest the city's growing surveillance network. But the Boston attack and the effectiveness of video in identifying the suspects provide a clear message to mayors and CIOs that they can't be deterred from taking additional steps to prevent and respond to acts of terrorism as well as everyday crimes. And there's more that city officials can and must do. Facial recognition, analytics and other advanced technologies can sift for signs of trouble in real time. IBM, as part of its Smarter Public Safety line of products, sells a video correlation and analysis suite that offers real-time alerts, facial recognition and "situational awareness" of a location. The FBI is developing facial recognition capabilities as part of its $1 billion Next Generation Identification program. At the same time, city officials must be transparent about their use of surveillance technologies. In January, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, which counts the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security among its clients, announced it had received an $18 million contract to install a municipal transportation security and surveillance system for "one of the largest municipalities in the United States, located in the Northeast." Such obfuscation is what makes people nervous. Yet, as Boston reminds us, cities must take decisive action. Responsible use of video surveillance is part of the answer. A well-defended perimeter is only half the battle in securing the government's IT environments. Agencies must also protect their most valuable data. Also in the new, all-digital <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/031813gov?k=axxe&cid=article_axxt_os">Secure The Data Center</a> issue of InformationWeek Government: The White House's gun control efforts are at risk of failure because the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' outdated Firearms Tracing System is in need of an upgrade. (Free registration required.)2013-03-25T09:06:00ZNew York's 32-Story Data Fortress: Inside TourSabey's 1-million-square-foot facility in lower Manhattan is billed as the world's tallest and largest high-rise data center.http://www.informationweek.com/government/information-management/new-yorks-32-story-data-fortress-inside/240151545?cid=SBX_iwk_related_commentary_Infrastructure_as_a_Service_cloud_computingData center operator Sabey calls its new 1-million-square-foot facility in lower Manhattan the world's tallest and largest high-rise data center. The 32-story building opens for business this month with one customer, the New York Genome Center, which will house servers there for its computing-intensive work in genome sequencing. Sabey is betting that the data center's prime location in New York City's business district, and the building's state-of-the-art infrastructure, will attract many more customers in the finance, healthcare, retail and technology industries, as well as Web companies, startups and government agencies. The data center, called Intergate.Manhattan, sits at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge. It's also next door to the headquarters of the New York Police Department, which company CEO David Sabey said assures a secure perimeter. The building, at 375 Pearl Street, opened in 1975 as a telecommunications switching center for New York Telephone. That's key because, even though the facility is 38 years old, it has many of the design characteristics required of modern data centers: basement-to-roof cabling shafts, diverse network access points and, with capacity for 40 megawatts, loads of electricity. Verizon still occupies three floors of the building. Sabey's data center has 32 stories, yet it's much taller than one would expect, at 540 feet. That's because the ceilings, designed for a telephone switching center, are higher than in a typical office building. Sabey gutted the former switching center, used computer-aided design for the interior, and brought in new electrical and cooling systems and diesel-powered backup generators. The company describes the facility as "a fortress," and says critical infrastructure isn't at risk of flooding if another Sandy-size storm brings water into lower Manhattan. The data center's electrical systems are on the second floor, 33 feet about ground level. At the official opening, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the new data center will support growing demand for state-of-the-art data center capacity as the city positions itself as a center of technology development and talent and tech-enabled businesses. "This is wonderful for the city," Bloomberg said. With 34,000-square-foot floor plates, there are 600,000 square feet of floor space in Sabey's new data center, plus 400,000 square feet of other space. That brings the company's total data center space to approximately 3-million square feet, with major locations in northern Virginia and Washington state. All photos, unless otherwise noted, by John Foley.Sabey's 32-story data center, on the right, sits in close proximity to New York Police Department headquarters at One Police Plaza in lower Manhattan. The data center is a short walk from New York's City Hall and the subway. RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/data-centers/facebooks-futuristic-data-center-inside/240149810">Facebook's Futuristic Data Center: Inside Tour</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/enterprise-applications/10-cities-raise-tech-iqs-in-ibm-challeng/240142572">10 Cities Raise Tech IQs In IBM Challenge</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/spy-tech-10-cia-backed-investments/240142519">Spy Tech: 10 CIA-Backed Investments</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/processors/intels-tech-roadmap-visual-tour/240007078">Intel's Tech Roadmap: Visual Tour</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/nasa-curiosity-visual-tour-mars-revealed/240005315">NASA Curiosity Visual Tour: Mars, Revealed</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/secret-spy-satellite-takes-off-stunning/240002424">Secret Spy Satellite Takes Off: Stunning Images</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/us-military-robots-of-the-future-visual/232900886">U.S. Military Robots Of The Future: Visual Tour</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/2012-it-salary-survey-12-career-insights/232900448">2012 IT Salary Survey: 12 Career Insights</a>The data center sits at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge, which spans the East River. A few blocks south of the city's Chinatown and just north of the South Street Seaport, the vicinity of the data center is home to a growing number of knowledge workers, according to Nicole LaRusso, senior VP of planning and economic development with the Downtown Alliance. RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/data-centers/facebooks-futuristic-data-center-inside/240149810">Facebook's Futuristic Data Center: Inside Tour</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/enterprise-applications/10-cities-raise-tech-iqs-in-ibm-challeng/240142572">10 Cities Raise Tech IQs In IBM Challenge</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/spy-tech-10-cia-backed-investments/240142519">Spy Tech: 10 CIA-Backed Investments</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/processors/intels-tech-roadmap-visual-tour/240007078">Intel's Tech Roadmap: Visual Tour</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/nasa-curiosity-visual-tour-mars-revealed/240005315">NASA Curiosity Visual Tour: Mars, Revealed</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/secret-spy-satellite-takes-off-stunning/240002424">Secret Spy Satellite Takes Off: Stunning Images</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/us-military-robots-of-the-future-visual/232900886">U.S. Military Robots Of The Future: Visual Tour</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/2012-it-salary-survey-12-career-insights/232900448">2012 IT Salary Survey: 12 Career Insights</a>Once inside the facility, access to the data center is controlled by "man trap" door systems, where authorized personnel must go through one door, then swipe an ID card and touch a finger to the biometric reader (pictured here), before gaining access through a second door. If the identify measures don't match, access is denied. RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/data-centers/facebooks-futuristic-data-center-inside/240149810">Facebook's Futuristic Data Center: Inside Tour</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/enterprise-applications/10-cities-raise-tech-iqs-in-ibm-challeng/240142572">10 Cities Raise Tech IQs In IBM Challenge</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/spy-tech-10-cia-backed-investments/240142519">Spy Tech: 10 CIA-Backed Investments</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/processors/intels-tech-roadmap-visual-tour/240007078">Intel's Tech Roadmap: Visual Tour</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/nasa-curiosity-visual-tour-mars-revealed/240005315">NASA Curiosity Visual Tour: Mars, Revealed</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/secret-spy-satellite-takes-off-stunning/240002424">Secret Spy Satellite Takes Off: Stunning Images</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/us-military-robots-of-the-future-visual/232900886">U.S. Military Robots Of The Future: Visual Tour</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/2012-it-salary-survey-12-career-insights/232900448">2012 IT Salary Survey: 12 Career Insights</a>This squeaky clean space on the 6th floor has everything but the computers. Note the absence of raised floors. In this facility, servers will be placed on concrete slabs. Air supply travels through the walls from the computer room air handler units that can be adjusted as necessary. 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The space is equipped with electrical, chilled-water and air-circulation systems and infrastructure. Image credit: Sabey. RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/data-centers/facebooks-futuristic-data-center-inside/240149810">Facebook's Futuristic Data Center: Inside Tour</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/enterprise-applications/10-cities-raise-tech-iqs-in-ibm-challeng/240142572">10 Cities Raise Tech IQs In IBM Challenge</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/spy-tech-10-cia-backed-investments/240142519">Spy Tech: 10 CIA-Backed Investments</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/processors/intels-tech-roadmap-visual-tour/240007078">Intel's Tech Roadmap: Visual Tour</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/nasa-curiosity-visual-tour-mars-revealed/240005315">NASA Curiosity Visual Tour: Mars, Revealed</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/secret-spy-satellite-takes-off-stunning/240002424">Secret Spy Satellite Takes Off: Stunning Images</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/us-military-robots-of-the-future-visual/232900886">U.S. Military Robots Of The Future: Visual Tour</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/2012-it-salary-survey-12-career-insights/232900448">2012 IT Salary Survey: 12 Career Insights</a>The 5th floor houses the data center's uninterruptable power supply systems and backup batteries. The UPS room itself is redundant, too. There are four of these UPS rooms. 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Initially, the data center will tap into 5.4 megawatts of power, with a top end of 40 megawatts. 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The ceilings in this area are 23 feet high. As the temperature cools down outside the building, the chillers can be dialed back. 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The generators are located on the same floor as the chillers. Fuel is supplied from tanks in the basement. RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/data-centers/facebooks-futuristic-data-center-inside/240149810">Facebook's Futuristic Data Center: Inside Tour</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/enterprise-applications/10-cities-raise-tech-iqs-in-ibm-challeng/240142572">10 Cities Raise Tech IQs In IBM Challenge</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/spy-tech-10-cia-backed-investments/240142519">Spy Tech: 10 CIA-Backed Investments</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/processors/intels-tech-roadmap-visual-tour/240007078">Intel's Tech Roadmap: Visual Tour</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/nasa-curiosity-visual-tour-mars-revealed/240005315">NASA Curiosity Visual Tour: Mars, Revealed</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/secret-spy-satellite-takes-off-stunning/240002424">Secret Spy Satellite Takes Off: Stunning Images</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/us-military-robots-of-the-future-visual/232900886">U.S. Military Robots Of The Future: Visual Tour</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/2012-it-salary-survey-12-career-insights/232900448">2012 IT Salary Survey: 12 Career Insights</a>These New York Police Department vans are parked right outside the Sabey data center. Sabey says the immediate area is "controlled, protected and secured" by the NYPD and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/data-centers/facebooks-futuristic-data-center-inside/240149810">Facebook's Futuristic Data Center: Inside Tour</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/enterprise-applications/10-cities-raise-tech-iqs-in-ibm-challeng/240142572">10 Cities Raise Tech IQs In IBM Challenge</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/spy-tech-10-cia-backed-investments/240142519">Spy Tech: 10 CIA-Backed Investments</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/processors/intels-tech-roadmap-visual-tour/240007078">Intel's Tech Roadmap: Visual Tour</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/nasa-curiosity-visual-tour-mars-revealed/240005315">NASA Curiosity Visual Tour: Mars, Revealed</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/secret-spy-satellite-takes-off-stunning/240002424">Secret Spy Satellite Takes Off: Stunning Images</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/us-military-robots-of-the-future-visual/232900886">U.S. Military Robots Of The Future: Visual Tour</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/2012-it-salary-survey-12-career-insights/232900448">2012 IT Salary Survey: 12 Career Insights</a>As big as it is, the Sabey data center pales in comparison to One World Trade Center, which nears completion a few blocks away. The iconic building is evidence of the revitalization of lower Manhattan and the prospect that business growth will drive increased demand for computer and storage systems and, with that, data center facilities. RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/data-centers/facebooks-futuristic-data-center-inside/240149810">Facebook's Futuristic Data Center: Inside Tour</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/enterprise-applications/10-cities-raise-tech-iqs-in-ibm-challeng/240142572">10 Cities Raise Tech IQs In IBM Challenge</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/spy-tech-10-cia-backed-investments/240142519">Spy Tech: 10 CIA-Backed Investments</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/processors/intels-tech-roadmap-visual-tour/240007078">Intel's Tech Roadmap: Visual Tour</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/nasa-curiosity-visual-tour-mars-revealed/240005315">NASA Curiosity Visual Tour: Mars, Revealed</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/secret-spy-satellite-takes-off-stunning/240002424">Secret Spy Satellite Takes Off: Stunning Images</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/us-military-robots-of-the-future-visual/232900886">U.S. Military Robots Of The Future: Visual Tour</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/2012-it-salary-survey-12-career-insights/232900448">2012 IT Salary Survey: 12 Career Insights</a>2013-03-19T13:00:00ZNASA Curiosity Rover Hit By Software SnafuAn out of the ordinary file attachment fails a routine check by the rover's protective software.http://www.informationweek.com/government/information-management/nasa-curiosity-rover-hit-by-software-sna/240151092?cid=SBX_iwk_related_commentary_Infrastructure_as_a_Service_cloud_computing <div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/nasa-mars-mission-no-little-green-men-/240142965"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/917/roverv2_tn.jpg" alt="NASA Mars Mission: No Little Green Men -- Yet" title="NASA Mars Mission: No Little Green Men -- Yet" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">NASA Mars Mission: No Little Green Men -- Yet</div> (click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div> NASA's Curiosity rover has suffered a second on-board computer problem on Mars, causing the vehicle to go into safe mode for the second time in three weeks. NASA said Monday that the rover had switched itself into safe mode two days earlier when a command file running on its backup, or "B-side," computer failed a size-check by protective software. The agency determined that a software bug had attached an unrelated file to the one being checked, causing a file size mismatch. The SUV-like rover is being operated by its B-side computer because its primary, A-side computer suffered a <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/information-management/nasa-curiosity-mars-rover-survives-tough/240150382">memory glitch</a> on Feb. 27, causing the Curiosity project team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to switch to the backup system and put the vehicle into safe mode for two days. NASA is still working to determine the cause of the A-side computer problem. "We still don't know exactly what that is yet, whether it's a hardware issue or was a radiation event," said John Grotzinger, Mars Science Lab project scientist, speaking from the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in The Woodlands, Texas. [ Rock testing from the Curiosity rover shows elements on Mars consistent with life. Read more at <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/information-management/nasa-curiosity-rover-finds-life-enabling/240150698?itc=edit_in_body_cross">NASA Curiosity Rover Finds Life-Enabling Basics On Mars</a>. ] For the time being, the A-side computer is operating as a backup to the B-side computer. Grotzinger said the Curiosity project team has uploaded software patches to the B-side computer to protect it from the problems that disabled the A-side computer. NASA officials downplayed the seriousness of Curiosity's latest software glitch, saying that the rover is stable, healthy and communicating with JPL engineers. "This is a very straightforward matter to deal with," said project manager Richard Cook. "We know how to keep this from occurring in the future." However, the snafus have put Curiosity's scientific observations on hold for nearly three weeks and counting. Those observations have been suspended since the February 27 shut down, and NASA said it will take a "couple of days" more to bring the rover out of safe mode after the latest setback. In the near term, NASA researchers have a narrowing window of opportunity for experimentation. From Earth's perspective, Mars is about to pass behind the sun, raising the potential for interference in communications between Curiosity and mission control. As a precaution, NASA won't send commands to the rover for four weeks beginning on April 4. The technical complications come on the heels of NASA's recent announcement that Curiosity's first rock samples revealed evidence that <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/information-management/nasa-curiosity-rover-finds-life-enabling/240150698">life-enabling conditions</a> -- including the presence of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and sulfur -- once existed on the Red Planet. Attend Interop Las Vegas May 6-10 and learn the emerging trends in information risk management and security. Use Priority Code MPIWK by March 22 to save an additional $200 off the early bird discount on All Access and Conference Passes. Join us in Las Vegas for access to 125+ workshops and conference classes, 300+ exhibiting companies, and the latest technology. <a href="http://www.interop.com/lasvegas/?_mc=MP_BTMEDIWKAXE">Register today</a>! 2013-03-14T08:36:00ZATF's Gun Tracing System Is A DudThe Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is using 1960s era technology to manage a 21st century problem. When will this get fixed?http://www.informationweek.com/government/enterprise-applications/atfs-gun-tracing-system-is-a-dud/240150719?cid=SBX_iwk_related_commentary_Infrastructure_as_a_Service_cloud_computingA key piece of the White House's gun control plan -- the process by which the feds use serial numbers and descriptions to trace the original source of a gun sale -- is at risk of failure. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is using 1960s era technology to manage a 21st century problem. And nothing is being done to fix it. ATF's Firearms Tracing System lets local, state and federal law enforcement officials determine the "chain of custody" of confiscated weapons. But the ATF's "system" is a national embarrassment. It's mostly a manual process based on the use of microfilm/microfiche, the same technology that libraries used 50 years ago to archive newspapers and magazines. Here's how the Firearms Tracing System works: When a trace request comes in to ATF's National Tracing Center, often by telephone, employees trek to the microfilm department, where 500 million records are stored. They retrieve microfilm cases from a shelf, search the records using a special reader that magnifies the itsy-bitsy images, and report their findings to the law enforcement agency that put in the request. Urgent requests are turned around within 24 hours, but that's the exception. The process generally takes five days. That's not nearly good enough. If you've ever used a smartphone to create a digital image of a check for deposit, you're a few tech generations -- and about four days, 23 hours and 55 minutes -- ahead of the Firearms Tracing System. As the Obama administration, in the wake of the Newtown tragedy, <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/preventing-gun-violence">pushes for gun control</a> -- "gun safety" is the term the White House favors -- the Firearms Tracing System is drawing attention. Critics refer to the system as "horse and buggy" technology, according to <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-57566788/tracing-guns-is-low-tech-operation-for-atf/">a recent piece by CBS news</a>. Attorney General Eric Holder paid a visit to the National Tracing Center in Martinsburg, W.Va., to have a look for himself. (ATF is part of the Department of Justice.) There's only one conclusion Holder could reach: The Firearms Tracking System needs updating. ATF CIO Rick Holgate, an experienced technology executive with degrees from Princeton and MIT, is the first to agree. In an hour-long interview with InformationWeek Government at the agency's Washington, D.C., headquarters, Holgate described the microfilm system as a "target of opportunity." He would like to replace the microfilm with a modern imaging system capable of processing gun records much faster and more efficiently. A new system would cost about $4 million, Holgate estimates -- not cheap, but a small price to pay to expedite this important process. The ATF's tech budget is about $80 million, minus $10 million to $15 million if sequestration takes full effect. But as important as it is, upgrading the Firearms Tracing Systems hasn't risen to the top of the ATF's priority list. Holgate has his hands full with a long list of other projects: moving the agency's email system to the cloud, making aggregate gun-trace data available in an open format, modernizing and integrating the agency's other legacy systems and, most recently, moving its email archive online to facilitate e-discovery. "It's not that [replacing] microfiche isn't important," Holgate says. "It just has to compete with other priorities." If you're wondering why the ATF doesn't replace its kludge of a system with a state-of-the-art database management system that could locate documents in minutes instead of days, it's because there are laws against it. The agency is restricted by the Firearms Owners Protection Act from creating a national database of gun registrations, sales or owners. The influential National Rifle Association gets fidgety at the mere mention of a centralized firearms database. So ATF must concentrate on accessing, integrating and managing the records that are available under current law. While microfilm is at the core of the Firearms Tracing System, there's actually more to it. The system pulls together information from a variety of sources, mostly Oracle databases. The agency is upgrading those systems on top of Oracle's Web services-based Fusion architecture "to allow us to extend it more readily," Holgate says. A Web front end called eTrace lets law enforcement officials submit requests for gun traces and get the results back. But there's no escaping the grunt work involved on the back end of gun tracing. Out-of-business gun dealers are one source of records for the Firearms Tracing System. As required by law, however, those records arrive as paper documents, which are then converted by the ATF to electronic images. The various imaging systems ATF uses were "purpose built," Holgate says, a nice way of saying that those too are a hodge-podge. ATF and DOJ are moving in parallel toward a common, enterprise approach to imaging, he says. Other ATF platforms with a gun control element are in need of attention. ATF operates a referral system that links to the FBI's <a href="http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/nics">National Instant Criminal Background Check System</a>, aka NICS. When a would-be gun buyer completes an application (ATF Form 4473) at the point of purchase, the FBI has three days to complete a background check or, by law, that transaction is allowed to go through. If disqualifying information is discovered after the three-day approval deadline, it becomes a "delayed denial," in which case ATF agents have the sensitive job of repossessing the firearm. Those potentially dangerous situations could be minimized if the FBI and ATF were better at information sharing. At the time of our interview, Holgate was due to meet with the FBI within a few days to discuss next steps. One idea is to include a subset of Form 4473 data in the FBI NICS to establish more data consistency and introduce fewer errors. Accurate, timely data sharing between ATF and the FBI becomes especially important as the number of background checks rises, as it's sure to under the White House initiative. The FBI already conducts more than 45,000 gun-related background checks a day. (For more, see <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/policy/federal-gun-control-requires-it-overhaul/240147373">"Federal Gun Control Requires IT Overhaul."</a>) Did I mention that the number of gun traces, now about 350,000 annually, is going to increase, as well? In mid-January, when Obama introduced 23 executive orders on gun safety, he also issued a memo requiring federal law enforcement organizations to submit trace requests for all guns recovered during the course of a criminal investigation. It's a good bet that heightened awareness in communities nationwide will cause more local and state police to request gun traces too. In other words, there will be even more trips to the ATF's microfilm department, more eye-straining records searches, more lengthy turnarounds to answer a simple question about a gun's origins. Holgate says he hopes to find the resources to upgrade the Firearms Tracing System "in the next year or so." That's not soon enough. Obama himself should be paying attention.2013-01-31T08:53:00ZFederal Gun Control Requires IT OverhaulWhite House plan will work only if the IT systems and databases used for background checks and gun tracing get the improvements needed to support stepped-up oversight.http://www.informationweek.com/government/policy/federal-gun-control-requires-it-overhaul/240147373?cid=SBX_iwk_related_commentary_Infrastructure_as_a_Service_cloud_computing<div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/leadership/iw500-15-top-government-tech-innovators/240006582"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/861/01_Intro_tn.jpg" alt="IW500: 15 Top Government Tech Innovators" title="IW500: 15 Top Government Tech Innovators" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">IW500: 15 Top Government Tech Innovators</div> (click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>President Obama's national gun-control initiative hinges on federal agencies' ability to collect, manage and share information on would-be gun buyers and on weapons tied to crimes. But the technology needed to do that work is in desperate need of fixing. Obama introduced 23 executive orders on Jan. 16 aimed at reducing gun violence through a combination of tougher regulation and enforcement, research, training, education and attention to mental healthcare. Several of the <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/preventing-gun-violence">proposed actions</a> involve better information sharing, including requiring federal agencies to make relevant data available to the FBI's background check system and easing legal barriers that prevent states from contributing data to that system. But the White House plan will work only if the IT systems and databases tied to gun control -- managed by the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) -- get the overhauls needed to support stepped-up oversight. A handful of IT systems are involved. At the FBI, there's the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), an auxiliary system called the NICS Index, plus the Interstate Identification Index and the National Crime Information Center. At the ATF, it's the Firearms Tracing System. [ The government faces IT challenges on every level. Read <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/cloud-saas/optimization-is-key-to-federal-data-cent/240144381?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Optimization Is Key To Federal Data Center Overhaul</a>. ] The <a href="http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/nics">NICS</a>, Uncle Sam's central database for background checks, processed 16.5 million firearms background checks in 2011, but the process for handling those transactions isn't as automated as you might think. Only 6% of the background checks coming into the FBI were submitted electronically via the system's E-Check functionality. The rest come in by phone to an NICS call center, where 91.5% of background checks result in a thumbs up or thumbs down and the rest require follow-up. The last time an FBI official publicly discussed NICS was November 2011, when David Cuthbertson, assistant director of the bureau's Criminal Justice Information Services Division, testified before a Senate subcommittee on efforts to improve the information available in the system. Timely, comprehensive data is needed because the FBI has only three business days to find relevant information that might be missing from its databases. After that, the gun purchase is allowed to proceed. In some cases, the FBI fails to uncover records that would block gun shoppers from buying weapons because of disqualifying criteria such as a felony conviction or being in the country illegally. "When that happens, firearms can and do end up in the hands of persons who are not allowed to possess them," Cuthbertson said. The problem isn't that the records don't exist; it's that the FBI doesn't have them in its systems. The shooter at Virginia Tech in 2007, for example, was allowed to acquire firearms despite a disqualifying mental health history because the records that should have flagged his condition weren't in the NICS Index. That critical shortcoming led in 2008 to the NICS Improvement Amendments Act, intended to create a more complete database. Over the next three years, the number of records in the NICS Index increased 41%, to 7.2 million, and the number of mental health records jumped 153%, to 1.3 million. The FBI also added 766,000 criminal dispositions and increased use of electronic records filing into NICS. But additional steps must be taken to establish a more accurate and efficient background-check system. Cuthbertson testified that the NICS suffered from outdated IT systems, a shortage of manpower needed to manage and maintain information coming into the system, and legal and policy barriers related to the sharing of mental health information.At the ATF, the technology used to trace weapons recovered during a criminal investigation is a generation (or two or three) removed from today's state-of-the-art systems. When a trace request comes into ATF from law enforcement officers involved in an investigation, the agency uses microfiche -- that's right, the film-based records you remember from the library -- to retrieve the information needed to respond to the query. It's an archaic, labor-intensive process, made necessary by the fact that ATF is prohibited by law from maintaining a central database of information on firearms owners and transactions. In fact, the ATF maintains many other kinds of records. They include the transactions of out-of-business gun dealers, and reports on multiple handgun sales made to the same person within five business days. And the ATF's National Tracing Center in Martinsburg, W.Va., manages a database of information on guns recovered during crime investigations that can be accessed using a service called eTrace. This lets law enforcement agencies submit firearms trace requests, monitor their progress, retrieve results and query "trace-related data." But ATF's Firearms Tracing System, just like the FBI databases, has holes. On the same day that Obama introduced those gun-control executive orders, he issued a memo ordering federal agencies to trace every firearm taken into custody. "The effectiveness of firearms tracing depends on the quantity and quality of information and trace requests submitted to ATF," Obama wrote. A second memo instructs federal agencies to do a better job of contributing records to the FBI's NICS system. Such policy mandates are toothless without the requisite IT infrastructure, and the ATF acknowledges it's got work to do. The agency's published strategic plan outlines a series of needed improvements, including implementation of a standard technical architecture and real-time knowledge management capabilities. Given the vital role that backend IT systems play in gun control, and the fact that Obama has pinpointed the need to improve information quantity and quality, we might expect the FBI and the ATF to quickly address the issues that have been identified. So far, however, the agencies have been mum about any new plans to plug the gaps. The FBI, in response to a query from InformationWeek Government, offered only this: "With regard to the proposed executive order, the NICS section will strive to accommodate upcoming changes and mandates." An ATF spokesman, meanwhile, said he wasn't aware of any actions planned in the wake of the White House's recent gun-control steps. The FBI and ATF must do better. Concrete plans are needed now to improve data collection and sharing. Federal CIO Steven VanRoekel, who has demonstrated an aptitude for such things, should help clean up this mess. VanRoekel's Digital Government Strategy, introduced in May, defines an IT architecture and processes for sharing digitized content securely, using Web APIs and with attention to protecting privacy. The FBI and ATF should study it closely. I reached out to VanRoekel to inquire about all of this, but the federal CIO's office bounced my query to the FBI and the ATF. ATF CIO Rick Holgate didn't respond to my email, either. Unfortunately, on top of the data quality issues identified by the White House, and the FBI's and ATF's outdated IT systems, there's a lack of transparency about the systems used to enforce federal gun-control laws. That also must change. The White House's new initiative simply won't work without across-the-board improvements in all of these areas. Mobile applications are the new way to extend government information and services to on-the-go citizens and employees. Also in the new, all-digital <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/011413gov/?k=axxe&cid=article_axxt_os">Anytime, Anywhere</a> issue of InformationWeek Government: A new initiative aims to shift the 17-member Intelligence Community from agency-specific IT silos to an enterprise environment of shared systems and services. (Free registration required.)2013-01-14T08:00:00ZIntelligence Agencies Must Operate More Like An EnterpriseComprehensive IT strategy promises efficiency and increased collaboration, but the required cultural changes could be jarring.http://www.informationweek.com/government/leadership/intelligence-agencies-must-operate-more/240146055?cid=SBX_iwk_related_commentary_Infrastructure_as_a_Service_cloud_computing  <div id="inlineGreenPromoTop"> <div class="greenBand"></div> <div class="inlineGreenPromoContent"> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/011413gov/?k=axxe&cid=article_axxe_os"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/government/017/smallcov.jpg" alt="InformationWeek Green - Jan. 14, 2013" title="InformationWeek Green - Jan. 14, 2013" align="left" class="greenIssueImage" /></a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/011413gov/?k=axxe&cid=article_axxe_os"><img src="http://twimgs.com/infoweek/graphics_library/misc/Green_leaf_88x88.jpg" alt="InformationWeek Green" title="InformationWeek Green" align="right" class="greenLeaf" /></a> <div class="greenPromoText"> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/011413gov/?k=axxe&cid=article_axxe_os">Download the entire January 2013 issue of InformationWeek Government</a>, distributed in an all-digital format as part of our Green Initiative (Registration required.) </div> </div> <div class="greenBand"></div> </div>    Major challenges await John Brennan, President Obama's nominee for CIA director, if he gets the nod from Congress. The agency is reeling from the Petraeus scandal and intelligence failures in Benghazi, and critics question its expanding use of armed drones. At the same time, the CIA is deeply involved in one of the most complex and sensitive technology projects in federal government, one that could help it operate more smoothly if all goes well -- or become yet another federal IT boondoggle if it doesn't. The initiative aims to evolve the 17-member U.S. Intelligence Community from agency-specific IT silos to an enterprise environment of shared services and systems. The first deliverables of that project, a standard PC desktop and cloud computing infrastructure, are due this quarter. The initiative is called the Intelligence Community IT Enterprise, or ICITE, and it's been under way for 12 months. It's rooted in federal cost-cutting efforts -- a big chunk of the $75 billion spent annually on national and military intelligence goes into IT systems and support -- yet ICITE also promises to improve information sharing and data security across intelligence agencies. Al Tarasiuk, the CIO of the IC, is spearheading the project, working with the CIOs of the CIA, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the National Reconnaissance Office and the National Security Agency. Those agencies, the "Big 5," account for the bulk of U.S. intel spending. Tarasiuk discussed the strategy in an interview with InformationWeek Government a few months ago at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in McLean, Va., where he reports to director of national intelligence James Clapper. Before joining ODNI in 2011, Tarasiuk was CIO of the CIA. Our meeting took place at ODNI headquarters, located next to the National Counterterrorism Center. Brennan, the nominee to become CIA director, was director of the NCTC earlier in his career. I mention those overlapping affiliations as a way of illustrating why ICITE makes sense. Intelligence agencies already share information and resources, and the goal is to get them to collaborate more. A cross-agency enterprise IT strategy should facilitate that. Here's how it will work: The CIA and NSA will open their cloud environments to other intelligence agencies. The DIA and NGA will develop and support a common desktop across the IC. Applications will be developed using a common set of tools -- the Ozone Widget Framework -- and made available through an NSA-managed "apps mall." Encryption and data tagging will allow for secure information sharing. Service Providers In this model, the Big 5 agencies become service providers to the IC, with the benefits of increased efficiency, standardization and governance. Tarasiuk is borrowing from the agile development approach to define requirements in three-month increments. The second half of 2012 was devoted to design and testing; ICITE's initial capabilities are scheduled to be operating by April. The goal is to reduce intelligence agencies' aggregate IT spending by 25% within five years, by the beginning of fiscal 2018. Savings are expected to come from lower labor costs (both staff and contactor) and volume deals on software and hardware. The project requires more integration than new software development. But beyond technology implementation, success will require a degree of cooperation that doesn't come easy to spy agencies. "I don't want people to underestimate the cultural changes that will have to exist," says Tarasiuk. "It's going to get nasty. It's going to be dirty. There are going to be fights."  <div style="float:right;padding-left:10px;"> <div style="width:210px; border:1px solid #000000;"> <div style="margin:0; padding:5px; background-color:#CC0000; text-align:center; font-size:1em; color:#ffffff; font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://reports.informationweek.com/abstract/104/8763/Government/research-2012-government-it-salary-survey.html?cid=pub_analyt__iwk_20130114" target="_blank" style="color:#ffffff;">Research: 2012 Government IT Salary Survey</a></div> <img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/government/017/017Gov_reportcover.jpg" width="175" height="102" style="margin:15px;"> <center>Feds Tighten Belt</center> <div style="font-size:.9em; margin:0px 1px 0px 10px;">Government IT salaries have stopped growing -- at least temporarily. Find out more in our <a href="http://reports.informationweek.com/abstract/104/8763/Government/research-2012-government-it-salary-survey.html?cid=pub_analyt__iwk_20130114" target="_blank">full report</a>, free with registration. <center><a href="http://reports.informationweek.com/abstract/104/8763/Government/research-2012-government-it-salary-survey.html?cid=pub_analyt__iwk_20130114" target="_blank">Get This</a> And <a href="http://reports.informationweek.com/">All Our Reports</a></center> </div> </div> </div>  The IC has no choice but to make it work. Not only are agencies under pressure to do more with less, but a recently released White House directive -- the <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/2012sharingstrategy_1.pdf" target="_blank">National Strategy for Information Sharing and Safeguarding</a> -- will work only if the underlying infrastructure exists to support it. The strategy is tied to the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act and the National Security Strategy, and its goals include increased use of common processes and shared services for handling sensitive and classified information. Brennan, who advises Obama as deputy national security adviser for homeland security and counterterrorism, knows these issues as well as anyone. He played a key role in two of the most defining events in post-9/11 national security, one negative and the other positive: the failure to connect the dots on Christmas Day 2009 when Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a.k.a. the underwear bomber, slipped through security and attempted to detonate a bomb on a Northwest Airlines flight; and the intelligence bet that led to the killing of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. Tarasiuk points to the bin Laden example as evidence of increased collaboration among intelligence agencies, and he argues that an enterprise IT strategy will further those efforts. "It took a lot of intelligence from various sources to pull that together," he says. "We're working in a more integrated way than ever before, thus the need for more integrated systems and applications." (Tarasiuk first spoke publicly about ICITE last May at InformationWeek Government's Government IT Leadership Forum. See the video below.) Tarasiuk will need the support of the new CIA director to keep his project on track. "I have statutory authority for enterprise architecture and other things, but at the end of the day, those authorities mean nothing if you can't engage people and work with them in designing these plans," he says. Once ICITE was approved, one of his first steps was to form an executive committee of agency deputy directors to provide oversight. Of course, the dependencies go both ways. If Brennan is approved, he may find that his organization's effectiveness hinges on an enterprise IT plan that's just hitting its stride. <center>  <div style="display:none"> Informationweek.com run-of-site player, used to publish article embedded videos via DCT. The same ads will be served on this player regardless of embed location. </div>  <script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript" src="http://admin.brightcove.com/js/BrightcoveExperiences.js"></script> <object id="myExperience1711830026001" class="BrightcoveExperience"> <param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /> <param name="width" value="480" /> <param name="height" value="270" /> <param name="playerID" value="1223625539001" /> <param name="playerKey" value="AQ~~,AAAAAF14eAc~,GZC-YoxXnehVitUBmX0u2QYfPEVvZG_k" /> <param name="isVid" value="true" /> <param name="isUI" value="true" /> <param name="dynamicStreaming" value="true" /> <param name="@videoPlayer" value="1711830026001" /> </object>  <script type="text/javascript">brightcove.createExperiences();</script>  </center> 2013-01-14T08:00:00ZFeds Face Challenges In Mobility MandateAs agencies develop apps that extend government data to on-the-go citizens and employees, many issues have cropped up.http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/feds-face-challenges-in-mobility-mandate/240146012?cid=SBX_iwk_related_commentary_Infrastructure_as_a_Service_cloud_computing  <div id="inlineGreenPromoTop"> <div class="greenBand"></div> <div class="inlineGreenPromoContent"> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/011413gov/?k=axxe&cid=article_axxe_os"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/government/017/smallcov.jpg" alt="InformationWeek Green - Jan. 14, 2013" title="InformationWeek Green - Jan. 14, 2013" align="left" class="greenIssueImage" /></a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/011413gov/?k=axxe&cid=article_axxe_os"><img src="http://twimgs.com/infoweek/graphics_library/misc/Green_leaf_88x88.jpg" alt="InformationWeek Green" title="InformationWeek Green" align="right" class="greenLeaf" /></a> <div class="greenPromoText"> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/011413gov/?k=axxe&cid=article_axxe_os">Download the entire January 2013 issue of InformationWeek Government</a>, distributed in an all-digital format as part of our Green Initiative (Registration required.) </div> </div> <div class="greenBand"></div> </div>    <img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/government/017/017Gov_cover_110.jpg" width="110" height="110" alt="Anytime, Anywhere" title="Anytime, Anywhere" width="110" height="110" class="artInlineTopImage" /> The goal of the White House's Digital Government Strategy, spelled out in minute detail in a 36-page document, can be summed up in a few words: Make federal information and services available to the public "anytime, anywhere, on any device." Introduced by President Obama in May, the strategy reflects the fact that most Americans now carry mobile phones, which they increasingly use to get government-provided information on everything from treating cancer to navigating airport security. "The innovative use of technology is fundamentally transforming how the American people do business and live their daily lives," Obama wrote in the memo outlining the strategy and urging agencies to get on board. The plan calls for building a "21st century platform" to deliver digital services to the public, and it lays out 29 action items to be completed by May 23, 2013. Objectives for each agency include making "high value data" from at least two major IT systems available through Web APIs; establishing a governance structure for developing and delivering digital services; and implementing performance and customer-satisfaction measures on .gov websites. "Citizens can expect to see a government that provides better service at lower costs," said federal CIO Steven VanRoekel in an interview with InformationWeek Government. VanRoekel announced plans to develop a national mobility strategy 12 months ago at the CES Government conference in Las Vegas, and he invited the public's input. The Digital Government Strategy was hatched five months later.  <div style="float:right;padding-left:10px;"> <div style="width:210px; border:1px solid #000000;"> <div style="margin:0; padding:5px; background-color:#CC0000; text-align:center; font-size:1em; color:#ffffff; font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://reports.informationweek.com/abstract/104/8996/Government/research-federal-it-priorities-focus-on-the-foundation.html?cid=pub_analyt__iwk_20130114" target="_blank" style="color:#ffffff;">Research: Federal IT Priorities</a></div> <img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/government/017/017CSreportcover.jpg" width="175" height="102" style="margin:15px;"> <center> Focus On The Foundation</center> <div style="font-size:.9em; margin:0px 1px 0px 10px;">Our full report on the <a href="http://reports.informationweek.com/abstract/104/8996/Government/research-federal-it-priorities-focus-on-the-foundation.html?cid=pub_analyt__iwk_20130114" target="_blank">federal government's IT priorities</a> is free with registration. This report includes 36 pages of action-oriented analysis, packed with29 charts. What you'll find: <ul class="normalUL"><li>The greatest barriers to IT project execution</li> <li>The factors driving the government's plans</li> </ul> <center><a href="http://reports.informationweek.com/abstract/104/8996/Government/research-federal-it-priorities-focus-on-the-foundation.html?cid=pub_analyt__iwk_20130114" target="_blank">Get This</a> And <a href="http://reports.informationweek.com/">All Our Reports</a></center> </div> </div> </div>  The Digital Government Strategy is based on four principles. First, it steers agencies away from managing documents, as they have for decades, and toward managing "discrete pieces of open data and content" that are tagged, shared and presented in a variety of digital formats. Second, it seeks to do so using a "shared platform" comprising a content management system and Web APIs, and through a consistent approach to mobile app development. Third, the strategy is intended to be "customer-centric" (more on that below). And fourth, digital content must be secure and incorporate privacy safeguards. Agencies are making more government content available to on-the-go citizens by developing applications for iPhones, Androids and other mobile devices; by optimizing federal websites for mobile access; and by making Uncle Sam's data more widely available for use in applications developed by third parties. May 23 is a key deadline: Agencies must optimize at least two existing customer-facing services for mobile use and publish a plan for further enhancements. Many agencies have been moving in this direction for the past couple of years. The Apps.usa.gov portal already hosts some 130 downloadable apps for the Apple iOS, Android and BlackBerry operating systems and links to federal websites optimized for mobile access. The newest apps include a mobile version of the Government Printing Office's Plum Book, a listing of more than 9,000 executive and executive-support positions in federal government, and an app from the Department of Housing and Urban Development that supports its rental assistance program. Other federally developed mobile apps are available on agency websites and on Apple's App Store and Google's Android Market.  <center>To read the rest of the article, <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/011413gov/?k=axxe&cid=article_axxe_os">Download the January 2013 issue of InformationWeek</a></center>  2013-01-04T16:13:00ZDOE Taps PNNL CIO To Improve SecurityFederal agency brings in a national lab CIO to help implement a cybersecurity strategy that spans its diverse and autonomous operations.http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/doe-taps-pnnl-cio-to-improve-security/240145570?cid=SBX_iwk_related_commentary_Infrastructure_as_a_Service_cloud_computing <div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/military-drones-the-pentagons-eyes-in-th/240144476"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/929/AFx37-b_tn.jpg" alt="Military Drones Present And Future: Visual Tour" title="Military Drones Present And Future: Visual Tour" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">Military Drones Present And Future: Visual Tour</div> (click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>  The U.S. Department of Energy is looking to bolster its cybersecurity readiness with the appointment of Jerry Johnson, CIO of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for the past eight years, as a senior policy and technical adviser. Johnson had first-hand experience with one of the federal government's most serious cyber attacks. In 2011, he oversaw PNNL's response to a dual-pronged cyber attack that was likely part of a broader attack against government agencies and private-sector companies. The lab disconnected its network, conducted a forensics investigation and re-imaged its systems before going back online. Some security experts surmised that the broader espionage campaign, dubbed <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/attacks/shady-rat-attacks-hit-70-organizations-1/231300108">Operation Shady Rat</a>, originated in China. Johnson publicly shared the lab's experience and <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/attacks/7-lessons-surviving-a-zero-day-attack/231601692">lessons learned</a> to help others prevent, and if necessary respond to, such attacks. [ What does NASA plan for the coming year? Read <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/information-management/nasa-details-2013-plans/240145374?itc=edit_in_body_cross">NASA Details 2013 Plans</a>. ] At the Department of Energy, Johnson will work with CIO Bob Brese and his deputy CIOs to develop a cybersecurity strategy that spans the agency's disparate operations, which include 21 national labs and technology centers and four electric power authorities. Those largely independent organizations have their own cyber defenses and action plans. "This will be an umbrella strategy," Johnson said. DOE's Joint Cybersecurity Coordination Center, or JC3, supports agency-wide reporting and tracking of cyber incidents. Johnson will work with the agency's associate CIO of cybersecurity, Gil Vega, to advance those capabilities and implement a more comprehensive incident-response plan. Johnson will also spearhead the DOE's response to a March 2012 report from the Government Accountability Office on national security risks associated with federal agencies' IT supply chains. The GAO recommended that the departments of Energy, Homeland Security and Justice develop policies and procedures to guard against supply chain threats such as malware and counterfeit hardware that might exist in computer and networking equipment. The DOE's nuclear weapons operations are among the areas that will be assessed. Johnson's experience makes him uniquely qualified to not only help improve the DOE's cybersecurity posture, but also to bridge cultural differences between the department and its labs, which are operated by private-sector companies or universities, are staffed by non-government employees, and in many cases are located far from Washington, D.C. In addition to having a hand in improving processes, Johnson will serve as a liaison between the DOE's Office of the CIO and the lab CIOs in the field, splitting his time between PNNL's campus in Richland, Wash., and DOE headquarters in Washington, D.C. "This is going to be very beneficial," he said. Brese took over as <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/leadership/energy-department-names-new-cio/240002323">the DOE CIO six months ago</a>, after serving as acting CIO. He was formerly deputy CIO of the National Nuclear Security Administration, another DOE organization that operates with arms-length autonomy. Energy's Office of the CIO includes more than two dozen deputy CIOs and other technology directors. Brian Abrahamson steps in as CIO at PNNL. Abrahamson had served as the lab's chief enterprise architect since 2011. Before that, he was CIO and chief architect at Pacific Gas and Electric. PNNL director Mike Kluse, in a statement on the changes, said Abrahamson's industry experience makes him well suited for the lab CIO position.2013-01-03T09:06:00ZMilitary Drones Present And Future: Visual TourThe Pentagon's growing fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles ranges from hand-launched machines to the Air Force's experimental X-37B space plane. http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/military-drones-present-and-future-visua/240144476?cid=SBX_iwk_related_commentary_Infrastructure_as_a_Service_cloud_computingA Jan. 2 drone strike against a Taliban leader in Pakistan near the Afghan border illustrates the expanded role that unmanned aerial vehicles are playing in U.S. military operations. Militant leader Mullah Nazir and several Taliban fighters were killed by the attack, which involved at least two missiles, according to reports. The Department of Defense and U.S. intelligence agencies are increasingly using UAVs for everything from battlefield surveillance to remote-controlled strikes against terrorists. Such strikes have also been blamed for civilian casualties in their pursuit of enemy targets. And drones aren't limited to overseas operations. Military flights are increasingly taking place over U.S. skies, raising privacy and public safety issues, according to a new <a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/12/newly-released-drone-records-reveal-extensive-military-flights-us" target="_blank">report from the Electronic Frontier Foundation</a>. When one of the Air Force's MQ-9 Reapers, described as "hunter, killer" drones, crashed in Nevada last month, a spokesman expressed relief that no one was hurt. The Army and the Air Force are developing <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/information-management/drones-to-fly-us-skies-in-dod-plans/240003594">"sense-and-avoid" systems</a> that will let military UAVs share U.S. airspace with commercial and private planes by automating how they maneuver. One such system will use cooperative sensors that work with the Traffic Collision Avoidance System used in civil aviation and with the FAA's Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) system. Another is an optical system that looks for other aircraft and provides tracking information to a computer on the UAV. The Navy plans to begin deploying UAVs on aircraft carriers. The U.S. Navy last month lifted a Northrop Grumman drone, the X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System, onto the USS Harry S. Truman. The X-47B is capable of flying preprogrammed missions, then returning to the carrier for landing. Its initial application will be refueling other aircraft while in flight, but the X-47B can also carry and fire weapons. Other countries are developing or buying their own UAVs. Britain's Royal Navy recently tested a drone that could potentially be used from its ships, according to The Guardian. There's always the risk that a U.S. drone will fall into the wrong hands. A few weeks ago, Iran claimed to have captured a U.S. Navy drone that had entered its airspace. Navy officials denied that it was theirs. Military drones range from lightweight flying machines that can be launched by hand, to the Air Force's 11,000 pound X-37B, which is about one-quarter the size of NASA's space shuttle. The X-37B, pictured above, took off on an Earth-orbiting mission on Dec. 11, a secretive project that will test the feasibility of long-duration military space flights. The "reusable space plane" was launched from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on an Atlas V rocket by the Air Force's Rapid Capabilities Office, which develops combat support and weapons systems. The X-37B is dwarfed by the rocket and fairing used to lift it into space. From top to bottom, the whole system is 196 feet long. The X-37B itself is 29 feet long and 10 feet high. The Pentagon has used UAVs for more than 50 years. Some, like General Atomics' Predator, have established their utility through years of service, but new designs, such as UAVs equipped with laser weapons, keep pushing the boundaries on what drones can do. Following is our guide to U.S. military drones in their many shapes and sizes. Image credit: Air ForceAn armed MQ-9 Reaper, successor to the Predator and made by General Atomics, is pictured here taxiing down a runway in Afghanistan. The Reaper's guided bombs have been used against improvised explosive devices located in the roadway. Image credit: Air Force RECOMMENDED READING: <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/information-management/drones-to-fly-us-skies-in-dod-plans/240003594">Drones To Fly U.S. Skies, In DOD Plans</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/military-transformers-20-innovative-defe/240000339">Military Transformers: 20 Innovative Defense Technologies</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/spy-tech-10-cia-backed-investments/240142519">Spy Tech: 10 CIA-Backed Investments</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/14-amazing-darpa-technologies-on-tap/240008013">14 Amazing DARPA Technologies On Tap</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/attacks/air-force-drone-controllers-embrace-linu/232400275">Air Force Drone Controllers Embrace Linux, But Why?</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/galleries/government/security/240002424">Secret Spy Satellite Takes Off: Stunning Images</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/5-items-should-top-obamas-technology-age/240062556">5 Items Should Top Obama's Technology Agenda</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/us-military-robots-of-the-future-visual/232900886">U.S. Military Robots Of The Future: Visual Tour</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/attacks/iran-hacked-gps-signals-to-capture-us-dr/232300666">Iran Hacked GPS Signals To Capture U.S. Drone </a>The RQ-4 Global Hawk, like many military drones, is designed to gather intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance data. Air Force and Navy officials have discussed joint training with the Northrop Grumman-made RQ-4. 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Notice the AGM-114 Hellfire missiles attached to the wings. The MQ-1 is providing armed reconnaissance against so-called "perishable targets" in the area. Image credit: Air Force RECOMMENDED READING: <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/information-management/drones-to-fly-us-skies-in-dod-plans/240003594">Drones To Fly U.S. Skies, In DOD Plans</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/military-transformers-20-innovative-defe/240000339">Military Transformers: 20 Innovative Defense Technologies</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/spy-tech-10-cia-backed-investments/240142519">Spy Tech: 10 CIA-Backed Investments</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/14-amazing-darpa-technologies-on-tap/240008013">14 Amazing DARPA Technologies On Tap</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/attacks/air-force-drone-controllers-embrace-linu/232400275">Air Force Drone Controllers Embrace Linux, But Why?</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/galleries/government/security/240002424">Secret Spy Satellite Takes Off: Stunning Images</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/5-items-should-top-obamas-technology-age/240062556">5 Items Should Top Obama's Technology Agenda</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/us-military-robots-of-the-future-visual/232900886">U.S. Military Robots Of The Future: Visual Tour</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/attacks/iran-hacked-gps-signals-to-capture-us-dr/232300666">Iran Hacked GPS Signals To Capture U.S. Drone </a>The tail-less X-47B is a strike fighter-sized unmanned aircraft developed by Northrop Grumman under the Navy's Unmanned Combat Air System Carrier Demonstration program. The Navy plans to use the X-47B to demonstrate the first carrier-based launches and returns of an autonomous, unmanned aircraft. The tests could help set the stage for development of a permanent, carrier-based fleet of unmanned aircraft. Image credit: Navy RECOMMENDED READING: <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/information-management/drones-to-fly-us-skies-in-dod-plans/240003594">Drones To Fly U.S. Skies, In DOD Plans</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/military-transformers-20-innovative-defe/240000339">Military Transformers: 20 Innovative Defense Technologies</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/spy-tech-10-cia-backed-investments/240142519">Spy Tech: 10 CIA-Backed Investments</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/14-amazing-darpa-technologies-on-tap/240008013">14 Amazing DARPA Technologies On Tap</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/attacks/air-force-drone-controllers-embrace-linu/232400275">Air Force Drone Controllers Embrace Linux, But Why?</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/galleries/government/security/240002424">Secret Spy Satellite Takes Off: Stunning Images</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/5-items-should-top-obamas-technology-age/240062556">5 Items Should Top Obama's Technology Agenda</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/us-military-robots-of-the-future-visual/232900886">U.S. Military Robots Of The Future: Visual Tour</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/attacks/iran-hacked-gps-signals-to-capture-us-dr/232300666">Iran Hacked GPS Signals To Capture U.S. Drone </a>Here's another look at the X-47B as it's lowered onto the USS Harry S. Truman, the first aircraft carrier to host the testing of an unmanned aircraft. With a 62-ft wingspan, the X-47B can fly at 40,000 ft. Image credit: Navy RECOMMENDED READING: <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/information-management/drones-to-fly-us-skies-in-dod-plans/240003594">Drones To Fly U.S. Skies, In DOD Plans</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/military-transformers-20-innovative-defe/240000339">Military Transformers: 20 Innovative Defense Technologies</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/spy-tech-10-cia-backed-investments/240142519">Spy Tech: 10 CIA-Backed Investments</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/14-amazing-darpa-technologies-on-tap/240008013">14 Amazing DARPA Technologies On Tap</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/attacks/air-force-drone-controllers-embrace-linu/232400275">Air Force Drone Controllers Embrace Linux, But Why?</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/galleries/government/security/240002424">Secret Spy Satellite Takes Off: Stunning Images</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/5-items-should-top-obamas-technology-age/240062556">5 Items Should Top Obama's Technology Agenda</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/us-military-robots-of-the-future-visual/232900886">U.S. Military Robots Of The Future: Visual Tour</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/attacks/iran-hacked-gps-signals-to-capture-us-dr/232300666">Iran Hacked GPS Signals To Capture U.S. Drone </a> The Navy awarded Boeing several multimillion-dollar contracts in 2005 to supply the ScanEagle for use in the Persian Gulf. The Marines used the drones in Iraq to compile real-time images of the battlefield. They can be used individually or in groups to "loiter" over trouble spots and provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. Equipped with an infrared camera, the ScanEagle is capable of flying at an elevation of 16,000 feet. Image credit: Boeing RECOMMENDED READING: <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/information-management/drones-to-fly-us-skies-in-dod-plans/240003594">Drones To Fly U.S. Skies, In DOD Plans</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/military-transformers-20-innovative-defe/240000339">Military Transformers: 20 Innovative Defense Technologies</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/spy-tech-10-cia-backed-investments/240142519">Spy Tech: 10 CIA-Backed Investments</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/14-amazing-darpa-technologies-on-tap/240008013">14 Amazing DARPA Technologies On Tap</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/attacks/air-force-drone-controllers-embrace-linu/232400275">Air Force Drone Controllers Embrace Linux, But Why?</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/galleries/government/security/240002424">Secret Spy Satellite Takes Off: Stunning Images</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/5-items-should-top-obamas-technology-age/240062556">5 Items Should Top Obama's Technology Agenda</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/us-military-robots-of-the-future-visual/232900886">U.S. Military Robots Of The Future: Visual Tour</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/attacks/iran-hacked-gps-signals-to-capture-us-dr/232300666">Iran Hacked GPS Signals To Capture U.S. Drone </a>Boeing's Phantom Ray successfully completed a 17-minute test flight at Edwards Air Force Base in California last year. The UAV flew to 7,500 feet and reached a speed of 178 knots. It's designed for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; autonomous air refueling of other aircraft; electronic attack; and other strikes against enemy targets. 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With its 150-foot wingspan, the UAV climbed to just over 4,000 feet at a speed of 62 knots. Phantom Eye's environmentally friendly propulsion system (its "exhaust" is water) will let it stay aloft 10 miles high for up to four days. But watch out below: Upon landing, the vehicle's landing gear dug into the lake bed and was damaged. Image credit: Boeing RECOMMENDED READING: <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/information-management/drones-to-fly-us-skies-in-dod-plans/240003594">Drones To Fly U.S. Skies, In DOD Plans</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/military-transformers-20-innovative-defe/240000339">Military Transformers: 20 Innovative Defense Technologies</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/spy-tech-10-cia-backed-investments/240142519">Spy Tech: 10 CIA-Backed Investments</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/14-amazing-darpa-technologies-on-tap/240008013">14 Amazing DARPA Technologies On Tap</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/attacks/air-force-drone-controllers-embrace-linu/232400275">Air Force Drone Controllers Embrace Linux, But Why?</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/galleries/government/security/240002424">Secret Spy Satellite Takes Off: Stunning Images</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/5-items-should-top-obamas-technology-age/240062556">5 Items Should Top Obama's Technology Agenda</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/us-military-robots-of-the-future-visual/232900886">U.S. Military Robots Of The Future: Visual Tour</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/attacks/iran-hacked-gps-signals-to-capture-us-dr/232300666">Iran Hacked GPS Signals To Capture U.S. Drone </a>Aurora Flight Science's Excalibur is intended to fill a gap between piloted fighter jets and armed drones that require remote piloting. An advanced flight control system operates the Excalibur with a high degree of autonomy, so ground-based operators can focus on finding targets instead of flying. The aircraft is designed to carry Hellfire air-to-surface missiles and other weapons. Its design allows for vertical takeoffs and landings. 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It's able to fly for five days with a half-ton payload at 20,000 feet. 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Manufactured by AAI, the aircraft extends visibility as far as 125 kilometers from a tactical operations center. Its capabilities include providing targeting data for precision weapons. 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The MQ-8B Fire Scout has the ability to autonomously take off and land on warships and landing zones. The unmanned helicopter flies at 20,000 feet. Image credit: Northrop Grumman RECOMMENDED READING: <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/information-management/drones-to-fly-us-skies-in-dod-plans/240003594">Drones To Fly U.S. Skies, In DOD Plans</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/military-transformers-20-innovative-defe/240000339">Military Transformers: 20 Innovative Defense Technologies</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/spy-tech-10-cia-backed-investments/240142519">Spy Tech: 10 CIA-Backed Investments</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/14-amazing-darpa-technologies-on-tap/240008013">14 Amazing DARPA Technologies On Tap</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/attacks/air-force-drone-controllers-embrace-linu/232400275">Air Force Drone Controllers Embrace Linux, But Why?</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/galleries/government/security/240002424">Secret Spy Satellite Takes Off: Stunning Images</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/5-items-should-top-obamas-technology-age/240062556">5 Items Should Top Obama's Technology Agenda</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/us-military-robots-of-the-future-visual/232900886">U.S. Military Robots Of The Future: Visual Tour</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/attacks/iran-hacked-gps-signals-to-capture-us-dr/232300666">Iran Hacked GPS Signals To Capture U.S. Drone </a>Developing the skills to fly UAVs is vital to the military's expanding use of them. This training center at the Naval Air Station in Jacksonville, Fla., provides flight simulators and maintenance and classroom instruction. Image credit: Stephen Potter RECOMMENDED READING: <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/information-management/drones-to-fly-us-skies-in-dod-plans/240003594">Drones To Fly U.S. Skies, In DOD Plans</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/military-transformers-20-innovative-defe/240000339">Military Transformers: 20 Innovative Defense Technologies</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/spy-tech-10-cia-backed-investments/240142519">Spy Tech: 10 CIA-Backed Investments</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/14-amazing-darpa-technologies-on-tap/240008013">14 Amazing DARPA Technologies On Tap</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/attacks/air-force-drone-controllers-embrace-linu/232400275">Air Force Drone Controllers Embrace Linux, But Why?</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/galleries/government/security/240002424">Secret Spy Satellite Takes Off: Stunning Images</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/5-items-should-top-obamas-technology-age/240062556">5 Items Should Top Obama's Technology Agenda</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/us-military-robots-of-the-future-visual/232900886">U.S. Military Robots Of The Future: Visual Tour</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/attacks/iran-hacked-gps-signals-to-capture-us-dr/232300666">Iran Hacked GPS Signals To Capture U.S. Drone </a>K-Max, another unmanned helicopter, is based on a conventional helicopter design. Used by the Marines since 2007, primarily for hauling cargo, it can lift and deliver three tons of equipment when cruising at low altitude and more than two tons at 15,000 feet. Image credit: Lockheed Martin RECOMMENDED READING: <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/information-management/drones-to-fly-us-skies-in-dod-plans/240003594">Drones To Fly U.S. Skies, In DOD Plans</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/military-transformers-20-innovative-defe/240000339">Military Transformers: 20 Innovative Defense Technologies</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/spy-tech-10-cia-backed-investments/240142519">Spy Tech: 10 CIA-Backed Investments</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/14-amazing-darpa-technologies-on-tap/240008013">14 Amazing DARPA Technologies On Tap</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/attacks/air-force-drone-controllers-embrace-linu/232400275">Air Force Drone Controllers Embrace Linux, But Why?</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/galleries/government/security/240002424">Secret Spy Satellite Takes Off: Stunning Images</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/5-items-should-top-obamas-technology-age/240062556">5 Items Should Top Obama's Technology Agenda</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/us-military-robots-of-the-future-visual/232900886">U.S. Military Robots Of The Future: Visual Tour</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/attacks/iran-hacked-gps-signals-to-capture-us-dr/232300666">Iran Hacked GPS Signals To Capture U.S. Drone </a>The Multi-Use Technology Testbed, a.k.a. Mutt, is a small, unmanned aircraft developed by the Air Force Research Lab to test technologies for use in new kinds of lightweight, flexible aircraft. It's one of the Air Force's so-called X planes, this one designated the X-56A. The 7.5-foot-long aircraft has a 28-foot wingspan and is being built by Lockheed Martin. Image credit: Air Force Research Lab/Lockheed Martin RECOMMENDED READING: <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/information-management/drones-to-fly-us-skies-in-dod-plans/240003594">Drones To Fly U.S. Skies, In DOD Plans</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/military-transformers-20-innovative-defe/240000339">Military Transformers: 20 Innovative Defense Technologies</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/spy-tech-10-cia-backed-investments/240142519">Spy Tech: 10 CIA-Backed Investments</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/14-amazing-darpa-technologies-on-tap/240008013">14 Amazing DARPA Technologies On Tap</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/attacks/air-force-drone-controllers-embrace-linu/232400275">Air Force Drone Controllers Embrace Linux, But Why?</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/galleries/government/security/240002424">Secret Spy Satellite Takes Off: Stunning Images</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/5-items-should-top-obamas-technology-age/240062556">5 Items Should Top Obama's Technology Agenda</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/us-military-robots-of-the-future-visual/232900886">U.S. Military Robots Of The Future: Visual Tour</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/attacks/iran-hacked-gps-signals-to-capture-us-dr/232300666">Iran Hacked GPS Signals To Capture U.S. Drone </a>The easy-to-assemble Micro Air Vehicle (MAV) is a modular system that can be set up and airborne within 10 minutes. Pictured here is the T-Hawk, manufactured by Honeywell, designed for use in support of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and with real-time video capture for "hover and stare" situations. Image credit: Navy RECOMMENDED READING: <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/information-management/drones-to-fly-us-skies-in-dod-plans/240003594">Drones To Fly U.S. Skies, In DOD Plans</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/military-transformers-20-innovative-defe/240000339">Military Transformers: 20 Innovative Defense Technologies</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/spy-tech-10-cia-backed-investments/240142519">Spy Tech: 10 CIA-Backed Investments</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/14-amazing-darpa-technologies-on-tap/240008013">14 Amazing DARPA Technologies On Tap</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/attacks/air-force-drone-controllers-embrace-linu/232400275">Air Force Drone Controllers Embrace Linux, But Why?</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/galleries/government/security/240002424">Secret Spy Satellite Takes Off: Stunning Images</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/5-items-should-top-obamas-technology-age/240062556">5 Items Should Top Obama's Technology Agenda</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/us-military-robots-of-the-future-visual/232900886">U.S. Military Robots Of The Future: Visual Tour</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/attacks/iran-hacked-gps-signals-to-capture-us-dr/232300666">Iran Hacked GPS Signals To Capture U.S. Drone </a>What could possibly be smaller than the Micro Air Vehicle? This little drone, a Nano Air Vehicle (NAV), is an extremely small, ultra lightweight flying machine that can be used for both indoor and outdoor military missions. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is exploring flapping wing and other configurations that are maneuverable, but surreptitious. Design features include high lift-to-drag airfoils and efficient propulsion and power systems. Image credit: DARPA RECOMMENDED READING: <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/information-management/drones-to-fly-us-skies-in-dod-plans/240003594">Drones To Fly U.S. Skies, In DOD Plans</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/military-transformers-20-innovative-defe/240000339">Military Transformers: 20 Innovative Defense Technologies</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/spy-tech-10-cia-backed-investments/240142519">Spy Tech: 10 CIA-Backed Investments</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/14-amazing-darpa-technologies-on-tap/240008013">14 Amazing DARPA Technologies On Tap</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/attacks/air-force-drone-controllers-embrace-linu/232400275">Air Force Drone Controllers Embrace Linux, But Why?</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/galleries/government/security/240002424">Secret Spy Satellite Takes Off: Stunning Images</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/5-items-should-top-obamas-technology-age/240062556">5 Items Should Top Obama's Technology Agenda</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/us-military-robots-of-the-future-visual/232900886">U.S. Military Robots Of The Future: Visual Tour</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/attacks/iran-hacked-gps-signals-to-capture-us-dr/232300666">Iran Hacked GPS Signals To Capture U.S. Drone </a>If you've ever thrown a paper airplane, you have a general idea of how to get the Puma AE (All Environment) into the air. It's small, simple and rugged, and it can land on the ground or water. Designed for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting, the Puma is equipped with both an electro-optical camera and an infrared camera. Image credit: Aerovironment RECOMMENDED READING: <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/information-management/drones-to-fly-us-skies-in-dod-plans/240003594">Drones To Fly U.S. Skies, In DOD Plans</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/military-transformers-20-innovative-defe/240000339">Military Transformers: 20 Innovative Defense Technologies</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/spy-tech-10-cia-backed-investments/240142519">Spy Tech: 10 CIA-Backed Investments</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/14-amazing-darpa-technologies-on-tap/240008013">14 Amazing DARPA Technologies On Tap</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/attacks/air-force-drone-controllers-embrace-linu/232400275">Air Force Drone Controllers Embrace Linux, But Why?</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/galleries/government/security/240002424">Secret Spy Satellite Takes Off: Stunning Images</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/5-items-should-top-obamas-technology-age/240062556">5 Items Should Top Obama's Technology Agenda</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/us-military-robots-of-the-future-visual/232900886">U.S. Military Robots Of The Future: Visual Tour</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/attacks/iran-hacked-gps-signals-to-capture-us-dr/232300666">Iran Hacked GPS Signals To Capture U.S. Drone </a>Boeing is developing a reusable booster system demonstration vehicle called the RBS Pathfinder. So far, the experimental vehicle is only a concept, as depicted in this artist's rendering. Plans call for the RBS Pathfinder to be able to autonomously return after upper-stage separation and land on a runway near the launch site using a technique called "rocket back," which manages the booster's energy and flight path. Image credit: Boeing RECOMMENDED READING: <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/information-management/drones-to-fly-us-skies-in-dod-plans/240003594">Drones To Fly U.S. Skies, In DOD Plans</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/military-transformers-20-innovative-defe/240000339">Military Transformers: 20 Innovative Defense Technologies</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/spy-tech-10-cia-backed-investments/240142519">Spy Tech: 10 CIA-Backed Investments</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/14-amazing-darpa-technologies-on-tap/240008013">14 Amazing DARPA Technologies On Tap</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/attacks/air-force-drone-controllers-embrace-linu/232400275">Air Force Drone Controllers Embrace Linux, But Why?</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/galleries/government/security/240002424">Secret Spy Satellite Takes Off: Stunning Images</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/5-items-should-top-obamas-technology-age/240062556">5 Items Should Top Obama's Technology Agenda</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/us-military-robots-of-the-future-visual/232900886">U.S. Military Robots Of The Future: Visual Tour</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/attacks/iran-hacked-gps-signals-to-capture-us-dr/232300666">Iran Hacked GPS Signals To Capture U.S. Drone </a>The High Altitude Airship is a next-generation military blimp. Lockheed Martin describes it as an untethered, unmanned lighter-than-air vehicle that operates above the jet stream in a geostationary position. Its potential functions include surveillance, telecommunications relay and weather observance. Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Army launched this prototype in July 2011, demonstrating its communications capabilities, solar array electricity generation, and remote piloting and control. Image Credit: Lockheed Martin RECOMMENDED READING: <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/information-management/drones-to-fly-us-skies-in-dod-plans/240003594">Drones To Fly U.S. Skies, In DOD Plans</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/military-transformers-20-innovative-defe/240000339">Military Transformers: 20 Innovative Defense Technologies</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/spy-tech-10-cia-backed-investments/240142519">Spy Tech: 10 CIA-Backed Investments</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/14-amazing-darpa-technologies-on-tap/240008013">14 Amazing DARPA Technologies On Tap</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/attacks/air-force-drone-controllers-embrace-linu/232400275">Air Force Drone Controllers Embrace Linux, But Why?</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/galleries/government/security/240002424">Secret Spy Satellite Takes Off: Stunning Images</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/5-items-should-top-obamas-technology-age/240062556">5 Items Should Top Obama's Technology Agenda</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/us-military-robots-of-the-future-visual/232900886">U.S. Military Robots Of The Future: Visual Tour</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/attacks/iran-hacked-gps-signals-to-capture-us-dr/232300666">Iran Hacked GPS Signals To Capture U.S. Drone </a>The Persistent Threat Detection System is battle tested. Equipped with multi-purpose sensors for long-endurance intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and communications, the PTDS has been used in support of military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. Its components include an aerostat, tether, mooring platform, mission payloads and power generators. Image credit: Lockheed Martin RECOMMENDED READING: <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/information-management/drones-to-fly-us-skies-in-dod-plans/240003594">Drones To Fly U.S. Skies, In DOD Plans</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/military-transformers-20-innovative-defe/240000339">Military Transformers: 20 Innovative Defense Technologies</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/spy-tech-10-cia-backed-investments/240142519">Spy Tech: 10 CIA-Backed Investments</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/14-amazing-darpa-technologies-on-tap/240008013">14 Amazing DARPA Technologies On Tap</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/attacks/air-force-drone-controllers-embrace-linu/232400275">Air Force Drone Controllers Embrace Linux, But Why?</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/galleries/government/security/240002424">Secret Spy Satellite Takes Off: Stunning Images</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/5-items-should-top-obamas-technology-age/240062556">5 Items Should Top Obama's Technology Agenda</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/us-military-robots-of-the-future-visual/232900886">U.S. Military Robots Of The Future: Visual Tour</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/attacks/iran-hacked-gps-signals-to-capture-us-dr/232300666">Iran Hacked GPS Signals To Capture U.S. Drone </a> 2012-12-12T13:10:00ZTech And The City: New York's FutureU.S. cities stand to benefit in important ways from well-planned technology implementations, according to our survey. The possibilities include better quality of life for city residents.http://www.informationweek.com/government/state-local/tech-and-the-city-new-yorks-future/240144280?cid=SBX_iwk_related_commentary_Infrastructure_as_a_Service_cloud_computingHow could better IT planning and implementation help New York and other cities of the future? Check out this snapshot of the results of our survey of 198 IT pros in municipal government. <center><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/news/2012/12/future_city_infographic_final.jpg" width="600" height="1798" alt="Future Cities Infographic" title="Future Cities Infographic" /></center> New Yorkers are living three years longer than they did a decade ago, Mayor Michael Bloomberg revealed Tuesday. Going forward, New Yorkers could enjoy better quality of life as well, if City Hall pursues technology policies geared to urban transformation. That's one conclusion to be drawn from a new survey by InformationWeek on "future cities," the technology-enabled urban centers of tomorrow. The survey, completed in October by 198 IT pros in municipal government, gauged the potential benefits of effective IT planning and implementation by city governments. Thirty-six percent of survey respondents cited "better quality of life" as a potential outcome of such initiatives. New York serves as good example of the challenges faced in future cities planning. The city's subways, roads, water system, and other infrastructure are more than a century old in places, and some communications networks and systems go back to the early days of the Bell Telephone system. The Bloomberg administration has been investing in a <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/state-local/new-york-as-it-center-of-the-world/228000035">gradual transformation</a> of those old systems. The city has introduced new public services, including Wi-Fi in subways and parks and, recently, a <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/state-local/nyc-microsoft-team-on-huge-surveillance/240005189">citywide surveillance system</a> for crime prevention and security. Last week, city officials launched a competition to "reinvent the payphone," an icon of city life that has been rendered obsolete by the smartphone. They're calling on urban designers, technologists and policy experts to come up with ideas to transform the payphone into a modern, services-oriented communications hub. While slightly more than half of respondents to the InformationWeek survey report some progress with their Future Cities efforts, hospitals and other healthcare systems are not at the top of their priority lists. Only 11% say hospitals are an area of initial focus. The top three areas of Future Cities activity are government operations, public safety and communications infrastructure. New York officials attributed the increase in life expectancy (to 80.9 years) for city residents to programs aimed at smoking prevention and HIV testing. "These statistics show that New York City is increasingly a healthy place in which to live, work and raise a family," said Health Commissioner Thomas Farley. Effective municipal IT investment and implementation have the potential to benefit the public and local businesses in New York and other cities in a variety of ways. They include more efficient public services, cited by 66% of survey respondents, and improved municipal infrastructure, mentioned by 44%. There are also these hopeful outcomes: 14% of survey respondents see improved traffic flow as a potential benefit, and 13% envision a lower crime rate. The infographic above shows some of the highlights from InformationWeek's Future Cities Survey. For more of our results, see <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/state-local/future-cities-it-priorities-for-urban-tr/240142684">Future Cities: IT Priorities For Urban Transformation</a>. City leaders and planners, business executives and municipal technologists can also join our new online community, <a href="http://www.ubmfuturecities.com/">UBM Future Cities</a>, to share ideas and strategies. 2012-11-30T16:35:00ZFeds Pull Plug On 'One Stop' Cloud PortalThe General Services Administration plans to decommission Uncle Sam's Apps.gov site, which was supposed to make it easy for agencies to acquire software as a service.http://www.informationweek.com/government/cloud-saas/feds-pull-plug-on-one-stop-cloud-portal/240143021?cid=SBX_iwk_related_commentary_Infrastructure_as_a_Service_cloud_computingThe federal government's Apps.gov cloud-services portal, launched three years ago by former federal CIO Vivek Kundra, is being decommissioned. The General Services Administration, which manages Apps.gov, notified cloud service providers of the pending shut down by email on Nov. 29. The plug will be pulled on the site Dec. 1. GSA didn't give a reason for the decision in its email notice. Dozens of technology companies offer personal productivity and business applications on Apps.gov, and about 20 vendors, including Amazon, AT&T, Dell and Microsoft, have been approved to offer infrastructure as a service through the site. Federal agencies will still be able to acquire software as a service and other cloud offerings through Schedule 70 and other GSA-managed procurement options. Apps.gov was introduced as a "one stop shop for cloud services" by Kundra in September 2009. The idea was to make it easy for federal agencies "to quickly browse and purchase cloud-based IT services," Kundra wrote in a <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Streaming-at-100-In-the-Cloud/">blog post at the time</a>. The former federal CIO left his White House position in June 2011 to accept a fellowship with Harvard University, then took an executive position with Salesforce.com in January of this year. Government agencies didn't flock to Apps.gov as envisioned. Instead, many used the site to shop for SaaS and other cloud services, then issued RFPs that were tailored to their requirements or added cloud services to existing contracts. "Apps.gov was a great concept that suffered from poor execution," says Michael Biddick, CEO of Fusion PPT, a tech consultancy and systems integrator that works with government customers. "Instead of a true service catalog, Apps.gov devolved into a mashup of disparate and sometimes random services that never received high adoption levels." More recently, GSA has been exploring the concept how a "cloud broker" might work in federal IT environments. A combination of technology and services, cloud brokers make it possible to acquire and switch among different cloud services, based on resource requirements, pricing, or other variables. Biddick says there are "serious questions" about this GSA strategy, as well. "A storefront is a critical element of the cloud broker, but GSA seems to be heading down the path of injecting a system integrator in a business role that will only add costs and remove many of the benefits driving the adoption of cloud computing," Biddick says. Some of the software available on Apps.gov was surprisingly expensive, which could be another reason it failed. Shortly after the site launched, dozens of <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/information-management/uncle-sams-24-million-cloud-app/229204207">ERP modules</a> were priced at more than $1 million, including one that exceeded $24 million. Google's <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/information-management/the-million-dollar-google-maps-api/229204397">Maps API</a> was also in the $1 million range.2012-11-30T13:03:00ZNASA Mars Mission: No Little Green Men -- YetNASA debunks rumors of new evidence of life on Mars, but its Curiosity rover continues to make many smaller discoveries. Some of NASA's latest images raise interesting questions.http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/nasa-mars-mission-no-little-green-men-/240142965?cid=SBX_iwk_related_commentary_Infrastructure_as_a_Service_cloud_computingNASA isn't ready to announce the discovery of life on Mars. At least, not yet. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managing the Mars Science Lab mission, tried to dampen ongoing speculation about "major new findings" from the Curiosity rover. The space agency said on Thursday that rumors about a pending announcement of historic significance are incorrect. Instead, JPL plans to provide a public update on Dec. 3 on the first soil samples taken by the rover's instruments in the search for organic compounds. "At this point in the mission, the instruments on the rover have not detected any definitive evidence of Martian organics," JPL said in a written statement. But NASA doesn't want to quash all hope for a breakthrough in its mission to discover signs of life on Mars. The mission has already uncovered an ancient riverbed, and "there is every expectation for remarkable discoveries still to come," the agency said. A minor frenzy was set off on Nov. 20 when a <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/information-management/mars-mystery-heres-what-we-know/240142491">JPL scientist was quoted</a> as saying that Curiosity's Sample Analysis at Mars suite of instruments had uncovered data of such significance that it was "one for the history books." [ For a guide to Curiosity's instruments, see <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/11-cool-tools-nasa-curiosity-brought-to/240008978 ">"11 Cool Tools NASA Curiosity Brought To Mars"</a> ] Since Curiosity landed on Mars in early August, NASA has released scientific findings regularly as the six-wheeled rover rolls along the surface. Among the reports so far: changes in radiation on Mars are linked to daily atmospheric changes; little to no methane gas has been detected; and there's been a loss of atmosphere. Earlier this week, NASA shared insights on a dust storm on Mars, which it has been monitoring from above using the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and on the ground using Curiosity’s Rover Environmental Monitoring Station. Researchers expect those dual observation methods to provide new information about why some dust storms on Mars grow larger than others. In this case, the regional dusk storm is weakening, according to NASA. In addition to capturing soil and atmospheric samples, Curiosity is generating thousands of images of its journey. They range from mundane pictures of the planet's rock-strewn surface to a self-documentary of the six-wheeled rover and its instruments at work. Pictured above is a composite image, comprised of 55 high-res images, that NASA describes as a "self portrait" of Curiosity. Close observation reveals scoop marks in the sand where the rover's robotic arm took samples. Some of NASA's images provide new information about Mars, while others raise questions. As the world waits and watches for further discoveries from Curiosity, these pictures in this slideshow show the scientific process at work. Image credit: NASACuriosity's robotic arm dug up five scoops of dirt, creating the "bite marks" that are visible in this image. The first scoop was collected on Oct. 7 and the last one two days later. The first two samples were used to "scrub" the inside of the chambers of the robotic arm's sample-handling mechanism, while the remaining scoops were analyzed by the rover's Chemistry and Mineralogy instrument. There had been some speculation that these soil samples had resulted in a discovery of great scientific significance, but NASA says the rumors are false. Credit: NASA Recommended Reading <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/information-management/mars-mystery-heres-what-we-know/240142491">Mars Mystery: Here's What We Know</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/attacks/stolen-nasa-laptop-had-unencrypted-emplo/240142160">Stolen NASA Laptop Had Unencrypted Employee Data</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/leadership/nasas-it-future-robot-telework-3-d-print/240134995">NASA's IT Future: Robot Telework, 3-D Printing</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/enterprise-architecture/fastest-supercomputer-list-topped-by-tit/240134978">Fastest Supercomputer List Topped By Titan</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/rim-blackberry-10-gets-government-securi/240062640">RIM BlackBerry 10 Gets Government Security Clearance</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/spy-tech-10-cia-backed-investments/240142519">Spy Tech: 10 CIA-Backed Investments</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/11-cool-tools-nasa-curiosity-brought-to/240008978">11 Cool Tools NASA Curiosity Brought To Mars</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/14-amazing-darpa-technologies-on-tap/240008013">14 Amazing DARPA Technologies On Tap</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/top-15-government-it-innovators-for-2012/240006582">Top 15 Government IT Innovators For 2012</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/20-great-ideas-to-steal-in-2012/240006553">20 Great Ideas To Steal</a>Curiosity's Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument was at the center of speculation about a breakthrough "for the history books." This picture shows SAM, which is about the size of a microwave oven, as it being assembled at Goddard Space Flight Center. The system includes a tunable laser spectrometer (lower left), a quadrupole mass spectrometer (upper right), and gas chromatograph (lower right). Inlet tubes take in soil samples and powdered rock for analysis. Credit: NASA Recommended Reading <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/information-management/mars-mystery-heres-what-we-know/240142491">Mars Mystery: Here's What We Know</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/attacks/stolen-nasa-laptop-had-unencrypted-emplo/240142160">Stolen NASA Laptop Had Unencrypted Employee Data</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/leadership/nasas-it-future-robot-telework-3-d-print/240134995">NASA's IT Future: Robot Telework, 3-D Printing</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/enterprise-architecture/fastest-supercomputer-list-topped-by-tit/240134978">Fastest Supercomputer List Topped By Titan</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/rim-blackberry-10-gets-government-securi/240062640">RIM BlackBerry 10 Gets Government Security Clearance</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/spy-tech-10-cia-backed-investments/240142519">Spy Tech: 10 CIA-Backed Investments</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/11-cool-tools-nasa-curiosity-brought-to/240008978">11 Cool Tools NASA Curiosity Brought To Mars</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/14-amazing-darpa-technologies-on-tap/240008013">14 Amazing DARPA Technologies On Tap</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/top-15-government-it-innovators-for-2012/240006582">Top 15 Government IT Innovators For 2012</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/20-great-ideas-to-steal-in-2012/240006553">20 Great Ideas To Steal</a>This image, taken by the rover's Mars Hand Lens Imager camera, shows a mysterious "bright particle" in the Martian soil. The bright particle, and others similar to it, "prompted concern," according to NASA. At first, mission scientists thought the particle might be a shred of debris from the spacecraft, but they determined it and others were native to Mars. But NASA hasn't really explained just what the material is or what accounts for its light color. Credit: NASA Recommended Reading <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/information-management/mars-mystery-heres-what-we-know/240142491">Mars Mystery: Here's What We Know</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/attacks/stolen-nasa-laptop-had-unencrypted-emplo/240142160">Stolen NASA Laptop Had Unencrypted Employee Data</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/leadership/nasas-it-future-robot-telework-3-d-print/240134995">NASA's IT Future: Robot Telework, 3-D Printing</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/enterprise-architecture/fastest-supercomputer-list-topped-by-tit/240134978">Fastest Supercomputer List Topped By Titan</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/rim-blackberry-10-gets-government-securi/240062640">RIM BlackBerry 10 Gets Government Security Clearance</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/spy-tech-10-cia-backed-investments/240142519">Spy Tech: 10 CIA-Backed Investments</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/11-cool-tools-nasa-curiosity-brought-to/240008978">11 Cool Tools NASA Curiosity Brought To Mars</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/14-amazing-darpa-technologies-on-tap/240008013">14 Amazing DARPA Technologies On Tap</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/top-15-government-it-innovators-for-2012/240006582">Top 15 Government IT Innovators For 2012</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/20-great-ideas-to-steal-in-2012/240006553">20 Great Ideas To Steal</a> This shred of debris, about half an inch long, was found by the rover on the surface of Mars. The Curiosity team determined it was left behind by the spacecraft "possibly from the events of landing on Mars." But it's still unclear just where this fragment, which resembles a torn piece of plastic, originated. Credit: NASA Recommended Reading <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/information-management/mars-mystery-heres-what-we-know/240142491">Mars Mystery: Here's What We Know</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/attacks/stolen-nasa-laptop-had-unencrypted-emplo/240142160">Stolen NASA Laptop Had Unencrypted Employee Data</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/leadership/nasas-it-future-robot-telework-3-d-print/240134995">NASA's IT Future: Robot Telework, 3-D Printing</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/enterprise-architecture/fastest-supercomputer-list-topped-by-tit/240134978">Fastest Supercomputer List Topped By Titan</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/rim-blackberry-10-gets-government-securi/240062640">RIM BlackBerry 10 Gets Government Security Clearance</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/spy-tech-10-cia-backed-investments/240142519">Spy Tech: 10 CIA-Backed Investments</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/11-cool-tools-nasa-curiosity-brought-to/240008978">11 Cool Tools NASA Curiosity Brought To Mars</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/14-amazing-darpa-technologies-on-tap/240008013">14 Amazing DARPA Technologies On Tap</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/top-15-government-it-innovators-for-2012/240006582">Top 15 Government IT Innovators For 2012</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/20-great-ideas-to-steal-in-2012/240006553">20 Great Ideas To Steal</a> This rock, dubbed "Jake Matijevic" by the Curiosity team, has been a subject of great interest to NASA. Curiosity used several instruments to poke and prod the rock. The red dots show where the rover's ChemCam zapped Jake with a laser, while purple circles highlight points of focus for the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer. The black and white circles indicate where ChemCam looked for pits produced by the laser. Credit: NASA Recommended Reading <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/information-management/mars-mystery-heres-what-we-know/240142491">Mars Mystery: Here's What We Know</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/attacks/stolen-nasa-laptop-had-unencrypted-emplo/240142160">Stolen NASA Laptop Had Unencrypted Employee Data</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/leadership/nasas-it-future-robot-telework-3-d-print/240134995">NASA's IT Future: Robot Telework, 3-D Printing</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/enterprise-architecture/fastest-supercomputer-list-topped-by-tit/240134978">Fastest Supercomputer List Topped By Titan</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/rim-blackberry-10-gets-government-securi/240062640">RIM BlackBerry 10 Gets Government Security Clearance</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/spy-tech-10-cia-backed-investments/240142519">Spy Tech: 10 CIA-Backed Investments</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/11-cool-tools-nasa-curiosity-brought-to/240008978">11 Cool Tools NASA Curiosity Brought To Mars</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/14-amazing-darpa-technologies-on-tap/240008013">14 Amazing DARPA Technologies On Tap</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/top-15-government-it-innovators-for-2012/240006582">Top 15 Government IT Innovators For 2012</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/20-great-ideas-to-steal-in-2012/240006553">20 Great Ideas To Steal</a>Curiosity has found evidence of an ancient, flowing stream in several places, including this rock outcropping. The exposed bedrock is comprised of fragments that are cemented together. Scientists theorize that the bedrock was broken up at some point in the past, possibly by falling meteorites. The rounded shape of the gravel indicates it was transported by water and, because of its size, not by wind. Credit: NASA Recommended Reading <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/information-management/mars-mystery-heres-what-we-know/240142491">Mars Mystery: Here's What We Know</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/attacks/stolen-nasa-laptop-had-unencrypted-emplo/240142160">Stolen NASA Laptop Had Unencrypted Employee Data</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/leadership/nasas-it-future-robot-telework-3-d-print/240134995">NASA's IT Future: Robot Telework, 3-D Printing</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/enterprise-architecture/fastest-supercomputer-list-topped-by-tit/240134978">Fastest Supercomputer List Topped By Titan</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/rim-blackberry-10-gets-government-securi/240062640">RIM BlackBerry 10 Gets Government Security Clearance</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/spy-tech-10-cia-backed-investments/240142519">Spy Tech: 10 CIA-Backed Investments</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/11-cool-tools-nasa-curiosity-brought-to/240008978">11 Cool Tools NASA Curiosity Brought To Mars</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/14-amazing-darpa-technologies-on-tap/240008013">14 Amazing DARPA Technologies On Tap</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/top-15-government-it-innovators-for-2012/240006582">Top 15 Government IT Innovators For 2012</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/20-great-ideas-to-steal-in-2012/240006553">20 Great Ideas To Steal</a>Here's another outcrop, this one called Link, composed of small, rounded rocks that have been cemented together. According to NASA, water transport is the only process capable of producing the rounded shape of rocks of this size. Credit: NASA Recommended Reading <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/information-management/mars-mystery-heres-what-we-know/240142491">Mars Mystery: Here's What We Know</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/attacks/stolen-nasa-laptop-had-unencrypted-emplo/240142160">Stolen NASA Laptop Had Unencrypted Employee Data</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/leadership/nasas-it-future-robot-telework-3-d-print/240134995">NASA's IT Future: Robot Telework, 3-D Printing</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/enterprise-architecture/fastest-supercomputer-list-topped-by-tit/240134978">Fastest Supercomputer List Topped By Titan</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/rim-blackberry-10-gets-government-securi/240062640">RIM BlackBerry 10 Gets Government Security Clearance</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/spy-tech-10-cia-backed-investments/240142519">Spy Tech: 10 CIA-Backed Investments</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/11-cool-tools-nasa-curiosity-brought-to/240008978">11 Cool Tools NASA Curiosity Brought To Mars</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/14-amazing-darpa-technologies-on-tap/240008013">14 Amazing DARPA Technologies On Tap</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/top-15-government-it-innovators-for-2012/240006582">Top 15 Government IT Innovators For 2012</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/20-great-ideas-to-steal-in-2012/240006553">20 Great Ideas To Steal</a> NASA scientists were "surprised" by just how close the similarities are between Mount Sharp, pictured here, and the Grand Canyon. The lower parts of Mount Sharp, which is Curiosity's eventual destination, are composed of rock strata about the same thickness as that of the Grand Canyon. And both have buttes and mesas. Credit: NASA Recommended Reading <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/information-management/mars-mystery-heres-what-we-know/240142491">Mars Mystery: Here's What We Know</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/attacks/stolen-nasa-laptop-had-unencrypted-emplo/240142160">Stolen NASA Laptop Had Unencrypted Employee Data</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/leadership/nasas-it-future-robot-telework-3-d-print/240134995">NASA's IT Future: Robot Telework, 3-D Printing</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/enterprise-architecture/fastest-supercomputer-list-topped-by-tit/240134978">Fastest Supercomputer List Topped By Titan</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/rim-blackberry-10-gets-government-securi/240062640">RIM BlackBerry 10 Gets Government Security Clearance</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/spy-tech-10-cia-backed-investments/240142519">Spy Tech: 10 CIA-Backed Investments</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/11-cool-tools-nasa-curiosity-brought-to/240008978">11 Cool Tools NASA Curiosity Brought To Mars</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/14-amazing-darpa-technologies-on-tap/240008013">14 Amazing DARPA Technologies On Tap</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/top-15-government-it-innovators-for-2012/240006582">Top 15 Government IT Innovators For 2012</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/20-great-ideas-to-steal-in-2012/240006553">20 Great Ideas To Steal</a> Curiosity's famous "seven minutes of terror" landing included a rocket-powered descent that used a so-called sky crane. After setting the rover down, the sky crane flew off and fell to the surface. The blue splat in this image (the color has been enhanced) shows what are believed to be multiple impacts from the crash. Smaller dark spots, some distance from the main site, may be secondary impacts from debris that tumbled outward. Credit: NASA Recommended Reading <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/information-management/mars-mystery-heres-what-we-know/240142491">Mars Mystery: Here's What We Know</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/attacks/stolen-nasa-laptop-had-unencrypted-emplo/240142160">Stolen NASA Laptop Had Unencrypted Employee Data</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/leadership/nasas-it-future-robot-telework-3-d-print/240134995">NASA's IT Future: Robot Telework, 3-D Printing</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/enterprise-architecture/fastest-supercomputer-list-topped-by-tit/240134978">Fastest Supercomputer List Topped By Titan</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/rim-blackberry-10-gets-government-securi/240062640">RIM BlackBerry 10 Gets Government Security Clearance</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/spy-tech-10-cia-backed-investments/240142519">Spy Tech: 10 CIA-Backed Investments</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/11-cool-tools-nasa-curiosity-brought-to/240008978">11 Cool Tools NASA Curiosity Brought To Mars</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/14-amazing-darpa-technologies-on-tap/240008013">14 Amazing DARPA Technologies On Tap</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/top-15-government-it-innovators-for-2012/240006582">Top 15 Government IT Innovators For 2012</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/20-great-ideas-to-steal-in-2012/240006553">20 Great Ideas To Steal</a> One little known fact about Curiosity is that the tread marks on the rover's wheels leave an imprint in Morse code that spells out "JPL" for Jet Propulsion Lab, which is mission central for the Mars project. The holes in the wheels leave tracks that help the SUV-like vehicle drive more accurately. Curiosity navigates using visual odometry software that measures terrain features to calculate distances as it goes from one location to another. Credit: NASA Recommended Reading <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/information-management/mars-mystery-heres-what-we-know/240142491">Mars Mystery: Here's What We Know</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/attacks/stolen-nasa-laptop-had-unencrypted-emplo/240142160">Stolen NASA Laptop Had Unencrypted Employee Data</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/leadership/nasas-it-future-robot-telework-3-d-print/240134995">NASA's IT Future: Robot Telework, 3-D Printing</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/enterprise-architecture/fastest-supercomputer-list-topped-by-tit/240134978">Fastest Supercomputer List Topped By Titan</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/rim-blackberry-10-gets-government-securi/240062640">RIM BlackBerry 10 Gets Government Security Clearance</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/spy-tech-10-cia-backed-investments/240142519">Spy Tech: 10 CIA-Backed Investments</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/11-cool-tools-nasa-curiosity-brought-to/240008978">11 Cool Tools NASA Curiosity Brought To Mars</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/14-amazing-darpa-technologies-on-tap/240008013">14 Amazing DARPA Technologies On Tap</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/top-15-government-it-innovators-for-2012/240006582">Top 15 Government IT Innovators For 2012</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/20-great-ideas-to-steal-in-2012/240006553">20 Great Ideas To Steal</a>This panoramic picture is best viewed on a wide-screen computer monitor. Taken by Curiosity's Mastcam, the view is looking eastward to an area called Point Lake. The rover rolled toward Point Lake after taking the component images used to create this mosaic. The image, like some others from the mission, has been white balanced to show what the scene would look like under the lighting conditions familiar to us on Earth. <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/708773main_PIA16453_sol64_from_Rocknest_WB.jpg" target="_blank">Link to Full Panorama</a> Credit: NASA Recommended Reading <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/information-management/mars-mystery-heres-what-we-know/240142491">Mars Mystery: Here's What We Know</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/attacks/stolen-nasa-laptop-had-unencrypted-emplo/240142160">Stolen NASA Laptop Had Unencrypted Employee Data</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/leadership/nasas-it-future-robot-telework-3-d-print/240134995">NASA's IT Future: Robot Telework, 3-D Printing</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/enterprise-architecture/fastest-supercomputer-list-topped-by-tit/240134978">Fastest Supercomputer List Topped By Titan</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/rim-blackberry-10-gets-government-securi/240062640">RIM BlackBerry 10 Gets Government Security Clearance</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/spy-tech-10-cia-backed-investments/240142519">Spy Tech: 10 CIA-Backed Investments</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/11-cool-tools-nasa-curiosity-brought-to/240008978">11 Cool Tools NASA Curiosity Brought To Mars</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/14-amazing-darpa-technologies-on-tap/240008013">14 Amazing DARPA Technologies On Tap</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/top-15-government-it-innovators-for-2012/240006582">Top 15 Government IT Innovators For 2012</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/20-great-ideas-to-steal-in-2012/240006553">20 Great Ideas To Steal</a> 2012-11-28T12:46:00ZFuture Cities: IT Priorities For Urban TransformationCity planners and their IT teams are setting big goals -- and facing big challenges -- in the development of tech-enabled "Future Cities," our survey results show.http://www.informationweek.com/government/state-local/future-cities-it-priorities-for-urban-tr/240142684?cid=SBX_iwk_related_commentary_Infrastructure_as_a_Service_cloud_computing <div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/enterprise-applications/ibm-smarter-cities-challenge-10-towns-ra/240142572"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/913/01_Smarter_Cities_tn.jpg" alt="IBM Smarter Cities Challenge: 10 Towns Raise Tech IQs" title="IBM Smarter Cities Challenge: 10 Towns Raise Tech IQs" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">IBM Smarter Cities Challenge: 10 Towns Raise Tech IQs</div>(click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>  The global population recently passed 7 billion, and more of us are cramming into the world's cities, putting more pressure on municipal infrastructures and services. This changing demographic presents a civic management challenge of unprecedented scope and complexity, one that requires innovative technologies and well-conceived implementations to succeed. I live in the New York metro area, where local officials are rethinking everything from building codes to public transportation in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. But we didn't need the storm of the century to tell us that the systems and networks used for municipal operations need our attention. Technologies woven into buildings, highways, rail systems, electricity grids, water treatment plants, school systems and hospitals are in need of upgrade and investment, here and in many other cities across the country. At InformationWeek's parent company, UBM, we refer to these burgeoning population centers, characterized not just by their size but the sophistication of their infrastructures, as "Future Cities." InformationWeek has just completed a survey that reveals much about where U.S. cities are in their IT planning and implementation, which technologies are expected to make the greatest impact and how businesses stand to benefit. InformationWeek's Future Cities Survey, completed in October by 198 municipal IT pros, reveals that most are still in the early stages of these efforts. Only 7% of survey respondents describe their city strategies as progressive and well conceived. More than five times that many, 38%, describe those strategies as poor or nonexistent. Half say their cities are somewhere in-between -- well planned in some areas but not others. [ The feds also have IT work to do. See <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/5-items-should-top-obamas-technology-age/240062556?itc=edit_in_body_cross">5 Items Should Top Obama's Technology Agenda</a>. ] As a starting point, metropolitan IT teams are looking to make government run more smoothly. The most-mentioned area of initial focus, cited by 39% of survey respondents, is government operations. That includes the systems and applications used for the business of government, such as 311 and other IT-enabled public services. Other areas of Future Cities activity are public safety and crime prevention (30%), communications infrastructure (28%) and transportation systems (26%). New York City's recently unveiled <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/privacy/nypd-microsoft-push-big-data-policing-in/240005838">Domain Awareness System</a>, co-developed with Microsoft and to be marketed to other cities, incorporates aspects of all three areas in a citywide surveillance platform -- to the chagrin of privacy watchdogs. The most sought-after benefits of city IT planning and implementation are more efficient delivery of public services (66%), improved infrastructure (44%) and lower costs (44%). That's the low-hanging fruit. More intriguing is that 36% of respondents to our survey see Future Cities technology investments improving quality of life for citizens. For example, the city of Santa Monica, Calif., has deployed a real-time traffic management system to ease congestion and open and close parking spaces as necessary. Commuters there spend fewer hours staring at brake lights. (We recently recognized Santa Monica as a <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/top-15-government-it-innovators-for-2012/240006582">government innovator</a> for its traffic management initiative.) Which technologies have the greatest potential to improve municipal operations? Mobility and bandwidth top the list of our survey respondents. Mobile devices and apps were rated as having very high or extremely high potential by 71% of respondents, followed closely by broadband networks (70%) and wireless services (62%). Many cities are already taking steps to accommodate smartphone-carrying citizens and visitors. San Francisco has created a device-agnostic framework that it uses to develop mobile apps for city services and information, and New York is converting old payphone booths into touchscreen kiosks that double as Wi-Fi hotspots. Municipal IT pros also see potential in information and automation systems for transportation (63% of survey respondents designated them as having very high or extremely high potential) and in cameras and other public safety devices (58%). Other technologies respondents rated highly are virtualization, water management and conservation systems, energy-efficient buildings, and smart meters and other monitoring devices. The biggest obstacle to moving ahead, by far, is finding the money to pay for it. Cash-strapped local governments don't have the revenue to invest in nice-to-haves like predictive analytics for crime prevention or sensor networks for water management. Eighty-eight percent of survey respondents point to limited funding as a top challenge to Future Cities initiatives. Municipal CIOs will have to make a strong business case to get projects funded. Other challenges respondents identified include political leadership (cited by 35%), bureaucracy (34%) and outdated IT infrastructure (27%). Mayors and other city officials need help from the private sector to move ahead. When we asked who should lead Future Cities efforts, the vast majority of respondents (66%) cited public-private collaboration. The most promising areas for working together are improving K-12 education (identified as very important or extremely important by 57%), expanding access to wireless and broadband networks (57%) and ensuring the cybersecurity of critical infrastructure (54%). Businesses have a stake in the outcome of these and other Future Cities projects. The most frequently cited business benefit, mentioned by 69% of survey respondents, is access to improved municipal infrastructure and services. Other potential benefits include lower business costs (cited by 45%) and making companies more competitive (38%). Citizens must be involved as well, and social media is seen as the best way to facilitate their input. While social media ranked dead last in our list of 17 technologies that could improve municipal operations, 60% of respondents say the Web and social media are a prime way for the public to participate in Future Cities activities, and 53% cite crowdsourcing technologies. The high marks given to public-private partnerships and man-on-the-street brainstorming suggest that municipal IT pros understand that Future Cities programs have their best chance at success when all stakeholders are involved. To facilitate that discussion, we launched a new online community, <a href="http://www.ubmfuturecities.com/">UBM's Future Cities</a>, in October. It's a place where city leaders and planners, business executives and municipal technologists can bounce ideas off one another. For example, the site just posted a <a href="http://www.ubmfuturecities.com/video.asp?section_id=214&doc_id=523894">conversation with Manny Diaz</a>, president of the U.S. Council of Mayors and the former mayor of Miami, on the ongoing transformation of Miami from a "laughing stock" into a model city. More of those conversations must take place in cities around the world, and I plan to join them. Because there's no place like home -- a place I share with 20 million others, and growing.2012-11-07T15:22:00ZDigital Revolution's Winners And LosersWorkers with in-demand digital skills benefit most as computers increasingly take over everyday tasks. In this InformationWeek 500 video, MIT's Erik Brynjolfsson discusses how this trend could affect your enterprise.http://www.informationweek.com/news/240062587?cid=SBX_iwk_related_commentary_Infrastructure_as_a_Service_cloud_computingHighly skilled workers and tech-savvy business superstars stand to thrive in the digital economy, while those lacking high-tech skills risk falling further behind. That's the theory of Erik Brynjolfsson, director of Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Center for Digital Business and author of "Race Against The Machine," which lays out the implications of those trends for workers and businesses. Speaking at the <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/conference">InformationWeek 500 conference</a> in September, Brynjolfsson said the average worker is worse off today than 10 years ago -- as reflected in the lack of growth of median income -- despite increases in business productivity and personal wealth. While gross domestic product and average income have risen, not all workers have benefited, Brynjolfsson said. He called the situation "the great paradox of our generation." "Digital technologies have potential for great benefits, but there's no economic law that says everyone's going to share equally," he said. "There are going to be winners, and there are going to be losers." Brynjolfsson expects the trends behind this digital revolution to continue: "The next 10 years are going to be even more disruptive." The same forces that threaten the livelihood of low-skilled workers make it a good time to be an entrepreneur, Brynjolfsson said. Longer term, the educational system must change in ways that give students the new skills they need to participate in the global economy. In the video below, Brynjolfsson discusses these and other trends.  <div style="display:none"> Informationweek.com run-of-site player, used to publish article embedded videos via DCT. The same ads will be served on this player regardless of embed location. </div>  <script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript" src="http://admin.brightcove.com/js/BrightcoveExperiences.js"></script <http://admin.brightcove.com/js/BrightcoveExperiences.js> <object id="myExperience1878632343001" class="BrightcoveExperience"> <param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /> <param name="width" value="480" /> <param name="height" value="270" /> <param name="playerID" value="1223625539001" /> <param name="playerKey" value="AQ~~,AAAAAF14eAc~,GZC-YoxXnehVitUBmX0u2QYfPEVvZG_k" /> <param name="isVid" value="true" /> <param name="isUI" value="true" /> <param name="dynamicStreaming" value="true" /> <param name="@videoPlayer" value="1878632343001" /> </object>  <script type="text/javascript">brightcove.createExperiences();</script>  InformationWeek is conducting our annual Outlook Survey to explore how IT leaders are planning their priorities and budgets for 2013. The results of the survey will appear in an upcoming issue as well as in an in-depth report. Take our <a href="http://informationweek.Outlook2013.sgizmo.com/s3/">InformationWeek 2013 Outlook Survey</a> now and enter to win one Samsung Series 5 Chromebook. Survey ends Nov. 19. 2012-10-26T11:10:00ZHow The Feds Drive Cloud InnovationNASA, the Department of Defense, and other federal agencies are shifting toward more strategic and complex cloud applications, as they try to drive down costs amid flat IT budgets.http://www.informationweek.com/news/240010563?cid=SBX_iwk_related_commentary_Infrastructure_as_a_Service_cloud_computing <div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/leadership/iw500-15-top-government-tech-innovators/240006582"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/861/01_Intro_tn.jpg" alt="IW500: 15 Top Government Tech Innovators" title="IW500: 15 Top Government Tech Innovators" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">IW500: 15 Top Government Tech Innovators</div> (click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>  The coolest cloud computing application in the world -- and in our solar system -- comes from NASA. The space agency is using commercial cloud services to process the digital images being transmitted to Earth from the Curiosity rover as it searches for signs of life on Mars. Those images, taken by 17 cameras mounted to the six-wheel, SUV-like rover, are an incredible scientific trove, <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/cloud-saas/nasa-mars-mission-fueled-by-amazon-web-s/240005286">stored and managed by Amazon Web Services</a>. The most recent images show the rover's robotic arm taking the first scoops of Martian soil for analysis. NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab is using a variety of Amazon services -- EC2, S3, SimpleDB, Route 53, CloudFront, Relational Database Service, Simple Workflow, CloudFormation, Elastic Load Balancing--to make this happen. And the images are available not just to NASA scientists, but to you and me as well. "The public gets access as soon as we have access," says Khawaja Shams, manager of data services at JPL. [ Federal agencies are adopting the cloud in droves, but challenges remain. Read more at <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/cloud-saas/federal-agencies-build-a-business-case-f/240008518?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Federal Agencies Build A Business Case For The Cloud</a>. ] Shams was a featured speaker at InformationWeek Government's <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/govcloud2012/">GovCloud 2012 conference</a> in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 17, where tech leaders from a dozen federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, the National Security Agency, and the Defense Information Systems Agency, gave updates on their cloud initiatives. Federal agencies spent much of last year deploying their first cloud apps -- typically website hosting and email-as-a-service -- in compliance with the Office of Management and Budget's "Cloud First" policy. Now, with the June 2012 deadline for those first apps passed, many agencies are moving ahead with cloud projects that are more strategic and complex. The next step for some agencies is to develop an infrastructure-as-a-service offering for internal use along the lines of Amazon's EC2. DISA plans to begin pilot testing an IaaS capability at its Defense Enterprise Computing Center in Ogden, Utah, in the spring, then roll out that capability to its other computing centers, DISA CTO Dave Mihelcic said at GovCloud. DISA is the Department of Defense's designated "cloud services broker." The cloud broker -- part process, part technology -- is also new in government, and DISA and the General Services Administration have both issued requests for information on how to do it. The idea is to make it fast and easy for agencies to switch among cloud services from different providers. GSA refers to it as a "next-generation cloud acquisition model" and has already talked to six agencies about how they might use it. "The concept of the broker is to maximize flexibility. That's a powerful option for us," says Keith Trippie, Homeland Security's director of enterprise system development. Trippie's rule of thumb is that cloud computing is 8% to 10% less expensive than conventional IT systems. Homeland Security offers a dozen cloud services to its component organizations, including email-as-a-service to 100,000 users. At that scale, the savings can add up quickly. "The more users that come into this model, the less we all pay," he said. (But agency CIOs better be able to demonstrate cloud-related savings on an ongoing basis, as GSA's inspector general has made clear. See <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/cloud-saas/expect-to-save-millions-in-the-cloud-pro/240008984">"Expect To Save Millions In The Cloud? Prove It."</a>) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration got started in the cloud <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/cloud-saas/google-apps-conversion-smooth-sailing-fo/232301304">by rolling out Google Apps for Government</a> to 25,000 employees. NOAA CIO Joe Klimavicz shared lessons learned from the Google migration: Federal IT managers must scrutinize their agencies' service-level agreements, and IT support staff must get early access to cloud apps to gain experience, he said. And don't assume that the government and commercial versions of Google Apps are the same -- they're not. NOAA learned that the hard way when some of its earliest Google Apps users, employees who started with the commercial version, made the switch, only to learn that not all of the features were available in the government version. Like other government agencies, NOAA is now looking beyond email. The next steps are to get IT help desk and mobile device management capabilities from the cloud. Some of the most sensitive cloud initiatives in government, with implications for national security, are happening in the Intelligence Community (IC). Patrick Dowd, the National Security Agency's chief technical officer and chief architect, described three environments in development: a data cloud, for information sharing; a utility cloud, for providing IT resources on demand; and a secure, distributed storage cloud. NSA and the CIA are developing cloud capabilities that will be made available to other U.S. intelligence agencies as part of a cross-agency IT strategy managed by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. In-Q-Tel, the venture investment organization for the IC, has invested in a number of cloud technologies in recent months, including Cloudant (a provider of cloud database services), Huddle (cloud-based content management and collaboration), and Adaptive Computing (cloud operating system). In-Q-Tel's growing portfolio indicates that intelligence agencies will be adopting cloud technologies well beyond those from the CIA and NSA. In fact, there's so much activity that it's difficult to keep up with it all. RFPs, RFIs, and other cloud solicitations are being posted at a rate of about one per day on <a href="https://www.fbo.gov/">FedBizOpps.gov</a>. In the past few weeks, DISA, the Department of Interior, the FCC, and GSA have all posted documents for cloud-service acquisitions. Some exciting cloud apps are in the pipeline. The Army is investing in portable, private-cloud containers that can be used on the battlefield. NOAA is looking to store geospatial data in the cloud. And my favorite: NASA's Shams talks of "earth-orbiting cloud computing centers." The Office of Management and Budget's goal is to move 25% of the $80 billion federal IT budget -- or $20 billion worth of IT capabilities -- to the cloud, though it hasn't specified a timeframe for getting there. There are many pitfalls as Uncle Sam races in this direction. As mentioned, GSA got dinged by its inspector general for not staying up to date on its cost analysis. And Amazon's northern Virginia data center, the same one used by many federal agencies, suffered a <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/cloud-computing/infrastructure/amazon-outage-multiple-zones-a-smart-str/240009598">mid-day outage</a> on Oct. 22 that affected customers for hours. Neither cost savings nor availability can be taken for granted. Agency CIOs know the risks, but they can hardly stop now. The federal IT budget remains flat, and scratch-pad analysis says they can save 10% or more in the cloud. The business case, where it holds up, is impossible to ignore. More than half of federal agencies are saving money with cloud computing, but security, compatibility, and skills present huge problems, according to our survey. Also in the <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/100812gov/?k=axxe&cid=article_axxt_os">Cloud Business Case</a> issue of InformationWeek Government: President Obama's record on IT strategy is long on vision but short on results. (Free registration required.)2012-10-12T12:15:00ZExpect To Save Millions In The Cloud? Prove ItTop government IT officials will discuss their plans to implement cloud computing and save money at the GovCloud 2012 conference in Washington.http://www.informationweek.com/news/240008984?cid=SBX_iwk_related_commentary_Infrastructure_as_a_Service_cloud_computing <div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/leadership/iw500-15-top-government-tech-innovators/240006582"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/861/01_Intro_tn.jpg" alt="IW500: 15 Top Government Tech Innovators" title="IW500: 15 Top Government Tech Innovators" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">IW500: 15 Top Government Tech Innovators</div> (click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>  The General Services Administration, in justifying its decision two years ago to adopt Google's cloud services for email and collaboration, projected it would save $15 million over five years. Now, an internal audit has found that evidence of those anticipated savings is lacking. GSA's inspector general recently released the results of its audit of the agency's transition from Lotus Notes to Google Apps for 17,000 employees. Unisys is the lead contractor on that part of the project. In a related move, GSA awarded a five-year contract to Salesforce.com to use its Force.com service to support the Notes migration. GSA's undertaking is significant because it's one of Uncle Sam's first big steps into the cloud. The agency became the first "to move its entire staff to a single cloud-based email system," according to the inspector general. The audit, conducted from May to August, reached three findings: Some of GSA's projected cost savings couldn't be verified. Performance measures were unclear or otherwise lacking. And GSA hadn't done an inventory of the applications being moved to the cloud. As a result, the inspector general was "unable to verify whether adequate progress is being made toward the projected savings goals." [ As government agencies embrace the cloud, who is winning the business? Read <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/cloud-saas/amazons-share-of-government-cloud-comput/240008848?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Amazon's Share Of Government Cloud Computing 'Accelerating'</a>. ] We saw this coming. In April 2010, a month before the GSA made its decision to move email to the cloud, I wrote a column titled, <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/cloud-saas/claims-of-government-cloud-savings-dont/224202488 ">"Claims Of Government Cloud Savings Don't Add Up"</a>. The premise was that, despite a general perception that the cloud is cheaper than traditional IT, the evidence was "fuzzy." GSA's inspector general has reached the same conclusion. The GSA, in its defense, issued a statement reiterating that it has saved $2.9 million to date on the Google cloud migration, including $1.8 million in software licensing and almost $1 million more on hardware, services, and support. "We stand by our early estimate to save at least $15 million over five years," the GSA said. Going forward, the GSA promises to do a better job of tracking the performance of its cloud initiative. The inspector general recommended that the agency provide an updated cost-savings analysis and develop a comprehensive performance management program. "We agree with the findings and recommendations," GSA CIO Casey Coleman wrote in response to the report. GSA's experience is a reminder of the importance of business planning and project management every step of the way with cloud computing. Contrary to conventional wisdom, there's no guarantee that the cloud will be cheaper than old school IT. In fact, InformationWeek Government's Federal Cloud Computing Survey, conducted last month, found that only 28% of respondents who are currently using or assessing cloud services determined that they stand to realize considerable savings. More than a third hadn't done the cost analysis. I talked to a government technologist this week who said too many agencies are unable to do apples-to-apples cost comparisons between their physical IT assets and cloud alternatives. "I don't find a lot of people who know how much things cost," he said. More government IT teams need to develop a business case for cloud computing. When we asked about that in our Federal Cloud Computing Survey, more cloud users and those assessing cloud services said they planned to develop a business case (49%) than had actually done it (35%). For more from the survey, see <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/cloud-saas/federal-agencies-build-a-business-case-f/240008518 ">"Federal Agencies Build A Business Case For The Cloud."</a> What are other government agencies doing to plan and manage their cloud projects? We will explore that question at <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/govcloud2012/home">GovCloud 2012</a>, a day-long conference in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 17 that will feature cloud implementers from across federal government. Keynote speakers will include Joe Klimavicz, CIO of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Keith Trippie, executive director of enterprise system development for Homeland Security, Dave Mihelcic, CTO of the Defense Information Systems Agency, and Khawaja Shams, manager for data services with NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab. Government IT pros involved in cloud planning and implementation should join us at GovCloud 2012. InformationWeek Government will present and discuss our Federal Cloud Computing Survey findings there, too. It's been nearly two years since the Office of Management and Budget introduced its "cloud first" policy, and federal IT pros are still learning how to craft a cloud business case that holds up to scrutiny. GSA was forced to go back to the drawing board--others should learn from that. It's not enough to cost justify the decision to "go cloud" just at the start; performance must be tracked and validated once you make the move.2012-10-08T08:00:00ZObama's IT Transformation Is A Work In ProgressThe president's record on IT strategy is long on vision but short on results.http://www.informationweek.com/news/240008500?cid=SBX_iwk_related_commentary_Infrastructure_as_a_Service_cloud_computing  <div id="inlineGreenPromoTop"> <div class="greenBand"></div> <div class="inlineGreenPromoContent"> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/100812gov/?k=axxe&cid=article_axxe_os"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/government/015/smallcov.jpg" alt="InformationWeek Government - October 8, 2012" title="InformationWeek Government - October 8, 2012" align="left" class="greenIssueImage" /></a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/100812gov/?k=axxe&cid=article_axxe_os"><img src="http://twimgs.com/infoweek/graphics_library/misc/Green_leaf_88x88.jpg" alt="InformationWeek Green" title="InformationWeek Green" align="right" class="greenLeaf" /></a> <div class="greenPromoText"> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/100812gov/?k=axxe&cid=article_axxe_os">Download the entire October 2012 issue of InformationWeek Government</a>, distributed in an all-digital format as part of our Green Initiative (Registration required.) </div> </div> <div class="greenBand"></div> </div>    Shortly after President Obama took office, he appointed the country's first federal CTO and federal CIO and promised to use "the power of technology" to improve government operations. Has he? As the 2012 presidential campaign heads into its final weeks, Obama's performance as an IT strategist shouldn't be ignored. It's a record--much like his presidency at large--that's long on vision but short on results. On his first full day in office in January 2009, Obama issued a memo calling on the heads of federal agencies to "harness new technologies" to make government data more widely available. Since then, agencies have released more than 378,000 data sets, resulting in hundreds of new applications. But there are already signs that public interest is waning. Downloads of federal data on Data.gov have trailed off, from 76,000 in September 2011 to 50,000 in August 2012. And a developer "community" created to spur activity around open data is more like a ghost town. The community's blog and online forum are inactive. In Obama's first year, the appointments of Aneesh Chopra as federal CTO and Vivek Kundra as federal CIO met with wide approval. InformationWeek named Kundra our Chief of the Year in 2009, based on his vision for closing the government's tech gap by adopting new technologies. Kundra's sweeping 25-point IT reform plan aimed to make government more agile by breaking IT projects into more manageable pieces. But neither Kundra, who took a high-paying job at Salesforce.com, nor Chopra, who is running for office in Virginia, stuck around long enough to see the job through. Leadership discontinuity has been a long-standing problem in federal IT, and Obama's hand-picked choices proved to be no exception. New Ideas The new federal CIO, Steven VanRoekel, and federal CTO, Todd Park, have stepped in with smart ideas of their own. The new Shared Services Strategy seeks to leverage shared resources and purchasing power across agencies, while the Digital Government Strategy outlines a single approach to creating content for the Web and mobile devices. But it remains to be seen just how aggressively agencies will act on those and other White House initiatives--Cloud First, TechStat, PortfolioStat, FedRAMP, and data center consolidation. The administration gets credit for holding the line on federal IT spending. At $79 billion, the federal IT budget for fiscal 2013 is about the same as it was four years ago. That flat line is significant because federal IT spending had been rising 7% annually. The difference between what Uncle Sam would have spent had that rate continued and what it did spend is $24 billion. The Obama team thinks its IT strategy is on the right track. In Silicon Valley last month, VanRoekel said the feds are in the process of transforming IT from a cost center to "a strategic asset." The next day, at the InformationWeek 500 Conference, where he accepted our Government Innovators Award for OMB's Shared Services Strategy, VanRoekel told me he's been traveling with Obama to brief business leaders on the work at hand. They have a good story to tell--as far as it goes. But the transformation of federal IT, which is still plagued by inefficiencies and outdated technologies, is anything but complete. We'd love to hear what you think--is federal IT headed in the right direction? Please drop me a note at the address below.2012-09-12T00:01:00ZTop 15 Government IT Innovators For 2012From mobile apps to testbeds on wheels, creative thinkers at government agencies are finding ways to better serve the public.http://www.informationweek.com/news/240006582?cid=SBX_iwk_related_commentary_Infrastructure_as_a_Service_cloud_computingIn government IT, "doing more with innovation" is the big opportunity. Beyond just cost cutting, government tech teams are coming up with creative ways to offer new and improved services to their internal users and to the public. For the fourth year in a row, InformationWeek Government set out to identify the top technology innovators at all levels of U.S. government--federal, state, and local. The 15 profiled here were chosen by our editors as InformationWeek's 2012 Government Innovators. Their fresh approaches take many forms, from mobile applications that put government information into the hands of on-the-go citizens to new cloud services. For example, technology deployed by the Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection (CBP) organization is hastening the screening process for pedestrians entering the U.S. from Mexico. The lanes that guide people through the process have gates with interactive screens that provide instructions in English and Spanish, document readers, and biometric fingerprint scanners. The system, which prepares pedestrians in advance of interacting with a CBP officer, offers several advantages. Officers are ready with information on pedestrians before engaging with them, and they can take action if someone is deemed a threat. Mobile officers with handheld devices can scan travel documents and run database queries to further expedite processing. The system has cut processing time by up to 34%, the CBP says. <center><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/1343"><img src="http://twimgs.com/infoweek/1343/1343_500_return_to_homepage.gif" width="299" height="45" hspace="0" vspace="0" alt="Go to the 2012 InformationWeek 500 homepage" title="Go to the 2012 InformationWeek 500 homepage" border="0"/></a></center>If doctors, researchers, and pharmaceutical companies have access to business intelligence capabilities, shouldn't patients, too? Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System, part of the Department of Veterans Affairs, has developed a decision-support tool that lets patients search clinical outcome information based on the experiences of other people with similar medical conditions who live in the same area. The tool, called "outcomes-based prescribing," is based on model data from the Veterans Affairs electronic health records system. A crowdsourcing component lets patients get feedback on treatment outcomes from other patients. <center><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/1343"><img src="http://twimgs.com/infoweek/1343/1343_500_return_to_homepage.gif" width="299" height="45" hspace="0" vspace="0" alt="Go to the 2012 InformationWeek 500 homepage" title="Go to the 2012 InformationWeek 500 homepage" border="0"/></a></center> RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/1343">Complete IW 500 coverage and resources</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/500/12/results">IW 500: Innovators and Rulebreakers</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/leadership/iw-500-10-healthcare-it-innovators/240006527">Top 10 Healthcare IT Innovators For 2012</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/20-great-ideas-to-steal/240006553">IW 500: 20 Innovative IT Ideas To Steal (2012)</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/galleries/global-cio/interviews/231600980">20 Innovative IT Ideas To Steal (2011)</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/infrastructure/reviews/informationweek-500-20-great-ideas-to-st/227400099">20 Great Ideas To Steal (2010)</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/android-smartphones-to-power-nasa-satell/240006302">Android Smartphones To Power NASA Satellites</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/usda-expands-mobile-efforts/240006238">USDA Expands Mobile Efforts</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/darpa-seeks-plan-x-cyber-warfare-tools/240006066">DARPA Seeks 'Plan X' Cyber Warfare Tools</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/privacy/nypd-microsoft-push-big-data-policing-in/240005838">NYPD, Microsoft Push Big Data Policing Into Spotlight</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/nasa-curiosity-visual-tour-mars-revealed/240005315">NASA Curiosity Visual Tour: Mars, Revealed</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/10-handy-mobile-apps-from-uncle-sam/240002124">10 Handy Mobile Apps From Uncle Sam</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/military-transformers-20-innovative-defe/240000339">Military Transformers: 20 Innovative Defense Technologies</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/us-military-robots-of-the-future-visual/232900886">U.S. Military Robots Of The Future: Visual Tour</a>Following the release of sensitive documents on the WikiLeaks site, the State Department might have clamped down on diplomatic discourse. Instead, the agency got smarter about how it collaborates and shares information, introducing new capabilities under the banner of "e-diplomacy." The agency's latest internal service is called Corridor, which it describes as a mix of Facebook and LinkedIn. The professional networking service lets State Department employees publish their credentials and find colleagues with common interests. Other behind-the-firewall capabilities in State's e-diplomacy program include Diplopedia, an enterprise wiki, and Communities@State, for blogging and online communities. Next, the department's Bureau of Information Resources Management is looking to develop a dashboard that will tie together its collaboration tools with internal and external information sources and enable comments and dialogue. <center><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/1343"><img src="http://twimgs.com/infoweek/1343/1343_500_return_to_homepage.gif" width="299" height="45" hspace="0" vspace="0" alt="Go to the 2012 InformationWeek 500 homepage" title="Go to the 2012 InformationWeek 500 homepage" border="0"/></a></center> RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/1343">Complete IW 500 coverage and resources</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/500/12/results">IW 500: Innovators and Rulebreakers</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/leadership/iw-500-10-healthcare-it-innovators/240006527">Top 10 Healthcare IT Innovators For 2012</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/20-great-ideas-to-steal/240006553">IW 500: 20 Innovative IT Ideas To Steal (2012)</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/galleries/global-cio/interviews/231600980">20 Innovative IT Ideas To Steal (2011)</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/infrastructure/reviews/informationweek-500-20-great-ideas-to-st/227400099">20 Great Ideas To Steal (2010)</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/android-smartphones-to-power-nasa-satell/240006302">Android Smartphones To Power NASA Satellites</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/usda-expands-mobile-efforts/240006238">USDA Expands Mobile Efforts</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/darpa-seeks-plan-x-cyber-warfare-tools/240006066">DARPA Seeks 'Plan X' Cyber Warfare Tools</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/privacy/nypd-microsoft-push-big-data-policing-in/240005838">NYPD, Microsoft Push Big Data Policing Into Spotlight</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/nasa-curiosity-visual-tour-mars-revealed/240005315">NASA Curiosity Visual Tour: Mars, Revealed</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/10-handy-mobile-apps-from-uncle-sam/240002124">10 Handy Mobile Apps From Uncle Sam</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/military-transformers-20-innovative-defe/240000339">Military Transformers: 20 Innovative Defense Technologies</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/us-military-robots-of-the-future-visual/232900886">U.S. Military Robots Of The Future: Visual Tour</a>At Goddard Space Flight Center, innovation rolled in on 18 wheels. The space center has developed a cloud environment inside a 40-foot shipping container that it's using as a testbed for virtualization, storage, and networking in support of its research. NASA Goddard is learning valuable lessons about how to use and manage cloud services and developing best practices that can be applied more broadly. It has evaluated the open source cloud stacks OpenNebula, OpenStack, and Eucalyptus, and experimented with "cloud brokers," which are used to switch among cloud services. In a study earlier this year, NASA Goddard's IT team determined that open source cloud platforms are ready to support the on-demand provisioning of virtual machines and, in some cases, high-performance computing. But they also found that cloud "elasticity" needs further development and that more experts are needed to optimize and operate cloud infrastructure. <center><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/1343"><img src="http://twimgs.com/infoweek/1343/1343_500_return_to_homepage.gif" width="299" height="45" hspace="0" vspace="0" alt="Go to the 2012 InformationWeek 500 homepage" title="Go to the 2012 InformationWeek 500 homepage" border="0"/></a></center> RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/1343">Complete IW 500 coverage and resources</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/500/12/results">IW 500: Innovators and Rulebreakers</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/leadership/iw-500-10-healthcare-it-innovators/240006527">Top 10 Healthcare IT Innovators For 2012</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/20-great-ideas-to-steal/240006553">IW 500: 20 Innovative IT Ideas To Steal (2012)</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/galleries/global-cio/interviews/231600980">20 Innovative IT Ideas To Steal (2011)</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/infrastructure/reviews/informationweek-500-20-great-ideas-to-st/227400099">20 Great Ideas To Steal (2010)</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/android-smartphones-to-power-nasa-satell/240006302">Android Smartphones To Power NASA Satellites</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/usda-expands-mobile-efforts/240006238">USDA Expands Mobile Efforts</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/darpa-seeks-plan-x-cyber-warfare-tools/240006066">DARPA Seeks 'Plan X' Cyber Warfare Tools</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/privacy/nypd-microsoft-push-big-data-policing-in/240005838">NYPD, Microsoft Push Big Data Policing Into Spotlight</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/nasa-curiosity-visual-tour-mars-revealed/240005315">NASA Curiosity Visual Tour: Mars, Revealed</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/10-handy-mobile-apps-from-uncle-sam/240002124">10 Handy Mobile Apps From Uncle Sam</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/military-transformers-20-innovative-defe/240000339">Military Transformers: 20 Innovative Defense Technologies</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/us-military-robots-of-the-future-visual/232900886">U.S. Military Robots Of The Future: Visual Tour</a>For years, server virtualization in Uncle Sam's data centers has been notoriously low. The Marine Corps has proved that such inefficiency doesn't have to be the status quo. The Marines have eliminated 24 of 35 data centers and centralized enterprise IT services in one facility, which now runs at an impressive 75% virtualization level. The benefits include millions of dollars in savings over five years and better visibility into, and control over, its IT infrastructure. The Marine Corps is the first Department of Defense organization to insource IT operations on such a scale. The centralization and optimization strategy has improved information sharing and increased tactical agility. Nothing could be more important when you consider that the IT environment supports Marines deployed around the world. <center><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/1343"><img src="http://twimgs.com/infoweek/1343/1343_500_return_to_homepage.gif" width="299" height="45" hspace="0" vspace="0" alt="Go to the 2012 InformationWeek 500 homepage" title="Go to the 2012 InformationWeek 500 homepage" border="0"/></a></center> RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/1343">Complete IW 500 coverage and resources</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/500/12/results">IW 500: Innovators and Rulebreakers</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/leadership/iw-500-10-healthcare-it-innovators/240006527">Top 10 Healthcare IT Innovators For 2012</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/20-great-ideas-to-steal/240006553">IW 500: 20 Innovative IT Ideas To Steal (2012)</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/galleries/global-cio/interviews/231600980">20 Innovative IT Ideas To Steal (2011)</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/infrastructure/reviews/informationweek-500-20-great-ideas-to-st/227400099">20 Great Ideas To Steal (2010)</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/android-smartphones-to-power-nasa-satell/240006302">Android Smartphones To Power NASA Satellites</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/usda-expands-mobile-efforts/240006238">USDA Expands Mobile Efforts</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/darpa-seeks-plan-x-cyber-warfare-tools/240006066">DARPA Seeks 'Plan X' Cyber Warfare Tools</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/privacy/nypd-microsoft-push-big-data-policing-in/240005838">NYPD, Microsoft Push Big Data Policing Into Spotlight</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/nasa-curiosity-visual-tour-mars-revealed/240005315">NASA Curiosity Visual Tour: Mars, Revealed</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/10-handy-mobile-apps-from-uncle-sam/240002124">10 Handy Mobile Apps From Uncle Sam</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/military-transformers-20-innovative-defe/240000339">Military Transformers: 20 Innovative Defense Technologies</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/us-military-robots-of-the-future-visual/232900886">U.S. Military Robots Of The Future: Visual Tour</a> Advanced research can't exist on high-performance computing alone. It needs big bandwidth, too. The Department of Energy's Advanced Networking Initiative (ANI), operated under the auspices of the Energy Sciences Network, or ESnet, will bring 100-Gbps networking to more than 40 national laboratories and research centers. ANI went into operation last fall as a prototype, connecting supercomputer centers in California, Illinois, and Tennessee, and extending to gateways that serve hundreds of research networks. The plan calls for ANI to become the next-generation national research network, ESnet5. How do scientists plan to use 10 times the bandwidth they're used to? One demo involved simulating the creation of the universe, as seen above. <center><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/1343"><img src="http://twimgs.com/infoweek/1343/1343_500_return_to_homepage.gif" width="299" height="45" hspace="0" vspace="0" alt="Go to the 2012 InformationWeek 500 homepage" title="Go to the 2012 InformationWeek 500 homepage" border="0"/></a></center> RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/1343">Complete IW 500 coverage and resources</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/500/12/results">IW 500: Innovators and Rulebreakers</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/leadership/iw-500-10-healthcare-it-innovators/240006527">Top 10 Healthcare IT Innovators For 2012</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/20-great-ideas-to-steal/240006553">IW 500: 20 Innovative IT Ideas To Steal (2012)</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/galleries/global-cio/interviews/231600980">20 Innovative IT Ideas To Steal (2011)</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/infrastructure/reviews/informationweek-500-20-great-ideas-to-st/227400099">20 Great Ideas To Steal (2010)</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/android-smartphones-to-power-nasa-satell/240006302">Android Smartphones To Power NASA Satellites</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/usda-expands-mobile-efforts/240006238">USDA Expands Mobile Efforts</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/darpa-seeks-plan-x-cyber-warfare-tools/240006066">DARPA Seeks 'Plan X' Cyber Warfare Tools</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/privacy/nypd-microsoft-push-big-data-policing-in/240005838">NYPD, Microsoft Push Big Data Policing Into Spotlight</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/nasa-curiosity-visual-tour-mars-revealed/240005315">NASA Curiosity Visual Tour: Mars, Revealed</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/10-handy-mobile-apps-from-uncle-sam/240002124">10 Handy Mobile Apps From Uncle Sam</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/military-transformers-20-innovative-defe/240000339">Military Transformers: 20 Innovative Defense Technologies</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/us-military-robots-of-the-future-visual/232900886">U.S. Military Robots Of The Future: Visual Tour</a>Embracing the new generation of mobile devices and applications is one of the biggest opportunities in government. NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab was one of the first organizations to come up with a modern mobile strategy that served two key constituencies: its employees and the public. It started with the iPhone. JPL prototyped iPhones for internal use, tested them, and worked with Apple to meet its requirements. That work paved the way for internal adoption of iPads and Android devices. As those devices proliferated, JPL's mobile app team established an internal app portal, while making other mobile apps available for public consumption in the iTunes store, Android Market, and Windows Azure Marketplace. JPL's Space Images app alone has been downloaded nearly 1 million times. <center><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/1343"><img src="http://twimgs.com/infoweek/1343/1343_500_return_to_homepage.gif" width="299" height="45" hspace="0" vspace="0" alt="Go to the 2012 InformationWeek 500 homepage" title="Go to the 2012 InformationWeek 500 homepage" border="0"/></a></center> RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/1343">Complete IW 500 coverage and resources</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/500/12/results">IW 500: Innovators and Rulebreakers</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/leadership/iw-500-10-healthcare-it-innovators/240006527">Top 10 Healthcare IT Innovators For 2012</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/20-great-ideas-to-steal/240006553">IW 500: 20 Innovative IT Ideas To Steal (2012)</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/galleries/global-cio/interviews/231600980">20 Innovative IT Ideas To Steal (2011)</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/infrastructure/reviews/informationweek-500-20-great-ideas-to-st/227400099">20 Great Ideas To Steal (2010)</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/android-smartphones-to-power-nasa-satell/240006302">Android Smartphones To Power NASA Satellites</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/usda-expands-mobile-efforts/240006238">USDA Expands Mobile Efforts</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/darpa-seeks-plan-x-cyber-warfare-tools/240006066">DARPA Seeks 'Plan X' Cyber Warfare Tools</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/privacy/nypd-microsoft-push-big-data-policing-in/240005838">NYPD, Microsoft Push Big Data Policing Into Spotlight</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/nasa-curiosity-visual-tour-mars-revealed/240005315">NASA Curiosity Visual Tour: Mars, Revealed</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/10-handy-mobile-apps-from-uncle-sam/240002124">10 Handy Mobile Apps From Uncle Sam</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/military-transformers-20-innovative-defe/240000339">Military Transformers: 20 Innovative Defense Technologies</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/us-military-robots-of-the-future-visual/232900886">U.S. Military Robots Of The Future: Visual Tour</a>This is the year that the Internal Revenue Service, after more than 50 years of processing tax returns on a weekly schedule, began processing them daily. The agency's Customer Account Data Engine 2 (CADE 2) system began operating in January, just in time for the 2012 tax-filing season. By early April, CADE 2 had processed more than 1.8 billion transactions and issued 83 million refunds totaling $229 billion. At the core of the system is a relational database that balanced "to the penny" with the agency's master file. The IRS acted as its own system integrator on the four-year project. Taxpayers now receive refunds faster. And taxpayer information is updated more quickly, which translates into better customer service, including the handling of potential identity theft. <center><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/1343"><img src="http://twimgs.com/infoweek/1343/1343_500_return_to_homepage.gif" width="299" height="45" hspace="0" vspace="0" alt="Go to the 2012 InformationWeek 500 homepage" title="Go to the 2012 InformationWeek 500 homepage" border="0"/></a></center> RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/1343">Complete IW 500 coverage and resources</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/500/12/results">IW 500: Innovators and Rulebreakers</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/leadership/iw-500-10-healthcare-it-innovators/240006527">Top 10 Healthcare IT Innovators For 2012</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/20-great-ideas-to-steal/240006553">IW 500: 20 Innovative IT Ideas To Steal (2012)</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/galleries/global-cio/interviews/231600980">20 Innovative IT Ideas To Steal (2011)</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/infrastructure/reviews/informationweek-500-20-great-ideas-to-st/227400099">20 Great Ideas To Steal (2010)</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/android-smartphones-to-power-nasa-satell/240006302">Android Smartphones To Power NASA Satellites</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/usda-expands-mobile-efforts/240006238">USDA Expands Mobile Efforts</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/darpa-seeks-plan-x-cyber-warfare-tools/240006066">DARPA Seeks 'Plan X' Cyber Warfare Tools</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/privacy/nypd-microsoft-push-big-data-policing-in/240005838">NYPD, Microsoft Push Big Data Policing Into Spotlight</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/nasa-curiosity-visual-tour-mars-revealed/240005315">NASA Curiosity Visual Tour: Mars, Revealed</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/10-handy-mobile-apps-from-uncle-sam/240002124">10 Handy Mobile Apps From Uncle Sam</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/military-transformers-20-innovative-defe/240000339">Military Transformers: 20 Innovative Defense Technologies</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/us-military-robots-of-the-future-visual/232900886">U.S. Military Robots Of The Future: Visual Tour</a> The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and U.S. intelligence agencies have started work on an enterprise IT strategy that promises vastly improved capabilities at significantly lower costs. The five-year plan aims to replace IT silos with centrally managed platforms and services in areas such as desktops, servers, storage, and networks. Rather than outsource the work to a government contractor, ODNI has asked five intelligence agencies--the CIA, Defense Intelligence Agency, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, National Reconnaissance Office, and National Security Agency--to function as service providers to the 17 organizations that make up the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC). The strategy will use data tagging for fine-grained information access and cloud computing for more efficient data processing and storage. If IT centralization works as planned, the IC could shave 25% from its IT budget. Credit: ODNI <center><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/1343"><img src="http://twimgs.com/infoweek/1343/1343_500_return_to_homepage.gif" width="299" height="45" hspace="0" vspace="0" alt="Go to the 2012 InformationWeek 500 homepage" title="Go to the 2012 InformationWeek 500 homepage" border="0"/></a></center> RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/1343">Complete IW 500 coverage and resources</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/500/12/results">IW 500: Innovators and Rulebreakers</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/leadership/iw-500-10-healthcare-it-innovators/240006527">Top 10 Healthcare IT Innovators For 2012</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/20-great-ideas-to-steal/240006553">IW 500: 20 Innovative IT Ideas To Steal (2012)</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/galleries/global-cio/interviews/231600980">20 Innovative IT Ideas To Steal (2011)</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/infrastructure/reviews/informationweek-500-20-great-ideas-to-st/227400099">20 Great Ideas To Steal (2010)</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/android-smartphones-to-power-nasa-satell/240006302">Android Smartphones To Power NASA Satellites</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/usda-expands-mobile-efforts/240006238">USDA Expands Mobile Efforts</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/darpa-seeks-plan-x-cyber-warfare-tools/240006066">DARPA Seeks 'Plan X' Cyber Warfare Tools</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/privacy/nypd-microsoft-push-big-data-policing-in/240005838">NYPD, Microsoft Push Big Data Policing Into Spotlight</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/nasa-curiosity-visual-tour-mars-revealed/240005315">NASA Curiosity Visual Tour: Mars, Revealed</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/10-handy-mobile-apps-from-uncle-sam/240002124">10 Handy Mobile Apps From Uncle Sam</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/military-transformers-20-innovative-defe/240000339">Military Transformers: 20 Innovative Defense Technologies</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/us-military-robots-of-the-future-visual/232900886">U.S. Military Robots Of The Future: Visual Tour</a>The White House's IT Shared Services Strategy, introduced by federal CIO Steven VanRoekel in May, seeks to reduce duplicative IT systems and services by consolidating on shared platforms. The strategy is simple in concept but far-reaching in its implications. Under the plan, the Federal CIO Council will create an online catalog of IT services that are approved for sharing across agencies. The services will be established by organizations designated as "managing partners," which are also responsible for maintaining contracts with agencies that consume the services. OMB wants federal IT teams to think "shared first" for new requirements. With its heavy emphasis on commodity technologies, the Shared Services Strategy's innovations are more latent than realized. But a key goal is to free up funding for areas of government "where innovation is needed." If the strategy works, innovation should flourish. <center><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/1343"><img src="http://twimgs.com/infoweek/1343/1343_500_return_to_homepage.gif" width="299" height="45" hspace="0" vspace="0" alt="Go to the 2012 InformationWeek 500 homepage" title="Go to the 2012 InformationWeek 500 homepage" border="0"/></a></center> RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/1343">Complete IW 500 coverage and resources</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/500/12/results">IW 500: Innovators and Rulebreakers</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/leadership/iw-500-10-healthcare-it-innovators/240006527">Top 10 Healthcare IT Innovators For 2012</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/20-great-ideas-to-steal/240006553">IW 500: 20 Innovative IT Ideas To Steal (2012)</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/galleries/global-cio/interviews/231600980">20 Innovative IT Ideas To Steal (2011)</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/infrastructure/reviews/informationweek-500-20-great-ideas-to-st/227400099">20 Great Ideas To Steal (2010)</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/android-smartphones-to-power-nasa-satell/240006302">Android Smartphones To Power NASA Satellites</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/usda-expands-mobile-efforts/240006238">USDA Expands Mobile Efforts</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/darpa-seeks-plan-x-cyber-warfare-tools/240006066">DARPA Seeks 'Plan X' Cyber Warfare Tools</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/privacy/nypd-microsoft-push-big-data-policing-in/240005838">NYPD, Microsoft Push Big Data Policing Into Spotlight</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/nasa-curiosity-visual-tour-mars-revealed/240005315">NASA Curiosity Visual Tour: Mars, Revealed</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/10-handy-mobile-apps-from-uncle-sam/240002124">10 Handy Mobile Apps From Uncle Sam</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/military-transformers-20-innovative-defe/240000339">Military Transformers: 20 Innovative Defense Technologies</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/us-military-robots-of-the-future-visual/232900886">U.S. Military Robots Of The Future: Visual Tour</a>The San Diego County Sheriff's Department has a lot of ground to cover--4,200 square miles, to be precise. Until recently, gathering data to support its far-flung operations happened piecemeal. Earlier this year, it rolled out a data integration platform, called SDFusion, that pulls in data from a dozen databases, including FBI and Department of Motor Vehicles records, arrest warrants, and restraining orders. The system, based on Microsoft's BizTalk Server, provides data on any person who has had contact with the department and also draws on public records. A mobile version of SDFusion extends those capabilities to data terminals in officers' cars, as well as to their smartphones and tablets. <center><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/1343"><img src="http://twimgs.com/infoweek/1343/1343_500_return_to_homepage.gif" width="299" height="45" hspace="0" vspace="0" alt="Go to the 2012 InformationWeek 500 homepage" title="Go to the 2012 InformationWeek 500 homepage" border="0"/></a></center> RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/1343">Complete IW 500 coverage and resources</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/500/12/results">IW 500: Innovators and Rulebreakers</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/leadership/iw-500-10-healthcare-it-innovators/240006527">Top 10 Healthcare IT Innovators For 2012</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/20-great-ideas-to-steal/240006553">IW 500: 20 Innovative IT Ideas To Steal (2012)</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/galleries/global-cio/interviews/231600980">20 Innovative IT Ideas To Steal (2011)</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/infrastructure/reviews/informationweek-500-20-great-ideas-to-st/227400099">20 Great Ideas To Steal (2010)</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/android-smartphones-to-power-nasa-satell/240006302">Android Smartphones To Power NASA Satellites</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/usda-expands-mobile-efforts/240006238">USDA Expands Mobile Efforts</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/darpa-seeks-plan-x-cyber-warfare-tools/240006066">DARPA Seeks 'Plan X' Cyber Warfare Tools</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/privacy/nypd-microsoft-push-big-data-policing-in/240005838">NYPD, Microsoft Push Big Data Policing Into Spotlight</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/nasa-curiosity-visual-tour-mars-revealed/240005315">NASA Curiosity Visual Tour: Mars, Revealed</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/10-handy-mobile-apps-from-uncle-sam/240002124">10 Handy Mobile Apps From Uncle Sam</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/military-transformers-20-innovative-defe/240000339">Military Transformers: 20 Innovative Defense Technologies</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/us-military-robots-of-the-future-visual/232900886">U.S. Military Robots Of The Future: Visual Tour</a>The city of Chicago's open government initiatives are notable in their own right, but even more so when combined with the efforts of county and state government. Chicago, Cook County, and the state of Illinois are collaborating on a website that serves as a one-stop shop for government data from the region. The site, at <a href="https://www.metrochicagodata.org">metrochicagodata.org</a>, hosts more than 1,200 data sets in categories such as public safety, health, education, transportation, taxes, and property. Some of the most popular data sets on the site, which is hosted by Socrata, include the names and salaries of city employees in Chicago, a map of crimes in the city, and a guide to police stations. Last fall, the three governments (along with the MacArthur Foundation, the Chicago Community Trust, Motorola, and the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning) held a contest, called Apps for Metro Chicago, to encourage developers to build apps that incorporate the data. The contest resulted in more than 50 new mobile and Web apps, including one that lets people rent out their parking spaces and another that locates recycling locations. <center><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/1343"><img src="http://twimgs.com/infoweek/1343/1343_500_return_to_homepage.gif" width="299" height="45" hspace="0" vspace="0" alt="Go to the 2012 InformationWeek 500 homepage" title="Go to the 2012 InformationWeek 500 homepage" border="0"/></a></center> RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/1343">Complete IW 500 coverage and resources</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/500/12/results">IW 500: Innovators and Rulebreakers</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/leadership/iw-500-10-healthcare-it-innovators/240006527">Top 10 Healthcare IT Innovators For 2012</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/20-great-ideas-to-steal/240006553">IW 500: 20 Innovative IT Ideas To Steal (2012)</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/galleries/global-cio/interviews/231600980">20 Innovative IT Ideas To Steal (2011)</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/infrastructure/reviews/informationweek-500-20-great-ideas-to-st/227400099">20 Great Ideas To Steal (2010)</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/android-smartphones-to-power-nasa-satell/240006302">Android Smartphones To Power NASA Satellites</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/usda-expands-mobile-efforts/240006238">USDA Expands Mobile Efforts</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/darpa-seeks-plan-x-cyber-warfare-tools/240006066">DARPA Seeks 'Plan X' Cyber Warfare Tools</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/privacy/nypd-microsoft-push-big-data-policing-in/240005838">NYPD, Microsoft Push Big Data Policing Into Spotlight</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/nasa-curiosity-visual-tour-mars-revealed/240005315">NASA Curiosity Visual Tour: Mars, Revealed</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/10-handy-mobile-apps-from-uncle-sam/240002124">10 Handy Mobile Apps From Uncle Sam</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/military-transformers-20-innovative-defe/240000339">Military Transformers: 20 Innovative Defense Technologies</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/us-military-robots-of-the-future-visual/232900886">U.S. Military Robots Of The Future: Visual Tour</a>It was inevitable that the open government phenomenon and the mobile device boom would converge, and San Francisco shows how that combination can lead to better public engagement. The city is making government information and services available, streaming audio and video of legislative meetings, and extending its social media presence to the city's on-the-go citizenry. It has created a framework for developing mobile apps that's device-agnostic--not surprising as both iOS developer Apple and Android developer Google are based in the area. The city has also established a device-neutral mobile center on its website, at <a href="http://www6.sfgov.org/index.aspx?page=168">sfgov.org/mobile</a>. The mobile technologies provide fast and easy access to municipal services such as a 311 customer service center at relatively low cost, according to city officials. They say the initiative is the first in a series that will "redefine" how people interact with local government. <center><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/1343"><img src="http://twimgs.com/infoweek/1343/1343_500_return_to_homepage.gif" width="299" height="45" hspace="0" vspace="0" alt="Go to the 2012 InformationWeek 500 homepage" title="Go to the 2012 InformationWeek 500 homepage" border="0"/></a></center> RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/1343">Complete IW 500 coverage and resources</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/500/12/results">IW 500: Innovators and Rulebreakers</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/leadership/iw-500-10-healthcare-it-innovators/240006527">Top 10 Healthcare IT Innovators For 2012</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/20-great-ideas-to-steal/240006553">IW 500: 20 Innovative IT Ideas To Steal (2012)</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/galleries/global-cio/interviews/231600980">20 Innovative IT Ideas To Steal (2011)</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/infrastructure/reviews/informationweek-500-20-great-ideas-to-st/227400099">20 Great Ideas To Steal (2010)</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/android-smartphones-to-power-nasa-satell/240006302">Android Smartphones To Power NASA Satellites</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/usda-expands-mobile-efforts/240006238">USDA Expands Mobile Efforts</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/darpa-seeks-plan-x-cyber-warfare-tools/240006066">DARPA Seeks 'Plan X' Cyber Warfare Tools</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/privacy/nypd-microsoft-push-big-data-policing-in/240005838">NYPD, Microsoft Push Big Data Policing Into Spotlight</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/nasa-curiosity-visual-tour-mars-revealed/240005315">NASA Curiosity Visual Tour: Mars, Revealed</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/10-handy-mobile-apps-from-uncle-sam/240002124">10 Handy Mobile Apps From Uncle Sam</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/military-transformers-20-innovative-defe/240000339">Military Transformers: 20 Innovative Defense Technologies</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/us-military-robots-of-the-future-visual/232900886">U.S. Military Robots Of The Future: Visual Tour</a>With 500,000 citizens, and their cars, squeezed within city boundaries of only 8 square miles, Santa Monica is taking steps to avoid a daily traffic snarl. The city has deployed an Advanced Traffic Management System, including traffic signal controllers and cameras, to remotely monitor and manage traffic in real time. Ambulances and other public safety vehicles, equipped with transponders, automatically trigger green lights as they rush along major throughways. Buses will get those privileges next, to help them stay on schedule. The city's parking lots are monitored, and opened or closed as necessary, while electronic signs show drivers the number of available spaces. A website, at <a href="http://www.smgov.net/departments/transportation/parking.aspx">parkingspacenow.smgov.net</a>, shows parking availability at local lots. Wi-Fi-equipped parking meters accept payments from credit cards and cellphones. And if drivers get a parking ticket, those can be paid via mobile device, too. <center><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/1343"><img src="http://twimgs.com/infoweek/1343/1343_500_return_to_homepage.gif" width="299" height="45" hspace="0" vspace="0" alt="Go to the 2012 InformationWeek 500 homepage" title="Go to the 2012 InformationWeek 500 homepage" border="0"/></a></center> RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/1343">Complete IW 500 coverage and resources</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/500/12/results">IW 500: Innovators and Rulebreakers</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/leadership/iw-500-10-healthcare-it-innovators/240006527">Top 10 Healthcare IT Innovators For 2012</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/20-great-ideas-to-steal/240006553">IW 500: 20 Innovative IT Ideas To Steal (2012)</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/galleries/global-cio/interviews/231600980">20 Innovative IT Ideas To Steal (2011)</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/infrastructure/reviews/informationweek-500-20-great-ideas-to-st/227400099">20 Great Ideas To Steal (2010)</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/android-smartphones-to-power-nasa-satell/240006302">Android Smartphones To Power NASA Satellites</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/usda-expands-mobile-efforts/240006238">USDA Expands Mobile Efforts</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/darpa-seeks-plan-x-cyber-warfare-tools/240006066">DARPA Seeks 'Plan X' Cyber Warfare Tools</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/privacy/nypd-microsoft-push-big-data-policing-in/240005838">NYPD, Microsoft Push Big Data Policing Into Spotlight</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/nasa-curiosity-visual-tour-mars-revealed/240005315">NASA Curiosity Visual Tour: Mars, Revealed</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/10-handy-mobile-apps-from-uncle-sam/240002124">10 Handy Mobile Apps From Uncle Sam</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/military-transformers-20-innovative-defe/240000339">Military Transformers: 20 Innovative Defense Technologies</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/us-military-robots-of-the-future-visual/232900886">U.S. Military Robots Of The Future: Visual Tour</a>New York City agencies are getting improved IT security at lower cost in the form of a municipal "security cloud" that brings much-needed capabilities and increased threat awareness. The city's Department of IT and Telecommunications struck a five-year enterprise license agreement with McAfee that goes beyond antivirus and firewall protection to include encryption, application white-listing, vulnerability management, change control, and mobile device management, implemented in the city's data centers, like the one pictured above. The deal will save the city an estimated $18 million compared with its previous costs. McAfee already manages security services for workstations and servers at 50 city agencies, giving the department, for the first time, visibility into the security status of most city agencies and access to threat analysis capabilities. <center><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/1343"><img src="http://twimgs.com/infoweek/1343/1343_500_return_to_homepage.gif" width="299" height="45" hspace="0" vspace="0" alt="Go to the 2012 InformationWeek 500 homepage" title="Go to the 2012 InformationWeek 500 homepage" border="0"/></a></center> RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/1343">Complete IW 500 coverage and resources</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/500/12/results">IW 500: Innovators and Rulebreakers</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/leadership/iw-500-10-healthcare-it-innovators/240006527">Top 10 Healthcare IT Innovators For 2012</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/20-great-ideas-to-steal/240006553">IW 500: 20 Innovative IT Ideas To Steal (2012)</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/galleries/global-cio/interviews/231600980">20 Innovative IT Ideas To Steal (2011)</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/infrastructure/reviews/informationweek-500-20-great-ideas-to-st/227400099">20 Great Ideas To Steal (2010)</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/android-smartphones-to-power-nasa-satell/240006302">Android Smartphones To Power NASA Satellites</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/usda-expands-mobile-efforts/240006238">USDA Expands Mobile Efforts</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/darpa-seeks-plan-x-cyber-warfare-tools/240006066">DARPA Seeks 'Plan X' Cyber Warfare Tools</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/privacy/nypd-microsoft-push-big-data-policing-in/240005838">NYPD, Microsoft Push Big Data Policing Into Spotlight</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/nasa-curiosity-visual-tour-mars-revealed/240005315">NASA Curiosity Visual Tour: Mars, Revealed</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/10-handy-mobile-apps-from-uncle-sam/240002124">10 Handy Mobile Apps From Uncle Sam</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/military-transformers-20-innovative-defe/240000339">Military Transformers: 20 Innovative Defense Technologies</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/security/us-military-robots-of-the-future-visual/232900886">U.S. Military Robots Of The Future: Visual Tour</a>2012-08-03T08:40:00ZFBI's Sentinel Project: 5 Lessons LearnedAgency used agile development and private sector know-how to finish its long-delayed digital case management system. http://www.informationweek.com/news/240004888?cid=SBX_iwk_related_commentary_Infrastructure_as_a_Service_cloud_computing<div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/galleries/government/info-management/232602698"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/760/01_RedCross_001_tn.jpg" alt="American Red Cross Social Media Command Center" title="American Red Cross Social Media Command Center" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">American Red Cross Social Media Command Center</div> (click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>After six years of development, the FBI says its next-gen digital case management system, Sentinel, is finally up and running. FBI agents can now use the system to manage records electronically, with document templates, drop-down menus, and many other PC-like features. Sentinel had been a case study in federal IT projects gone awry--missed deadlines, budget overruns, feature shortcomings, and a benchmark test last October that pooped out. The FBI Inspector General, in a <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/government/info-management/227900490">2010 report on Sentinel</a>, cited "significant issues and concerns." FBI director Robert Mueller faced <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/government/enterprise-apps/224400547">a grilling from Congress</a> on how, when, and at what cost this all-important project would be completed. Keep in mind that Sentinel has roots in an earlier IT project failure, the so-called <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/192500844">Virtual Case File system</a>. The agency pulled the plug on that effort in 2005 after pouring $170 million into it. So this week's announcement that Sentinel, as of July 1, became available to all FBI employees is a major achievement. Mueller, in a written statement, called it "an important step forward" for the FBI. Whether the system will work as advertised and be accepted by the agency's rank and file remains to be seen. I've been following the Sentinel project closely for the past few years. Here are five takeaways. 1. Private sector expertise is valuable. The first step in Sentinel's turnaround was the recruitment of a private sector IT executive, Chad Fulgham, to oversee it. Mueller brought in Fulgham, a former senior VP of IT with brokerage firm Lehman Bros., as CIO in December 2008. Mueller said Fulgham's business experience would "fit well" with the FBI's needs. It wasn't long before <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/government/info-management/229204017">Fulgham hired Jeff Johnson</a>, also a former Lehman Bros. technologist, who is now the FBI's CTO. (Fulgham left the FBI in April 2012. More on that below.) 2. Agile development gets things done. The next big shift in strategy was Fulgham's decision in September 2010 to <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/government/enterprise-apps/227400495">wrest control of the project</a> from prime contractor Lockheed Martin and use agile development to accelerate software deliverables. The thinking was that a hands-on, incremental approach would be faster because functionality would be developed, and adjustments made, in two-week "sprints." The FBI missed its target date for finishing that work--September 2011--but it credits the agile methodology with ultimately getting the job done. 3. Commercial software plays an important role. Sentinel is based in part on commercial software, a fact that's often overlooked because of all the custom coding and systems integration involved. Under the hood are EMC's Documentum document management software, Oracle databases, IBM's WebSphere middleware, Microsoft's SharePoint, and Entrust's PKI technology. Critics who say that Sentinel would have gone more smoothly if only it had been based on off-the-shelf software seem unaware that, in fact, it is. 4. Agile development is cheaper, too. Sentinel came in under its $451 million budget. The caveat is that the FBI's original cost estimate for Sentinel was $425 million, but that was before Fulgham and Johnson took over, and they stayed within the budget they were given. The Inspector General might quibble with how the FBI accounts for the total project cost, having pointed out in the past that its tally didn't reflect the agency's staff costs. But the FBI wasn't forced to go to Congress with its hand out. Agile development wasn't only faster, but also cheaper. 5. Don't deploy new software on old hardware. The FBI learned that lesson the hard way in October when the system, during a four-hour test involving 743 users, suffered <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/government/enterprise-apps/232301261">two outages</a>. The agency made the mistake of running the test on legacy hardware, which it was forced to upgrade prior to a broader rollout. That caused a delay just as the IT team was approaching the finish line. Johnson offered the first public demonstration of Sentinel this week at FBI headquarters. (Here's <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/government/enterprise-apps/232800018">my review of the system</a> from a demo I was given a few months earlier.) Fulgham wasn't around to participate in the unveiling. He left the FBI this spring to take a job with Lockheed Martin--yes, the same company he elbowed aside in 2010 when choosing the agile development path. In his new role, Fulgham is a VP with Lockheed Martin's information systems and global solutions division, where he works with U.S. and international defense agencies. In a phone call this week, Fulgham said he knew he would take heat for going to work for the same company that, as the FBI's CIO, he forced into a backup role on Sentinel. But he insists that Lockheed continued to be a key partner on the project, as well as on other FBI initiatives, such as its Next Generation Identification system. Sentinel is "arguably the most important application at the FBI," and agile development turned out to be the right way to complete it, Fulgham told me this week. There's a lot of talk about how federal agencies can benefit from the best IT practices of the private sector. Sentinel's turnaround is the latest chapter in that play book. The Office of Management and Budget demands that federal agencies tap into a more efficient IT delivery model. The new <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/061112gov/?k=axxe&cid=article_axxt_os">Shared Services Mandate</a> issue of InformationWeek Government explains how they're doing it. Also in this issue: Uncle Sam should develop an IT savings dashboard that shows the returns on its multibillion-dollar IT investment. (Free registration required.) 2012-07-27T13:46:00ZStrike Back At Hackers? Get A LawyerDon't risk legal troubles. Get advice before taking the offensive against cybercriminals, military security expert says at Black Hat.http://www.informationweek.com/news/240004510?cid=SBX_iwk_related_commentary_Infrastructure_as_a_Service_cloud_computingAs security pros in business and government shore up their cyber defenses and contemplate striking back at hackers, they may find themselves on uncertain legal ground. To avoid costly mistakes, it's important to get legal advice before taking action. That was the message from Robert Clark, an operations lawyer with the U.S. Army Cyber Command, in an address titled "Legal Aspects of Cyberspace Operations," on Thursday at the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas. "Get a good lawyer. Get them involved early and often. They can be a valued team member," Clark said in an interview with InformationWeek after his presentation. A key theme at Black Hat was the trend toward incorporating an offensive component into cybersecurity strategies, what Clark referred to as "hack back." But the use of security "beacons," disinformation, and other offensive techniques may have legal implications, he said. Clark said he was speaking in his personal capacity as a legal expert and not as a government official. [ Consider these <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/global-cio/interviews/240004473?itc=edit_in_body_cross">5 Black Hat Security Lessons For CIOs</a>. ] The role of the lawyer is to ask detailed questions about what steps security teams want to take "so the people who make the decision are fully informed of the risks," Clark said. Earlier in the week at Black Hat, former FBI cybersecurity expert Shawn Henry, now president of CrowdStrike Services, said <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/security/management/240004371">proactive cybersecurity strategies</a> include creating a "hostile environment" for would-be hackers and even causing them "pain." He pointed to the use of corrupt packets and disinformation as potential ways of doing that. Clark said there's a "large area to be explored" when it comes to new techniques for defending an organization's information and IT assets. The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986, which specifies a range of computer-access offenses, sets legal parameters that continue to apply. "No lawyer's going to say, 'violate the law,'" said Clark. Operations lawyers can and should help IT security teams finds ways to accomplish their objectives within the boundaries of the law. "No lawyer should say, 'you can't do that,'" said Clark. "They should say, 'if we do it this way,'" then the strategy is legally viable. Computer security basics continue to be important. Clark said operations lawyers must assess the steps taken prior to engaging in more proactive defenses, such as "air gapping" sensitive information, so that it's harder to access electronically, and encrypting data at rest.2012-07-26T14:20:00ZFAA's New Flight Control System Has Security Holes: ResearcherAt the Black Hat conference, a computer scientist demonstrates how 'fake airplanes' can be inserted into FAA's upcoming air traffic control system.http://www.informationweek.com/news/240004424?cid=SBX_iwk_related_commentary_Infrastructure_as_a_Service_cloud_computing <div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/galleries/government/security/240002424"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/818/Slide-1-opening-image-38launch_tn.jpg" alt="Mission Intelligence: NRO's Newest Spy Satellites" title="Mission Intelligence: NRO's Newest Spy Satellites" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">Mission Intelligence: NRO's Newest Spy Satellites</div> (click image for larger view and for slideshow) </div> A key component of the FAA's emerging "Next Gen" air traffic control system is fundamentally insecure and ripe for manipulation and attack, security researcher Andrei Costin said in a presentation Wednesday at Black Hat 2012 in Las Vegas. Costin, a computer scientist and graduate student at Eurecom, outlined a series of issues related to the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) system, which is being installed as a replacement to the decades-old ground radar system used to guide airplanes through the sky and on the ground at airports. Among the threats to ADS-B is that the system lacks a capability for message authentication. "Any attacker can pretend to be an aircraft" by injecting a message into the system, Costin said. There's also no mechanism in ADS-B for encrypting messages, so messages related to air traffic--including the ability to identify aircraft, their location, and altitude--can be read by virtually anyone, Costin said. He displayed an air traffic screen capture, taken this year, which ostensibly showed the in-flight location of Air Force One, the Boeing 747 used to transport President Obama. [ Read about the Department of Defenses' plan to let unmanned aircraft share air space with commercial and private planes: <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/government/info-management/240003594?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Drones To Fly U.S. Skies, In DOD Plans</a>. ] If the aircraft was in fact Air Force One, the easy availability of that information would have national security implications. "It's a very high-profile target," said Costin. On the other hand, it's possible that the aircraft represented in the screen capture wasn't Air Force One, but another plane identified within ADS-B using Air Force One's registration code. "If the data is false, somebody is spoofing the system," said Costin. Costin did not provide evidence of any known attacks on ADS-B. Rather, he presented a theoretical scenario in which someone injected the system with data on "fake planes," forcing the air traffic control system to adjust to aircraft that weren't actually in flight. He characterized such an attack at scale--with one million fake planes, for example—as comparable to a denial-of-service attack on the air traffic control system. Air traffic controllers might be forced to block off air space while they sorted out the mess, he said. Costin demonstrated how an attack on ADS-B could be mounted using inexpensive software-defined radios. He took airplane data that was publicly available from the system, modified the data, and "replayed" the data back to a commercial receiver. "The possibility of injecting fake airplanes is quite easy, just by taking a real message and crafting it to your needs," he said. There are also privacy issues, because data on private planes can be culled from ADS-B as well. By matching that data with aircraft registration databases, Costin explained, it would be possible to track non-commercial aircraft from city to city. In a whitepaper accompanying his presentation, Costin wrote that the types of potential attacks on ADS-B range from passive attacks such as eavesdropping to active attacks, including message jamming and injections of the type he demonstrated. In addition to the lack of encryption in ADS-B, the whitepaper identifies the following security weaknesses: no use of entity authentication as a way of protecting against message injection, or of message signatures to deter tampering; no challenge-response mechanisms to protect against replay attacks; and lack of "ephemeral identifiers" for privacy protection. Questions over the security of the ADS-B system aren't new. Aviation experts have warned of vulnerabilities in the past, but the FAA has been reluctant to discuss them. In response to InformationWeek, the FAA, in a prepared statement, said it has "a thorough process in place" to identify possible risks to ADS-B, such as intentional jamming, and that it has taken steps to mitigate risks uncovered as part of an ADS-B security action plan. The agency declined to identify the risks it has identified or addressed, calling them "security-sensitive." "The agency conducts ongoing assessments of ADS-B signal vulnerabilities," according to the statement. The FAA said the contract for the ADS-B ground station network requires ongoing independent validation of the accuracy and reliability of ADS-B and aircraft avionics signals. As a backup to ADS-B, the FAA plans to maintain about half of the current network of secondary radars "in the unlikely event it is needed." Security information and event monitoring technology has been available for years, but the information can be hard to mine. In our <a href="http://www.darkreading.com/SecurityMonitoring/util/5502/download.html?k=axxe&cid=article_axxe">SIEM Success</a> report, we provide a step-by-step guide to make the most of your SIEM system. (Free registration required.) 2012-07-12T14:44:00ZHow Not To Plan A Data CenterThe National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency built a bigger data center than it needed. Now the potential federal IT boondoggle is being turned into a storage center for data generated by remote sensors and cloud computing.http://www.informationweek.com/news/240003529?cid=SBX_iwk_related_commentary_Infrastructure_as_a_Service_cloud_computing <div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/galleries/government/enterprise-architecture/231903162"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/691/01_slide_1_175.jpg" alt="Federal Data Center Consolidation Makes Progres " title="Federal Data Center Consolidation Makes Progress" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">Federal Data Center Consolidation Makes Progress </div> (click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>  An entire floor at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency's new Technology Center has sat vacant for the past three years, the result of poor planning and communications and the challenge of forecasting an intelligence agency’s data storage needs. The project is getting rebooted with $54.6 million in defense funding, but it's anyone’s guess how it will end up. The saga of NGA's Technology Center, located at Fort Belvoir, Va., is the subject of a <a href="http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-770R">Government Accountability Office report</a> tied to the Pentagon’s ongoing Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) efforts. As part of that consolidation, the NGA in 2006 began constructing several new buildings--its "Campus East," including a sprawling, 2.4 million-square-foot headquarters and the four-story, $155 million Technology Center. The tech center blueprints originally called for 108,000 square feet of data center space, split between the third and fourth floors of the building. Within 12 months, that space requirement was cut in half, to 55,000 square feet, taking into account (belatedly) the efficiencies of consolidating systems on more densely configured servers. The idea was to establish 22,000 square feet of data center space on the fourth floor, and do the same on the third floor. [ How efficiently are the feds managing IT investments? Read <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/government/policy/240001737?itc=edit_in_body_cross">What's The ROI On Federal IT Spending?</a> ] Construction started in October 2007, but within a few months the IT contractor on the job, General Dynamics, determined that the third floor wouldn’t be needed to accommodate the sought-after 10 petabytes of storage capacity. General Dynamics explained that advances in server and storage technology made it possible to squeeze data into a smaller footprint. With construction already underway, however, it was too late to omit an entire floor, and the facility was completed as planned in 2009. An NGA photo (below) taken in January of this year shows the squeaky clean space without a server rack or storage appliance in sight. The project has been plagued with problems from the start. The NGA originally determined that it would need 8 petabytes of storage, and then revised that estimate to 10 petabytes. The agency has since upped its requirement to "hundreds of petabytes" over 10 years, which is the business case for the $54.6 million in funding that will now go toward outfitting the third-floor with raised floors, power, cooling, and lighting. The Army Corps of Engineers has issued a <a href="https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=4a0cdd01f4c3838314452420d05f1455&tab=core&_cview=0">request for proposals</a> for that work. Along the way, the Department of Defense's right hand didn’t know what its left hand was doing, according to the GAO report. When the NGA, whose intelligence work is used by the U.S. military, determined that it no longer needed the third floor of the Technology Center, it failed to notify the U.S. Army, the official project manager. The Secretary of Defense and Congress were left out of the loop, too. The project's shoddy documentation didn't help. DOD departments must provide a "Form 1391" in support of construction work, but the NGA didn't mention the Technology Center in its February 2006 filing for the Fort Belvoir campus, according to the GAO report. That part of the project was still in the "conceptual design phase," the agency later explained. The origins of the project go back to 2005, when the NGA set out to build its Campus East to serve as a new home for 8,500 employees, as its other offices were being closed. Each year, the NGA drafted a business plan for the project, but it failed to make any mention of its decision to mothball the third floor of the tech center. It wasn’t until last year that officials with the Army's BRAC office, on a tour of the campus complex, realized that office space the size of a football field was empty. <center><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/1338/ngapic.jpg" width="590" height="411" alt="source: NGA" hspace="0" vspace="0" border="0" style="margin-bottom:7px;" /> </center> The Army should have—and could have--been a more hands-on project manager, but Army officials assumed that the DOD's Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Installations and Environment was reviewing and approving all changes in scope. For its part, the Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Installations and Environment thought the Army was monitoring those things. The silver lining in this debacle is that the NGA stood to save up to $37.2 million by not finishing the third floor. But any such savings were gobbled up by cost overruns elsewhere in the campus project. The BRAC Commission had pegged the NGA's consolidation and relocation costs at $1.1 billion over six years. The actual costs came in at more than $2.5 billion. But all is not lost. What was on the verge of becoming yet another federal IT boondoggle now looks like a brilliant strategic plan. An internal study by the NGA, conducted from 2008 to 2010, identified a long-term need for hundreds of petabytes of data storage. Half of that capacity will be for the agency's internal needs, including its use of intelligence-collecting sensors in space and on the ground, and by a shift to cloud computing. The other half will be generated by other intelligence agencies, under a plan by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) to share IT resources. The third floor of the NGA's Technology Center is the perfect solution. Not only will it give the agency data storage headroom through 2020, but it will also let the NGA take back some of the IT workload now handled by a leased "interim transition capability" facility. The original contract for that facility was due to expire in fiscal 2013. But the agency, facing the prospect of growing data volumes with no place to put them, recently extended the contact another five years. "The decision to build out the third floor of the tech center is an outgrowth of the vast increase in data handling, storage and dissemination capabilities that the agency needs to effectively support the workforce and our geospatial intelligence mission partners," an NGA spokesman said in response to my questions about the data center restart. <a href="http://comptroller.defense.gov/defbudget/fy2012/budget_justification/pdfs/07_Military_Construction/11-National_Geospatial_Intelligence_Agency.pdf">Documents on the Defense Comptroller's website</a> show that the NGA was also looking to invest $9.3 million in its other primary data center, located in Arnold, Mo. That funding will go into power and cooling upgrades that are projected to support a 35% increase in data storage. There are two big lessons here, aside from the obvious need for federal agencies to do a better job of project management. One is that pristine data center space can almost always be put to good use--if not now, then later. The second, related lesson: When estimating data storage requirements, take your first estimate and multiply by 10. The Office of Management and Budget demands that federal agencies tap into a more efficient IT delivery model. The new <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/gogreen/061112gov/?k=axxe&cid=article_axxt_os">Shared Services Mandate</a> issue of InformationWeek Government explains how they're doing it. Also in this issue: Uncle Sam should develop an IT savings dashboard that shows the returns on its multibillion-dollar IT investment. (Free registration required.)