Software changes delay rollout of FAA satellite navigation system
The Federal Aviation Administration recently delayed by more than a year the deployment of a $475 million satellite navigational system because it wants to further refine the system's fourth and final software module. FAA originally wanted to roll out the Wide Area Augmentation System in July, but it has pushed the deployment back 14 months to September 2000.
Power User sings praises of a few of his favorite things
This column so often holds gripes about software feature bloat and hardware glitches that it's only fair to praise the good stuff once in a while. The items below bring joy to me and every other user lucky enough to have them: Another positive is the wealth of well-written computer books.
Patience is a virtue when building data warehouses
"It's the biggest issue," said Pat Garvey, director of the Environmental Protection Agency's Envirofacts data warehouse team. "Don't think too big, and don't start off too grandiose. Keep expectations lowered." The much-lauded Envirofacts data warehouse has been online since 1995. From the EPA's six national mainframe systems, the warehouse application extracts information on about a million sites handling or discharging potentially harmful substances, and pulls regulatory, spatial and demographic data
BREAKING NEWS
The House this month unanimously passed a bill to give some businesses and organizations the option of submitting data electronically to the government. The Paperwork Elimination Act, HR 439, would let small businesses, nonprofit organizations, educational institutions and others required to communicate regularly with the federal government send information via computer.
NASA IG looks into Internet services buy
NASA's award of a $2.9 million Internet services contract to a vendor that last year gave the agency free Web site service has prompted a review of the buy by the NASA inspector general. NASA last month awarded PSINet Inc. of Herndon, Va., the five-year Managed Internet Services contract to maintain Web sites and Net services at Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Cascade server app lets users mesh Unix and NT platforms
Sun Microsystems Inc. will add a new dimension to Unix and Microsoft Windows NT integration with its Solaris Sunlink Server application, code-named Cascade. Cascade is meant to provide scalability for Windows NT networks and a platform for NT server consolidation. Solaris supports up to 64 processors.
IT-21 supplies smooth sailing
SAN DIEGO—High-speed asynchronous transfer mode LANs, secure e-mail and Web capabilities aboard ships—all made possible through the Navy's 2-year-old Information Technology for the 21st Century initiative—are dramatically improving Naval operations, service brass said recently. "Despite the usual growing pains, the payoffs of IT-21 were immediately apparent in the areas of morale and operational capabilities," said Adm. Jay Johnson, chief of Naval operations.
His warehouse wows USDA managers
- J. Norman Reid Name: J. Norman Reid Agency: Office of Community Development, Agriculture Department's Rural Development Agency Length of service: 22 years Age: 53 Education: Bachelor's degree from Muskingum College; master's degree in political science from the University of Missouri in Columbia; doctorate in political science from the University of Illinois in Urbana.
GSA employees recognized for work in systems, implementation
The General Services Administration and GCN honored 44 employees for excellence in systems development management and implementation. The GSA employees received their awards at a recent GCN Forum luncheon in Washington.
CIO Council says it will focus on achieving new short-term goals
In the coming year, the Chief Information Officers Council plans to focus more on meeting short-term goals than on setting long-term objectives, according to the council's latest strategy update. Late in December, the council issued an update to its 1998 strategic plan, laying out what the plan called "long-range goals and specific initiatives of the council as it prepares to submit its first formal budget request to the Congress."
Group yet to reach consensus on setting new Net naming policies
ICANN's chairwoman Esther Dyson says a consensus on domain names will give registrars more power in the long run. Internet leaders gathered in Washington last month to hammer out management policies for the vast Domain Name System under the Internet's new governing body. A Domain Name Supporting Organization (DNSO), the key to Net privatization, will be one of three new policy groups formed to advise the board of the Internet Corp.
USGS juggles data requests
SIOUX FALLS, S.D.—The Earth Resources Observation System Data Center here is struggling to meet the high demand for its archive of satellite remote sensing data. Global change researchers want historical imagery and related spatial data sets. "Our challenge is to make sure we preserve all that," said Stuart W. Doescher, program manager for systems engineering at the Geological Survey site.
It's worth it to upgrade to latest Illustrator version
Real-life requirements: Win9x or NT; Pentium II CPU; 128M of RAM; 100M free storage; CD-ROM drive; video card that can show 32-bit true color at 1,024- by 768-pixel resolution. Power Macintosh version available. Latest Unix version is 5.5 Adobe Illustrator has a reputation for being powerful but difficult. It has loyal followers, though many stopped following it at versions 6.0, 5.5 or even 4.1.
OPINION
Servers are ubiquitous in federal agencies. They're not just in cabinet agencies but also in the hundreds of independent agencies, boards, commissions, government corporations, congressional and judiciary agencies and other functioning units that comprise the broadly defined federal government. My research shows the number of servers hovers around 200,000, not counting—because I couldn't—those maintained by the National Security Agency, CIA and other classified agencies.
Web browsers will help steer IT course
GCN: Pacific Command is planning to build a brand new state-of-the-art command and control headquarters at Camp Smith. What are the details? BRYAN: We are building a new Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet (CINCPAC) headquarters that we will break ground on in 2000 and occupy in 2003. We're very proud of it. The
Cybervillains come under fire
The Defense Department plans to batten down the hatches on its networks with a new staff at the Defense Information Systems Agency. Defense Secretary William Cohen last month approved the creation of the Joint Task Force on Computer Network Defense to coordinate responses to cyberattacks on DOD systems. The task force will work out of DISA's Global Operations Security Center in Arlington, Va. Air Force Maj. Gen. John Campbell, DISA's vice director, will command a 24-person staff
Clinton's proposal identifies 2000 problem as No. 1 issue
How Clinton says he'll strengthen governmentwide management Manage the year 2000 computer problem Use results to improve program management Improve financial management information Protect critical information infrastructure Strengthen statistical programs Implement acquisition reforms Implement electronic government initiatives Dealing with the year 2000 problem tops the list of priority initiatives in President Clinton's fiscal 2000 budget proposal—even though the budget will take effect six months after
GPS overhaul will add signals for civilian use
The Clinton administration last month launched a six-year, $400 million initiative to modernize the Defense Department's Global Positioning System. The upgrade would add two new civilian signals to future GPS satellites to improve services provided to millions of non-DOD users worldwide. GPS is a constellation of 24 satellites developed, launched and maintained by the Air Force. The system gives users positioning, timing and navigation signals free of charge and helps guide airplanes, trains, ships, cars, tractors and
Users get Domino 5, but the boys in the back e-room get a bit more
This year the furry one got his fill of Mickey's minions, not to mention Lotus Development Corp.'s publicity antics. Next year he'll let his Web browser do the walking. The trade show paraded a pair of Canadian mountaineers who had scaled Mount Everest to plant Lotus' flag at the summit—and demonstrate the power of collaborative computing, naturally.
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