Users get immediate access to FERC documents
Between two databases, the commission has close to 2 million files available online. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is putting rulings online within hours of a commission decision. "People who want this information really need it badly," said Bo Pierce, software engineering team leader for the project.
Panda Software supplements a network's security
Pros and cons: + Compatible with existing virus protection; daily virus updates – Works only with Microsoft Outlook and Exchange – Updates require much user interaction Real-life requirements: Win95 and Outlook or Exchange When it comes to computer viruses, you can't be too careful. Panda Software has a virus scanner that installs itself seamlessly into Microsoft Outlook or Exchange and gives good virus protection plus something few scanner programs can boast: It
Highly rated and intuitive Suite 8, speech software harmonize
Pros and cons: + Speech processing speeds up word processing + Lots of extras in the package – Separate installation required for speech program Real-life requirements: Win95 or Windows NT, 133-MHz or faster processor, 64M RAM, 60M free on hard drive Corel WordPerfect Suite 8 makes a perfect match with Dragon NaturallySpeaking, from Natural Speech Co. of Newton, Mass.
NIH changes online shopping to let the seller beware
When users log in, they fill out a form describing what they want to buy. The National Institutes of Health has unveiled what it believes is an easier way for federal buyers to buy hardware and software online. The system, called Procurement Vehicle Management, rejects the standard shopping cart method of online purchases in favor of a system that puts the burden on the vendor—not the buyer—to pick the right
Use Visual Explorer to get your files in order—almost
Pros and cons: + Easy file manipulation and visual browsing – Weak network interface – Manual setting required for each folder Real-life requirements: Windows 9x, 16M RAM, CD-ROM drive, 35M free on hard drive Putting Visual Explorer on your computer is like flipping on a light in a dark room, even if the bulb is a little dim.
Choose SurfSaver if you need to save Web pages for reference
Pros and cons: + Easy to use + Powerful enough for professional use + Competent search tool – Works only with Microsoft Internet Explorer Real-life requirements: PC running Microsoft Internet Explorer A problem with the Internet is that there is no guarantee that the information you tapped into one day will be in the same spot the next.
This $150 contact database maximizes your limited time
Box Score B+ Maximizer 5.0 Multiactive Software Inc., Vancouver, Wash.; tel: 800-804-6299 http://www.maximizer.com Price: $150 Pros and cons: + Good interrelation of contacts – Steep learning curve Real-life requirements: Win95 or NT running on a 75-MHz Pentium, 35M free on hard drive
SitePro database aids agency in cleanup of wetlands
The Fish and Wildlife Service is using information technology to bring paradise to a polluted California coastal wetland. The agency is using a database of scientific measurements taken from the Bolsa Chica Lowlands over the years to create a cleanup plan for the 880-acre site. The Southern California coastal marsh is home to endangered plants and animals.
Here's how two agencies are making EC work
In its first year of service, the Veterans Affairs Department's Credit Card System has earned $5.8 million in rebates for the department's IMPAC cardholders. Run by the VA Financial Services Center in Austin, Texas, the electronic payment system processed $800 million in payments during the last year. CCS' one-day turnaround earned the center's VA customers the rebates, center director Harlan Hively said.
AWIPS gets a final OK
Secretary William Daley this month approved the final deployment plan for 152 weather stations. The announcement brought a collective sigh of relief from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials, who have battled for full deployment of the $520 million system for the past two years. But the struggle to field AWIPS, a one-time presidential priority system, goes back roughly a decade to NOAA's original plan to modernize the government's weather systems.
FEMA takes PCs to the field to speed disaster-data gathering
MT. WEATHER, Va.--A Federal Emergency Management Agency official hunkers over his PC screen as tornadoes rip across Arkansas. But the twisters aren't real. The simulated storm is part of FEMA's month-long test of a new system to improve the agency's response to disasters. FEMA, the agency that determines infrastructure damage and the needs of survivors after disasters, is measuring the system's performance against recent natural calamities such as earthquakes, flash fires, flooding rivers and powerful
FAA's Donohue flies govt. coop
George Donohue, the Federal Aviation Administration's nominee for associate administrator, is leaving the agency to work in the private sector. Donohue was hired in 1994 to fix FAA's acquisition management system and modernize the air traffic control system, tasks at which he was successful, FAAofficials said. Presently the associate administrator for research and acquisition, Donohue joined FAA after a stint as vice president at the Rand Corp. of Santa Monica, Calif.
FAA probes citizen space race
Lower information technology costs have made it possible for private companies to develop space programs, a trend that has piqued the interest of the Federal Aviation Administration. Patricia Smith, FAA's associate administrator for commercial space transportation, said two commercial space facilities are already operating in the United States and more private companies are expected to join the space community.
Energy shoots for 100 teraFLOPS by 2004
It's 100 teraFLOPS or bust. That's how President Clinton described the government's quest for more powerful, high-performance computers when he unveiled the Energy Department's PathForward program earlier this month. Speaking before a group of scientists and researchers at Energy's Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, Clinton said the PathForward team by 2004 would build a computer with a processing power of 100 trillion floating-point operations per second. The president earmarked $517 million in his
NASA hooked on commercial shuttle robots
Replace John Glenn with a robot? That might seem far-fetched today. But NASA wants to use more robots aboard spacecraft in the not-too-distant future, and it's testing candidates now. The Mars Pathfinder proved last summer that robots built with off-the-shelf computer equipment could accomplish successful space missions, opening the floodgates for a new generation of NASA robots--including Ranger, Pathfinder's likely successor.
McHale retires from government work
McHale, chief of the Scientific Information and Data Systems Branch at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), retired from government late last year. The computer scientist will now devote much of her time to a lifelong love--natural sciences. McHale volunteers at the National Zoo in Washington, where she can be seen dipping her hand into the Think Tank, a petting zoo for sea life, and emerging with a creature to
Biz opportunity knocks online
"This type of thing is not unusual in industry,'' said Michael O'Hara Garcia, chief information officer for the Commerce Department agency. "We wanted to get a system to match contracts with minority businesses that could fulfill them.'' In the past, local minority development offices would try to find out about contracts and alert businesses, Garcia said.
SSA posts date code help
A date code database, developed by the Social Security Administration, will open for browsing Dec. 1, SSA officials said this month. The home page for the site, at http://y2k.policyworks.gov, is active now. "We are doing a lot of testing in the federal government and thought this could be a way to share that information," said Kathleen Adams, SSA assistant deputy commissioner for systems.
FAA corrects system bug, averts holiday travel crisis
FAA recently found and corrected a date-sensitive bug that would have brought the Enhanced Traffic Management System (ETMS) to a halt Nov. 2. "What we learned with this problem will be invaluable to us as we work on the year 2000 problem," said Bob Voss, FAA's chief of air traffic management.
System runs crashes for safety's sake
The National Crash Analysis Center is giving the crash test dummies some time off. The center, which is funded by the Federal Highway Administration and the National Highway Traffic Administration, is using supercomputers to wreck virtual vehicles and improve the safety of real ones. The wrecks are brutal and very detailed. Each day virtual cars and trucks slam into walls, guard rails, road signs and each other.
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