Technology News
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U.S. and India develop open source code
WASHINGTON, D.C.—As part of a joint effort by the United States and India to build an open government platform, the U.S. team has deposited open source code– an important benchmark in developing the Open Government Platform that will enable governments around the world to stand up their own open government data sites.
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Feds to close data centers
WASHINGTON, D.C.—According to the White House, the federal government plans to “root out waste in government” by closing 800 data centers by the end of 2015.
Specifically, agencies plan to close 525 data centers by the end of 2012, noted Steven VanRoekel, the Federal Chief Information Officer.
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DMV goes self-serve in CA
SACRAMENTO, Calif.—Customers can now enjoy the convenience offered by timesaving Self Service Terminals (SST) at five California State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) locations, bringing the number of the popular blue and gold kiosks to 35 statewide.
“These machines are designed to get vehicle registration cards and tags into a customer’s hands within minutes,” said DMV director George Valverde. “Customers who cannot access the Internet, need their registration right away or have to use cash are finding the SST to be convenient and there is no waiting in line.”
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CIA honors science fair winners
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Central Intelligence Agency’s Directorate of Science and Technology honored the winners of eight local science fair competitions. Nearly 130 students were recognized for their outstanding and creative projects. Half of the student winners were female, and they hailed from countries including the United States, Bangladesh, South Africa, India, and Liberia.
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Medicare & Medicaid turn to tech to fight fraud
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) began using innovative predictive modeling technology to fight Medicare fraud on July 1st.
Similar to technology used by credit card companies, predictive modeling helps identify potentially fraudulent Medicare claims on a nationwide basis, and help stop fraudulent claims before they are paid. This initiative builds on the new anti-fraud tools and resources provided by the Affordable Care Act that are helping move CMS beyond its former “pay and chase” recovery operations to an approach that focuses on preventing fraud and abuse before payment is made.
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NOAA hires Earth Resources Technologies
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The NationalOceanicandAtmosphericAdministration (NOAA) has given Earth Resources Technologies, Inc., an $11.5 million, three-year award for cloud-based unified messaging services.
The agency-wide transition will modernize e-mail and calendar infrastructure, integrate collaborative tools and facilitate synchronization with mobile devices to better support NOAA’s mission and its nationwide workforce. As the largest federal agency to adopt cloud technology to date, NOAA will migrate 25,000 mailboxes to the cloud rather than using in-house servers. NOAA’s decision to pursue the cloud solution supports the Obama Administration’s direction to pursue a “cloud first” approach.
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Library users demand more technology
CHICAGO—More than 87% of libraries provide technology training, and more than two-thirds (67%) of libraries offer access to e-books, up 12% from two years ago.
Yet a pervasive “new normal” of increased demand for library technology resources, paired with decreased funding at state and local levels, is impacting service to millions of Americans, according to the report released today by the American Library Association (ALA).
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