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News: Technology

February 9, 2010

Technology
California
State Crowdsources Ideas for Replacing Legacy Systems
Government Technology
P.K. Agarwal, the director of the state Office of Technology Services, has launched an online "crowdsourcing" tool where registered users can submit in writing their ideas for how California can improve its IT portfolio, and vote up or down on users' proposals.

Technology
The Nation
Security Chip That Does Encryption is Hacked
USA Today
Deep inside millions of computers is a special chip -- a "Trusted Platform Module" or TPM -- with the locks to highly guarded secrets, including classified government reports and confidential business plans. Now a former U.S. Army computer-security specialist has devised a way to break those locks. The new attack discovered by Christopher Tarnovsky is difficult to pull off, partly because it requires physical access to a computer. But laptops and smart phones get lost and stolen all the time.

February 8, 2010

Technology
California
City and State Take Different Open Source Paths
Government Technology
There are a lot of unknowns, and policies for governing the open source "wilderness" aren't well defined -- if at all. This is finally starting to change, thanks in part to leadership from San Francisco and the California state CIO's office, two of the first governments to adopt formal policies for the usage of open source software within state and local agencies. San Francisco's policy mandates that city agencies always consider open source options when buying new software.

Technology | Local
Arapahoe County, Colo.
Iris Scans Unseat Fingerprints
Denver Post
Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson unveiled new technology that will allow officials to scan an arrestee's iris and within seconds get all the pertinent information about the person. The biometric technology is being provided by a $10,000 grant from the National Sheriffs' Association. Arapahoe County is the first law enforcement agency in Colorado to receive the new iris scanner.

Technology
Rhode Island
Stimulus Money to Upgrade Library Internet Service
Providence Journal
Rhode Island will get $1.2 million in federal stimulus money to expand broadband Internet service at 71 public libraries, the Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration announced Friday. The money will be used to replace 327 computers and add more than 403 new workstations in Rhode Island libraries. An administration news release estimated that the expanded capacity would let the libraries serve more than 6,900 additional users per week.

February 5, 2010

Technology
Colorado
Information Technology Officials Launch Open Data Planning Site
Government Technology
IT officials from Arvada, Colo., and other local governments in the state recently launched a group Web site for strategizing a potential statewide open data site in Colorado. Local governments in the state would be able to post data sets on the open data site, which the public could access for crafting applications of their own. Cities like the District of Columbia and San Francisco have released similar data sets in the form of contests with cash prizes for the best applications.

Technology | Federal
The Nation
State Health Exchanges Get $17.4 Million
Federal Computer Week
The Social Security Administration has awarded $17.4 million to health data exchanges in 12 states with which it will begin exchanging patient medical information electronically.

Technology
The Nation
IT Overhauls Can Cost More than They Save
Stateline.org
Most state information technology systems need costly makeovers at a time when states' can ill afford them. But recent experiences in California, Indiana, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin indicate that when these projects fail, or even slide off course, they can cost far more than the proposed overhauls were projected to save.

February 4, 2010

Technology
Washington, D.C.
District Partners with Feds to Test National Public Safety Network
Government Technology
In the next few years, as wireless carriers begin rolling out 4G networks in the United States, public safety and telecommunications agencies have an opportunity to take advantage of the large-scale manufacturing efforts, in which they could affect standards and also save money. D.C. has partnered with the federal government to test these networks and evaluate the future of wireless communications for public safety agencies, develop public safety requirements and test interoperability of multiple systems.

Technology
Iowa
China Suspected in Computer Breach
Des Moines Register
Iowa investigators suspect a serious breach of a computer system operated by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission last week originated in China. The breach allowed access to personal information involving about 80,000 people.
U.S. Senate Condemns China Google Hack, Internet Restrictions
Miami Herald
The Senate has condemned cyberattacks against Google in China. A resolution approved by senators urges China to investigate and explain the e-mail attacks. It also describes ways that lawmakers say China restricts freedom of the press and free expression on the Internet.