Agency Spotlight: Health and Human Services

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The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has been in the spotlight like never before with their critical role in managing the pandemic. While there is a lot of work still to be done on that front, other critical efforts are taking place across HHS agencies that will have an incredible impact on the health and well-being of citizens.

Data Sharing

The necessity of sharing data to understand and respond to the pandemic spawned a host of new applications and a new openness to data sharing across HHS as well as governmentwide. The first major HHS data sharing platform was launched in April 2020. Named HHS Protect, this platform provided visibility into more than four billion data elements from 225 sources providing intelligence on rates of infection and hospitalizations. HHS is committed to expanding its use and sharing of data in all areas of its mission with programs including the Data Optimization Initiative, Administration for Children and Families Data Sharing Solutions, and the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA). Continue reading →

Breaking Blockchain Free of Cryptocurrency

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Blockchain may be best known for its role in enabling cryptocurrency to be tracked. While the use of cryptocurrency is still in its infancy, blockchain technology is proving to be applicable in a number of non-currency use cases.

Improving Public Transportation

The Federal Transit Administration is looking for ways to use blockchain as a way of "gamifying" decisions around transportation options. A proposed project, "blockchain-enabled transit incentivization," would, via an app, offer tokens to commuters who reserve a parking place or agree to use another mode of transportation. Using real time data about availability of parking, traffic congestion, and more, the app could change the incentives offered - making public transport a more appealing (and lucrative) option for people in transit. Blockchain could support the payment of those who chose incentivized public transit options as well as those who are using parking. The system could also promote equity in access to parking or other resources by factoring in a user's location or personal circumstances. Continue reading →

Man or Machine? It Can Be Both

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The sci-fi genre is riddled with plots where machines take over the world with disturbing results for humans. In reality, we are seeing machines become a partner rather than an adversary as smart IoT machines are being used by humans to supplement tasks.

Keeping Infrastructure Secure

New York City's Department of Buildings has paired inspectors with drones to conduct enhanced visual reviews of building facades with greater efficiency. Drones are equipped with video cameras, lidar, thermal imaging, photogrammetry and location software to quickly gather a wide variety of information for inspectors to review. In fact, these vehicles can capture images at angles nearly impossible for inspectors to accomplish. The department found that certain physical examinations, such as sounding and probes, still needed to be conducted by qualified professionals for a full inspection but by speeding up other inspections, their personnel are freed up to conduct work that requires human intervention.

Similarly, sensors are being used to alleviate maintenance issues in roadways. Research from Michigan State University showed that sensors embedded to create "smart pavement" could pinpoint areas and time for preventive intervention. Research shows that for every $1 spent on preventive smart pavement maintenance, there is a savings of $4 to $10 on rehabilitation. Continue reading →

Changes Coming to FITARA Scorecard

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The results of the 13th FITARA scorecard, a program developed in 2015 to measure and incentivize agencies to meet key IT modernization goals, were released in January leading to a discussion of what is next for this measurement program.

The latest results showed modest improvements, but scores for the most part have remained steady over the past two measurement cycles. On this scorecard, 13 agencies maintained the same scores from July 2021 with seven earning higher marks. A handful of agencies received lower overall marks, due primarily to their inability to transition from a legacy contract vehicle to the new preferred government-wide Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) for telecommunication technology. A March 31, 2022, deadline to move 90% of work to EIS should push many of these scores back up for the next report card.

Knowing there is still a lot of work to do in terms of modernization, the committee that oversees the program has begun discussing new measures to better reflect the current state of government IT and support recent executive-level initiatives around modernization, security, and customer service. Continue reading →

3 Ways Public Safety is Utilizing Cutting Edge Technology

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In an effort to continue to keep us safe, law enforcement and other first responders are embracing and responding to the implementation of new technologies. In this post we'll take a look at three technology areas impacting how law enforcement carries out their mission - video, autonomous vehicles, and Internet of Things.

Video Improves Transparency and Public Collaboration

Body and dash cameras were originally introduced in the United Kingdom in 2005, followed by large-scale implementation in the United States in 2014. Their wide application was designed to "make police services more transparent and officers more accountable." The technology has proven its worth. For example, only 2.1% of citizen complaints filed in Chicago between 2010 and 2016 resulted in a disciplinary action against police officers, according to the Invisible Institute. Part of this was due to the fact that investigations were carried out internally by police departments with little outside input. A recent study found that today, with the use of video evidence, police officers are 64% more likely to be subject to disciplinary action after a complaint investigation.

Recording the footage is only part of the solution to best using video. That footage must also be widely distributed to help in identifying suspects. In doing so, departments have to be mindful of privacy issues of others who may have been recorded. Video redaction can be a time consuming process that wastes valuable hours. Today, departments are utilizing AI-enabled redaction cutting the process down to minutes.

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