Tag Archives: FAA

Navigating the World With Drones

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Five years ago, drones patrolling the air and delivering packages seemed like something that lived only in reruns of the Jetsons. But in a short time, drones have become a reality in our modern world with commercial models retailing for as little as $44. With this technology's fast rise, the government is working hard to determine the best way to maintain public safety while preserving the rights of people to operate drones safely.[Tweet "5 years ago, drones patrolling the air/delivering packages seemed like something from the Jetsons. #GovEventsBlog"]

Issue one is the infringement on airspace. In 2015, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that the number of annual drone sightings by commercial pilots had quadrupled to 650, just by August of that year. The FAA has been looking for ways to integrate drones into the tracking of our national airspace to ensure the safety of everyone in the sky.[Tweet "The FAA has been looking for ways to integrate drones safely into our national airspace. #GovEventsBlog"] Continue reading →

FAA’s last-minute denial of conference funds irks black employee group

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Originally posted by Charles S. Clark on Government Executive

An abrupt decision in late July to deny employees previously approved travel funds to attend a training conference for black aviation employees in Las Vegas has left many at the Federal Aviation Administration disappointed and confused, Government Executive has learned.

A directive from the top levels of the Transportation Department -- handed down, a spokeswoman confirmed, as the Obama administration seeks to reduce conference budgets in the wake of this April's scandal over lavish spending in Las Vegas by General Services Administration employees -- required more than 200 federal employees to either cancel plans for the annual black aviation event or attend using their own money and annual leave.

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Government Performance Summit; 2012 Coverage

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Content was originally posted on Federal News Radio

Federal News Radio broadcasted live from the Government Performance Summit June 18 in Washington. Federal Drive co-anchor Emily Kopp conducted interviews on-site.


Jon Desenberg
Senior Policy Director, Performance Institute
The Data Act winding its way through Congress is designed to increase transparency and accountability for federal agency spending. It borrows much from the reporting set-up established by the 2009 Recovery Act. The Data Act has passed the House and is being debated in the Senate. One watchdog group, the Sunlight Foundation, says the bill packs quite a punch. Part of that punch will ding federal managers responsible for all of the reporting it will require. Hear the audio clip!

FOSE Meet Up: Feb 2012

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Organizers of the FOSE Conference & Expo, 1105 Media, Inc., hosted a third meet-up Friday, February 24 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Held specifically for top-notch government technology influencers, the meeting concentrated on expanding the depth of focus & connection to the government IT community via FOSE 2012.

A room full of influencers, as can be imagined, is not a quiet one - nor does it lack ideas. The topics ranged throughout the morning, all directly or indirectly supporting the core purposes of the meet-up: Creating a stronger depth of focus & connection to the government IT community via FOSE 2012.

Topics and ideas discussed include:

Go Micro-Topical: Maximize the importance of the larger topics being focused on at FOSE 2012. Instead of emphasizing the dedicated conferences that will be represented, FOSE planners were encouraged to highlight the problems, concerns and uses of each. In addition, it was highly recommended that the message attached to promotions clearly underlines how attending FOSE will, "Help me do my job better".
Cross-Channel: Utilize panel speaker's upcoming opportunities to reference topics being represented at FOSE 2012. The cross-representation can enhance the importance & necessity of FOSE 2012 topics, increasing interest levels & understanding of the matter.

Twitter: Maximize the use of official conference tweets by ensuring the Hashtag(s) being used by organizers, exhibitors, speakers, and attendees are one in the same. A few ways mentioned to ensure this happens are as follows:

  • Introduce the Hashtag(s) in 'sneak-peak' posts
  • Make Hashtag(s) the Internet Connection name at the conference
  • Add Hashtag(s) to all print & digital promotions
  • Create Hashtag(s) for sub-stations to maximize 'places' at FOSE 2012 a participant could be

FILL NEEDS: What will participants want to know before attending the event & what will they need at the event? Ideas mentioned include:

  • Before the event: What's for lunch?
  • At the event: Electricity--set up Power Stations

Ideas were also suggested for after the show.

  • TOP THINGS you should have (or would have) learned @ FOSE
  • Updates on implementations/new products/launches, etc. that were discussed/displayed at conference--Where are they now?

We are looking forward to a very successful FOSE 2012 - Hope to see you there!