NOAA establishes satellite data climate institute

A national consortium led by the University of Maryland has won a contract to use satellite observations to detect and monitor climate change.

Deepwater in trouble, watchdog says

The Coast Guard accepted the first National Security Cutter under Deepwater without completing operational tests, according to a watchdog group.

House bill would require competition on TSA biometric contract

The pending House bill would make the TSA put up for competitive bid a longstanding, sole-provider contract for processing fingerprints for backgrounds checks on aviation workers.

Commerce readies contract for broadband grant support

The Commerce Department released a schedule showing that it is preparing to hire a contractor in June to help manage its huge broadband grant program.

Health IT alliance to spread stimulus gospel

Allscripts, Microsoft and Cisco are now members of an alliance meeting with doctors on the health IT economic stimulus law provisions.

Napolitano plans to spend millions for IT

Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano told a House committee today about DHS' plans to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in IT systems.

Uncertainty stalks defense and IT services sectors

Areas for potential growth exist in the federal information technology and professional services sector despite a recent slowing of contract award activity.

SBInet tower construction begins

The construction of 17 permanent towers for the SBInet system at the border of Arizona and Mexico started May 4.

DAI turns dreams into reality

Development Alternatives Inc.'s Steven O’Connor talked to Staff Writer Doug Beizer about the company's aid projects and the role of technology in international development.

Group to develop smart grid standards

The Institute of Electrical and El0ectronics Engineers is launching an effort to develop common and interoperable standards for smart electricity grid technologies.

Senate bill would suspend competitive sourcing

Federal agencies would be encouraged to bring previously contracted work in-house under a new bill introduced by Sen. Barbara Mikulski.

White House official stresses collaborative approach

White House official Beth Noveck says the collaborative model used for open-source software should be adopted by the federal government.

Cities track stimulus money on new Web sites

Several cities have established Web sites to track the $50 billion in economic stimulus spending cities will get.

McCord named COO at 2020 Company

Robert McCord has been named chief operating officer at 2020 Company LLC. He replaces Mike Raymond, who will serve as the company’s chief strategy officer.

General Dynamics unit gets Medicare contract

General Dynamics IT's VIPS unit wins contract from Medicare and Medicaid services center.

Coast Guard schedules TWIC reader meeting

The Coast Guard will hold a public meeting to discuss its new risk-based rule for using Transportation Worker Identification Credential readers at port facilities.

H-1B petitions fall short of cap

U.S. immigration authorities have received only 42,000 H-1B visa applications in the latest tally.

Coast Guard may need to report officials hired by contractors

The Coast Guard would change some acquisition processes under new legislation.

Aligning portfolios with spending priorities

Management teams are rethinking their business strategies and making adjustments to their portfolios to ensure success in a turbulent economy.

House to consider expanding biometrics at sea

The House will vote today on whether to expand a Coast Guard program that screens fingerprints of suspected illegal migrants and terrorists caught at sea.