Tuesday, August 19, 2003
Volume 2, Issue 32
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CONTENTS
Six Computers is Too Much
Blackberry to Block Bioterrorism
Grant Fuels Ridership
Power and Water Really Do Mix
Bioterrorism Agents Freely Discussed
News of the Weird
FEATURES
NEW YORK SEEKS BETTER ONLINE SYSTEM
By Pamela M. Prah
University of Albany computer experts are trying to figure out a better way for state and local New York governments to work with each other online.
The aim is to let government workers replace the array of computers and programs currently on their desks with one gateway system that would shuttle information back and forth electronically, Meghan Cook, the project manager at the University at Albany's Center for Technology in Government (CTG) says.
Its not uncommon for a local official who does business with six state agencies to have six computers, all with separate systems, Cook says. The project seeks to create a single point of passage--known as an Internet Gateway--for government-to-government dealings between state and local government agencies throughout New York, she says.
Researchers will test a prototype on three very different transactions that towns, villages, cities and counties have with three state agencies: registering dog licenses, recording property sales and updating rosters of local officials.
Michele N. Hasso, project coordinator at the New York Office of the State Comptroller, says the project could benefit both the state and local governments. If New York takes advantage of these opportunities, this could lead to not only increased savings, but a more consistent and increased service delivery to its constituent base, the taxpayers, she says.
CTG Director Sharon Dawes calls the project the first in the United States to try and demonstrate and evaluate a completely different way of working across levels of government.
The center will work with three state agencies and 13 local government agencies in New York on the system. In addition to the comptrollers office, the other state agencies involved in the project are: New York State Agriculture and Markets and the New York State Office of Real Property Services.
While technology can be a double-edged sword: it can be very expensive and complex, thus not returning the investment that was once thought of at the beginning of a project such as this portal, or it can provide overwhelming benefits if planned, analyzed and implemented correctly, Hasso said.
Funding for the project comes from the state, but the project wont have a firm dollar amount until its completed, says the centers spokesman Mark LaVigne. The center draws from money the state gives the University of Albany. Historically, the centers projects have run in the hundreds of thousands of dollars not millions, he says.
Three information technology companies involved in the project are providing staff time and technology to build and test the prototype. The IT firms that are involved are: CGI Information Systems and Management Consultants; technology consultants Keane, Inc. and Microsoft Corp.
The prototype is slated for testing in October 2003.
"One of the promises of electronic government is that technology will enable different levels of government to operate more seamlessly. This prototype will help us better understand what it really takes for that to happen," Cook says.
HHS TO TEST PDA NETWORK
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will begin testing a system using handheld personal digital assistants (PDAs) for transmitting urgent information about biological agents to clinicians. The three-month pilot test of the PDA network is designed to gauge the best ways for federal officials to communicate effectively with front-line clinicians in the event of a bioterrorist attack. The project will evaluate how and when clinicians download this urgent information and whether they find it useful to receive it via their PDAs.
The project will evaluate the use of a system created by ePocrates, the nation's largest physicians' handheld network, for sending an urgent "Doc Alert" message to more than 700,000 front-line clinicians, including more than 250,000 physicians -- more than 40 percent of the practicing physicians in the United States. The test message will contain a special memo on the highest threat (category A) biological diseases/agents, which include anthrax, botulism, plague, smallpox, tularemia and viral hemorrhagic fevers, including Ebola. The message will also include Web links for clinicians to go to for additional information about diagnosing and treating the conditions caused by the biological agents. Clinicians will be able to save this information to their PDAs for future reference.
The pilot project will be managed by HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and is designed to complement the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's existing Health Alert Network, which was created in 1998 and is used by the Department to communicate directly with more than 25,000 public health officials in the 50 states, eight U.S. territories and seven large cities.
The ePocrates pilot project is being conducted under the auspices of the Council on Private Sector Initiatives to Improve the Security, Safety, and Quality of Health Care, which was established in 2002 to ensure that HHS responds systematically and consistently to technological products or ideas proposed by private organizations or individuals that could improve public health/bioterrorism preparedness. This project is the first one to have been accepted and funded through this new initiative. The Council is staffed by AHRQ.
FTA AWARDS $2 MILLION TO INCREASE RIDERSHIP
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta announces two grants totaling more than $2 million for the University of South Florida's Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR). The grant will be used to provide education, research, and technology transfer for the transit industry.
"Public transportation is an engine of economic growth. And, I am pleased that the FTA is partnering with the University of South Florida's Center for Urban Transportation Research to help people across the country experience the many benefits of public transportation, including a healthier economy, increased community mobility, reduced congestion, and energy conservation," says Federal Transit Administrator Jennifer L. Dorn. "The practical and relevant research coming out of CUTR will lead to cost effective, common sense transit solutions for communities throughout the country."
The funds, awarded in the amount of $2,048,375, will be used to support research that will help increase transit ridership, identify methods to attract and retain transit's future workforce, improve the safety and security of transit passengers and operators, and improve the efficiency of transportation services. The first grant of $1.8 million represents FY 2002 and 2003 funding of the University Transportation Centers (UTC) program as stipulated by TEA-21. The second grant of $248,375 supports the National Bus Rapid Transit Institute, which disseminates information about BRT to major urban areas around the country.
The UTC Program is administered by RSPA, the Research and Special Programs Administration of DOT, with funding from FTA and the Federal Highway Administration. The grants must be matched by recipients on a dollar-for-dollar basis at a minimum, leveraging the value of the federal investment. Information on the UTC program is available on the Web at:
http://utc.dot.gov/ Important Manufacturer Survey
A national utility vehicle manufacturer seeks feedback from utility vehicle owners, and those who may purchase a utility vehicle in the future, and has enlisted out help. This is a nationwide survey and it's your opportunity to provide feedback directly to the manufacturer to improve the products and services available. Click the link that follows to begin:
http://65.61.8.91/UtilityVehicles/Begin.asp?Pub=6 The survey only takes about 5 minutes to complete. You'll be improving the products available in the marketplace and your feedback will be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your participation.
NEWS
DOE ADDRESSES LINK BETWEEN POWER PLANTS AND FRESH WATER
What do underground coal mine waters and zebra mussels have in common? They are among the new projects to be funded by the Department of Energy (DOE) that address the intimate link between coal power generation and fresh water availability and quality.
Five projects will be funded on a cost-shared basis, with DOE expected to contribute $3.5 million over two years. The projects are the result of the first targeted solicitation under a new coal-fired power plant water management initiative, a part of DOE's Fossil Energy program to develop innovations for existing power plants.
The DOEs National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) is carrying out a comprehensive research and development effort to help the existing fleet of coal-based power plants meet current and future environmental requirements
FREE HOMELAND SECURITY E-SEMINARS AVAILABLE
A series of 60-minute, e-seminars on homeland security will review the latest technologies and methods for detecting and identifying chemical and biological warfare agents, as well as toxic industrial compounds.
In each e-seminar, an Agilent Technologies, Inc. expert or guest expert will provide information and practical advice; real-life applications and customer data will also be shared in many of these events. Upcoming speakers and topics include:
-- Sept. 10 -- Stan Duarte, director of Environmental Health and Safety at Morehouse School of Medicine, and Keith Landy, vice president at Purified microEnvironments, will discuss design and safety considerations for biological and chemical containment in both fixed and mobile laboratories.
-- Sept. 17 -- Bruce Quimby, senior application chemist at Agilent, will discuss the challenges associated with planning an analytical response to either an accidental or intentional release of a toxic industrial chemical.
-- Oct. 28 -- John Stuff, director of Laboratory Services, EAI Corporation, will demonstrate chemical warfare agent analysis with example data for both broad-based screening and target analyte detection. Critical aspects of the analysis, such as calibration strategies in the absence of agent standards, will be discussed.
Advance registration is recommended. A complete schedule of Agilent e-seminars is available at:
http://www.agilent.com/chem/eseminars NEWS OF THE WEIRD: Bizarre but true stories about real people.
http://www.govpro.com/GPRONewsletter/Article/29218/ LINKS
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