The Department of Defense continues to push forward with efforts to bolster its IT system. The Army awarded a $5 billion Information Technology Enterprise Solutions 3 Hardware contract for IT hardware, software, and other services, to 17 companies. […]

18F, the digital technology consulting arm of the General Services Administration, announced a plan to extend its services to assist Federal agencies providing grants to state and local programs. […]

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service has collaborated with the University of Montana and other organizations to use Google Earth Engine to create an interactive, online map tool that integrates layers of data to identify and pinpoint elusive species damaging western habitats. […]

Analytics.usa.gov–an official site of the General Services Administration, powered by the Data Analytics Program–added to its site an agency-specific, drop-down menu to filter analytics for 10 Federal agencies’ sites. […]

“Some studies say that cruelty to animals is a precursor to larger crime,” so the FBI will now track animal cruelty in the same way it does armed assault, arson, burglary, and homicide. […]

The State Department’s Office of U.S. Foreign Assistance Resources has redesigned its main Web portal for making data on U.S. government foreign aid available to lawmakers, international aid organizations, and the general public. But a major effort is underway to improve the quality of the data collected and the site’s analytics capabilities. […]

On November 16, 2016 MeriTalk held its third annual Big Data Exchange Brainstorm as we explored the future for Big Data as an asset, not just a buzz word. IoT – Unleash the Power of Big Data to Improve Government Outcomes More than any other tech trend, IoT will fundamentally change our society — from healthcare […]

 The Coming Analytics Wave: February 17, 2016 Advancements in big data and predictive analytics have granted agencies an unprecedented ability to leverage information, drive actionable insight, and treat data as an asset. Open source solutions, like Hadoop and similar data-like models, empower agencies to understand constituent needs and deliver personalized services – from real-time traffic and […]

Big Data, Data Sharing The fifth MeriTalk Big Data Exchange meeting was colocated with the GAO Data Sharing Community of Practice and addressed data sharing best practices and challenges. The meeting featured a panel discussion moderated by Naba Barkakati, Chief Technologist, GAO. Panelists included Eric Hagopian, Senior Solutions Engineer, Novetta Solutions, Marcus Louie, Data Solutions […]

Fraud, Waste, and Abuse The sixth MeriTalk Big Data Exchange meeting addressed the power of Big Data analytics to combat fraud, waste, & abuse. The meeting featured speaker Joe Hungate, Principal Deputy Inspector General, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, U.S. Department of the Treasury. […]

Open Data Strategies At the seventh MeriTalk Big Data Exchange meeting, guest speaker David McClure, lead analyst for open government data at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, shared NOAA’s open data business partnership model. […]

Data for Defense At the eighth MeriTalk Big Data Exchange meeting, guest speaker Lt. Gen. Bill Bender, Air Force CIO, discussed how the Department of Defense can make the most of its data, despite stringent security requirements and ever-present threats. […]

Health Data Interoperability At the ninth MeriTalk Big Data Exchange meeting, guest speaker Erica Galvez, Interoperability and Exchange Portfolio Manager, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology discussed ONC’s Interoperability Roadmap, which will set standards for electronic health records (EHRs) and data sharing, and improve information security across the nation’s health IT infrastructure. […]

The DATA Act – What Now, and How The third Big Data Exchange (BDX) quarterly meeting of 2015 focused on DATA Act implementation plans and strategies, as well as how agencies can work together to overcome cultural resistance and improve information sharing and transparency. Thank you to guest speakers Joah Iannotta, Assistant Director, Forensic Audits […]

To help agencies better understand the potential that big data holds for the larger Federal enterprise, MeriTalk chats with Steve Totman, a big data technology evangelist with New York City-based Cloudera, and Webster Mudge, senior director of technology solutions at Cloudera. […]

Federal agencies and other organizations are increasingly relying on analytics to detect and stop fraud, but experts recommend they start with small projects and small data sets to pinpoint risk. Learn how the U.S. Postal Service, World Bank, General Services Administration, and IBM approach the use of big data analytics to prevent fraud in government. […]

MeriTalk caught up with Murthy Mathiprakasam, principal product marketing manager for Informatica’s Big Data products, at the Nov. 19 Big Data Brainstorm in Washington, D.C. Although Federal agencies are sitting on a lot of data, a significant effort must be made to first prepare that data to be mined and analyzed. Listen to the podcast […]

MeriTalk caught up with Department of Homeland Security Chief Privacy Officer Karen Neuman Nov. 19 at MeriTalk’s Big Data Brainstorm in Washington, D.C. Listen to the podcast. […]

Thank you for attending the Big Data Brainstorm on Thursday, November 19 at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. At this full-day conference, more than 100 big data-fluent Federal IT professionals from a variety of agencies gathered to discuss all thing big data, including the power of predictive analytics, information and data governance, and the possibilities […]

The U.S. Postal Service found more than it expected when it began using big data and analytics to detect mail theft. The postal service’s office of inspector general used analytics to set up trip wires, which set parameters around data to help detect anomalous activity. That allowed postal inspectors to determine that a carrier was […]

The Paris attacks did more than reveal the growing capabilities of the Islamic State to carry out attacks in the West; they revealed what some fear are chinks in America’s big data armor. In a world where everything seems to be connected digitally and everyone seemingly leaves behind traces of digital dust that can be […]

One day big data may be able to help forecast cyberattacks before they occur, panelists said at MeriTalk’s Second Annual Big Data Brainstorm on Thursday. “I think the opportunities of using big data for cyber defense are really enormous,” said Jason Matheny, director of the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA). Using the digital signatures […]

Agencies and other organizations are relying on analytics more and more to detect and stop fraud, but agencies should start with small projects and small data sets to pinpoint risk. […]

Big data and analytics hold great promise for improving the performance of Federal agencies and services. But leveraging data to improve agency operations while also maintaining security is not always easy. MeriTalk recently talked to Webster Mudge, the senior director of technology solutions at Cloudera, about how the open-source enterprise data management company approaches big […]

Many senior-level Federal IT managers would like to use big data and think it could improve their missions, but only 16 percent have full-blown big data programs underway, according to a new survey from Unisys Corporation. The survey, conducted this summer by Beacon Technology Partners, was based on interviews with 100 Federal executives, split evenly […]

When I came to Washington years ago on what was to be a one-year fellowship, the senior administrative management position in government departments and agencies was typically an Assistant Secretary for Administration (AS/A) or perhaps an Assistant Secretary for Management (AS/M). In the majority of cases, those positions and their deputies were long-time careerists, recognizing […]

Three prominent senators are urging the agencies in charge of allocating wireless communications spectrum to come up with a plan to share the valuable commodity in the 5.9 GHz band, a part of the spectrum sought by the auto industry to provide better safety on the highways. “The demand for spectrum resources continues to expand, […]

Writers Guidelines MeriTalk is a property of 300Brand and provides a platform for news, information and thought leadership designed to improve the outcomes of government IT. MeriTalk welcomes new, independent voices to help improve the dialogue between the public sector and industry, enhance collaboration and facilitate sharing of best practices to address the most pressing […]

Here’s the latest wrinkle in the global data trade: Customers are trading privacy for lower insurance rates. Insurer John Hancock and global wellness firm, Vitality, are both willing to cut your premiums – but only if they can track your activity. […]