The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is tentatively scheduling a phase one reopening of its offices in the National Capital Region to start June 22, per a short video presentation for employees obtained by MeriTalk.  […]

The National Institutes of Health announced June 15 that it has launched a new data analytics platform to track COVID-19 patient data. […]

It’s hard to fathom the number of critical government processes that have had to evolve – very quickly – to meet the needs of the American people during the COVID-19 pandemic. And if this crisis has a silver lining, it’s the accelerated modernization and innovation being born out of it. MeriTalk is surfacing the untold stories – and lessons – of those efforts. In the latest installment of CIO Crossroads, we turn to the General Services Administration (GSA). […]

The Department of Energy (DoE) kicked off Phase 1 of its agency reopening plan on June 1 as part of a  slow but steady approach to reopening its offices. […]

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said it is working to re-open agency offices in accordance with Phase 1 of the White House’s Opening Up America Again plan, although office re-opening schedules are expected to vary based on a number of factors. […]

As some Federal offices begin looking ahead toward reopening when the COVID-19 pandemic slows, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is still largely pushing for maximum telework despite its rolling plan to reopen, an agency spokesperson confirmed to MeriTalk. […]

The Department of State has been monitoring local conditions in the D.C.-metro area during the Coronavirus pandemic, with the expectation of entering Phase I of Diplomacy Strong today. […]

The Department of Defense (DoD) is beginning Phase One of reopening of the Pentagon today, under the Pentagon Reservation Plan for Resilience. […]

On June 10, the Department of Defense (DoD) announced five Defense Production Act Title 3 actions to help sustain workforce capabilities that were disrupted by COVID-19. The actions will include funding totaling $135 million. In a statement, Lt. Col. Mike Andrews said that the actions by DoD would “help sustain defense-critical workforce capabilities in body […]

Federal CIO Suzette Kent said today that lessons Federal agencies have learned during the COVID-19 pandemic need to drive further efficiencies in government IT operations in order to better prepare operations for any future emergencies. […]

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is working with about 60 clinical institutions affiliated with the Clinical and Translational Science Awards Program to support the analysis of electronic health records in a new cloud-based database. […]

The COVID-19 pandemic has driven Federal agencies to leap to maximum telework capacity on short notice. While many were able to kick telework into high gear in only a matter of days because of previous or ongoing IT modernization investments, the requirement to change fast and on the fly underscores the vital need for modernization – in the case of a pandemic or not. […]

The G-7 Science and Technology Ministers recognized that a global pandemic will require a global response. […]

The National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering and National Cancer Institute are looking to develop digital health solutions to address COVID-19 as well as advance new research in digital health technologies to improve public health responses. […]

Have you finally reached the end of Netflix? Maybe it is time to turn off the streaming service, and turn to museums to fill your entertainment void […]

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) released a new chatbot this week to respond to frequently asked COVID-19 questions, including triaging symptoms, telehealth troubleshooting, and rescheduling appointments. […]

Federal CIO Suzette Kent said today the rapid IT transformations that have taken place over the last two months of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic should serve as a proof point for what the Federal government is capable of going forward. […]

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is considering a new approach to the Strategic National Stockpile, a “supply chain IT control tower” that would allow officials a full, comprehensive view of emergency supplies. […]

Apple and Google are launching the Exposure Notification application programming interface (API) that will enable apps created by public health agencies to work more effectively in contact tracing of COVID-19. […]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Federal IT operations are providing a resilient fabric that enables accelerated delivery of vital services to citizens during an unprecedented public health crisis. As government IT operations reach their new steady-state and map the path to further modernization, MeriTalk is surfacing the untold stories – and lessons – of those efforts. In the latest installment of CIO Crossroads, we examine the Labor Department’s performance eight weeks into the fray. […]

The House late Friday passed the HEROES Act, the Democrat-led $3 trillion COVID-19 coronavirus relief legislation that includes billions of Federal technology-related spending. […]

The government’s Federal Data Strategy team extended some of the target dates for its 2020 action plan, and is making sure that COVID-19 response data is of the highest priority in the Federal Data Strategy’s call for agencies to prioritize data assets and projects. […]

Before the COVID-19 outbreak, just 40 percent of Federal and only 4 percent of State and Local government employees were authorized to telework. But since then, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is mandating that Federal agencies maximize telework across the nation, and many SLGs are doing the same. Embracing telework – and doing it right – is a government-wide priority.  […]

As the COVID-19 coronavirus continues to change daily life, both the public and private sectors have stepped up with tech innovations to ease the transition and save lives. The speed of these innovations, however, seemingly outpace our ability to keep up with what new tech is available. […]

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate released a predictive modeling tool to estimate the natural decay of SARS-CoV-2 – which causes COVID-19 – under a range of temperatures and humidity levels. […]

Often taken for granted in the eight weeks since the coronavirus pandemic struck is one simple but vital truth: the linchpin holding together the Federal government’s ability to provide crucial services is the technology that ties the enterprise together. Federal IT has literally brought us together – as a government, and as a nation. As government IT operations achieve steady-state and look to the next chapter of digital modernization, MeriTalk is chronicling the untold stories – and lessons – of that effort. Today we check in with the General Services Administration’s Technology Transformation Services (TTS) operation. […]

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) is advancing Federally-funded research on COVID-19 including research using supercomputers to run simulations. […]

There are quite a few benefits of our new work-from-home lifestyle – shortened commute, PJs have become the dress code, and, perhaps best of all, more time with our furry friends. […]

The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued guidance on coronavirus-related disinformation in a new advisory to the private sector. The CISA Insight, “COVID-19 Disinformation Activity,” provides guidance on how to “deter false information and conspiracy theories related to COVID-19.” It will help users to fact-check information, minimize risk of […]

In light of millions of Americans applying for unemployment benefits due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sens. Mark Warner, D-Va., and Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., are looking to modernize state unemployment systems. […]