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In his presentation at the October 2002 CENDI meeting, Mr. Cooper indicated that the heart of homeland security is information collection and dissemination. Three objectives are considered essential by the Administration for homeland security: 1) integrate the federal government; 2) integrate the federal with the state, local and tribal entities; and 3) integrate the government and private sectors. A scientific and technical directorate responsible for R&D related to weapons of mass destruction (nuclear, biological and radiological) is included under the proposed legislation. Information analysis and an infrastructure for security information is a new directorate that would need to be created. Mr. Cooper reviewed DTIC's Current Focus web site and NTIS's Homeland Security Information Center and indicated that by building on existing initiatives such as these, the new directorate would achieve a faster presence. In addition to documents, geographic information systems, videos, the work of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) and the National Mapping initiative are very important for homeland security information. Mr. Cooper outlined three challenges that must be achieved for disseminating homeland security information: the development of a two-way flow of information among first responders and other levels of government; the involvement of private critical infrastructure community; and keeping the average citizen engaged and informed.
At the June 2002 CENDI meeting, Mr. Landy summarized some of the major changes in Senate's version of the E-Government Bill from 2001 to 2002. Some of the major changes involved the removal of the Federal CIO position; the introduction of perfomance measures; the setting up of an interagency committee to allow OMB to set guidelines; and consolidating government information.
At the June 2002 CENDI meeting, Mr. McConnell provided an overview of IT and information policy bills and then focused specifically on Senate Bill 803 which he says focuses on management and does not change or set policies. He indicated that the OMB's A-130 Section 8A is about the same as S. 803 in that it requires more action and oversight by OMB. Mr. McConnell pointed out that S.803 continues the non-integrated approach to information policy and that the Bill needs improvement. He concluded that the focus of the E-Government Act has been too much on technologies rather than missions.
CENDI principals at the June 4, 2002 meeting at the National Library of Education briefly discussed the OMB guidance letter to agencies regarding the formal requirements to us GPO. The impact of the new guidance has broad ramifications including constitutionality, technology, longstanding procurement processes, and the number of non-digital items that are received by GPO.
At the February 4, 2003 CENDI meeting at the National Library of Medicine, Dr. Bellardo, reviewed NARA's goals in light of several new NARA initiatives. These include the Records Management Initiative (RMI), the Electronic Records Management (ERM), and the Electronic Records Archives (ERA). Each of the initiatives were discussed in detail. Dr. Bellardo closed his presentation by emphasizing the interests that NARA and CENDI share including preservation and access to information over time, especially in the areas of scientific and technical data, research and development data, and government publications. He identified the development of metadata standards, harvesting of metadata and content, and initiatives surrounding the E-Government Act as being possible areas for collaboration.
OSTP provides the President with policy advice and coordinates the science and technology investment. OSTP staff testify and publish in the areas of budget and policy development. Division level pages include numerous policy related documents in environment, national security and international affairs, and science and technology.
This site includes mission and history information for the Clinton/Gore initiative to reform the way the federal government works. Links are provided to sites for various projects.
President Clinton established the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) by Executive Order on November 23, 1993. This Cabinet-level Council is the principle means for the President to coordinate science, space and technology policies across the Federal government. NSTC acts as a "virtual" agency for science and technology to coordinate the diverse parts of the Federal research and development enterprise. The NSTC is chaired by the President. Membership consists of the Vice President, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, Cabinet Secretaries and Agency Heads with significant science and technology responsibilities (including the CENDI agencies), and other White House officials. The emphasis is on coordinated R&D and budget planning.This site appears to be current as of June 1997.
CLIR brings together libraries, archives, and information organizations to address issues of digital resources and services, preservation and access. The CLIR Home Page gives information on the Council and its publications and provides links to the Commission on Preservation & Access, digital libraries, economics of information, leadership and to a directory of public access networks.
NCLIS is a permanent, independent agency of the federal government that advises the executive and legislative branches on national library and information policies and plans. Reports of studies, surveys and analyses of the nation's library and information needs are linked to the site in PDF format. Virtual Library Collections on "Libraries, Nationally" and "Libraries, Internationally" are included.
The site links to nine Senate and ten House committees and the Federal site THOMAS for legislative information. Contact information and summaries of committee coverage are provided under each committee name, which is also a link to more detailed information on the committee. Committees are included that either fund or authorize activities of the Federal departments of agriculture, commerce, defense, energy, health, interior, justice, State, transportation; the EPA, NASA, and NSF; and international affairs of science or intellectual property. The Guide is a tool that both informs on current issues and activities on S&T and lists contact information on who to keep informed of S&T issues.
An agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce's Technology Administration, NIST's primary mission is to promote U.S. economic growth by working with industry to develop and apply technology, measurements, and standards. It carries out this mission through a portfolio of four major programs: Measurement and Standards Laboratories, Manufacturing Extension Partnerships, Advanced Technology Program, and the Baldrige Quality Program. NIST issues more than 480 publications each year, such as reports on research results and standards, catalogs of products and services, and technical handbooks. Information on obtaining resources is available at the site. Among the eight laboratories are Technology Services and Information Technology Laboratory which are linked from the Guide to NIST page. The Advanced Technology Program is linked from the top page. These links provide access to emerging technologies with potential application to STI management.
NCLIS has three major areas of focus: national and international infrastructure, federal aid to libraries, and access to government information. The presentation included the most recent activities -- Internet and children, federal aid to libraries, journal pricing, and the survey of government electronic information products.
The Harvard Information Infrastructure Project provides a neutral, interdisciplinary forum for addressing emerging policy issues related to the development and use of the information infrastructure. Links are provided to key publications of the Project, the annual report, staff, faculty, and sponsors. The site also provides access to the HIIP Policy Gateway, a guide to information infrastructure resources on the web.
This is the homepage for the NSF Digital Libraries Initiatives. It presents information about the purpose of the initiative, previous awards and their results, announcements of upcoming proposal schedules, and announcements of related meetings/workshops. Links are generally provided to the sites for funded projects.
Due to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, AAAS provided this special publication from their April 2002 Colloquium on Science and Technology Policy. The chapters represent six colloquium presentations with specific relevance to the scientific and technical community in the post-September 11th environment. The chapters cover the risks research universities may face with proposed policy changes; how the relationship between science and government has changed and the role of science and technology in countering terrorism; the dangers of bioterrorism, what government is doing to prevent future attacks, and the problems the research community faces; information security problems; the psychology of risk, risk analysis, and risk communication; and what impacts September 11th had on research universities.
The website for the Center for Democracy and Technology contains information on digital authentication, bandwidth, and access to government information. Additionally, there are policy posts, press releases, testimony and speeches, and links to information on such topics as encryption, freedom of speech, privacy, and computer security.
Minutes from a presentation by George Strawn, National Science Foundation at the CENDI October 3, 2000 meeting in Germantown, MD on October 3, 2000. Dr. Strawn summarized a report by the President's Information Technology Advisory Committee (PITAC). The report indicates that Information Technology will transform our society in the way we communicate, deal with information, learn, practice health care, design and build things, conduct research, understand the environment, conduct government, and the nature of commerce and work. During this transformation four areas were identified as needing major improvements: software, scaleable infrastructures, high-end computing, and the socioeconomic impacts of IT. He also highlighted some of the major activities of the Information Technology Research (ITR) Program. These activities include eight areas of research: advanced computational science, human-computer interface design, information management, IT education and the workforce, revolutionary computing, scalable information infrastructure, social and economic implications of IT and software. These areas of research align closely with PITAC's areas of concern. PITAC has been re-authorized until February 2001 and continues to review and report on IT matters including cross-agency the Next Generation Internet program, the digital divide, and the ITR program at NSF.
Minutes from a presentation by Clyde Housel, Systems Design Engineer, National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) at the CENDI meeting on April 6, 1999. Mr. Housel provided a brief overview of NIMA and indicating that it has approximately 260 organizations and 6,000 users who access their imagery indirectly. NIMA is in the process of developing th United States Imagery and Geospatial Information System (USIGS) Architecture. This encompasses the structure of components, their relationships, and the principles and guidelines governing their design and evolution over time. The Architecture will provide through interoperable systems and metadata, access to imagery and mapping information across the partner organizations and will integrate these remote sources seamlessly with the customer's own libraries. The design of the architecture is separated into Operational Architecture, Systems Architecture, Technical Architecture and Conceptual Data Model which ties all the components together. The new system will allow for more customization of data and more precise information on a smaller topographic area.
Minutes from a presentation by Kay Howell, CICC at the CENDI meeting on June 1, 1999. Ms. Howell describes several federal organizations and initiatives with responsibilities in IT including the High Performance Computing and Communications (HPCC) initiataive, the National Coordination Office (NCO) for Computing, Information and Communications, the Next Generation Internet (NGI) initiative, the President's Information Technology Advisory Committee (PITAC), and the Information Technology for the 21st Century (IT2) initiative. She also explained the interrelationships and the status of each of these efforts.
This Brief discusses the benefits of technology transfer and gives an overview of the legislation that made it possible. Technology transfer is defined as a process by which technology developed in one organization, in one area, or for one purpose is applied in another organization, in another area, or for another purpose. This process assists the government in meeting national needs, including the economic growth that results from new commercialization in the private sector; improves the requirements for products and processes to operate effectively and efficiently; and the demand at the state and local level for increased goods and services. The process for handling technology transfer is discussed at length as well as the current promotion efforts by the Federal Government.
This Brief discusses the relationship between patents and cooperative R&D in the context of intellectual property policies and Congressional efforts to encourage collaborative ventures. The legislature's keen interest in augmenting research in the industrial community is reflected in both the Executive and Legislative branches' encouragement of companies who undertake cooperative R&D arrangements and who expand the opportunities available for research. Congress has also become increasingly interested in the value of intellectural property since technology development has become a significant factor in the U.S. economy. This paper also discusses the complementary roles that academia, industry, and government can play in technology development, especially in the area of cooperative R&D.
The National Information Infrastructure (NII) developed by the Clinton Administration is a policy which includes federal programs to enhance and support the development of relevant technologies and a wide range of applications which demonstrate the uses and benefits of the technologies. This paper provides an in-depth background and analysis of the NII and examines the role of the federal government in this effort.
Minutes from a presentation at the CENDI meeting on December 6, 2000. Ms. Godwin discussed how FirstGov has transformed the way in which government deals with the public and how it has served as a catalyst for changing other government Web sites. The management structure of this site is through interagency and private partnerships. Many of the portals were developed by interagency groups and cut across federal information for certain audiences or topics.
This study which was prepared for the Intergovernmental Enterprise Panel explains the barriers to interoperability in government. The term interoperability is defined as the ability to share information easily among governmental and private sector organizations The authors point out that barriers to interoperability fall into four broad categories: political, organizational, economic, and technical. Practical recommendations are made to improve and achieve the goal of interoperability in government systems. The authors point out that the sharing of information needs to be based on the "life cycle" model which addresses both the management of technology and of information. Some of the recommendations include: making information inventories; advertising the fact that interoperability means savings in time, money, and improved effectiveness; assembling a clearinghouse to accumulate GILS experiences and best practices; providing a formal means by which states can provide input in the federal information strategic planning process. Throughout the report the emphasis is on the need to develop a systematic and integrated policy architecture to address the barriers to sharing information. In conclusion the authors' findings indicate that the federal government needs to: develop standards with input from local and state governments; develop a collection of best practices so that all sectors can benefit; coordinate its own information management before mandating states to do so; and require that metadata be collected so that potential opportunities for interoperability can more easily be identified. See also the appendix for more information on both reports at http://ppm.ohio-state.edu/ppm/~landsbergen/papers/Appendix.pdf
This report prepared for the Intergovernmental Enterprise Panel is the first part of the interoperable government systems report. This phase of the study focuses on the barriers to interoperability. These have been categorized as follows: (1) political (includes issues of privacy, ambiguities in statutory authority, openness to public scrutiny); (2) organizational (issues of trust, lack of experience and awareness of opportunities to share); (3) economic (issues of lack of resources, procurement methods); and (4) technical (issues of software/hardware compatibility, and data sharing standards). The authors reviewed all previous research concerning this topic and developed a tool to determine whether the existing policy architecture performed all of the generic functions necessary to any policy process. Extensive interviews were conducted and three case studies were chosen to study the most important aspects of interoperability. Some of the findings include: (1) the need to perceive interoperability as sharing of information; (2) the failure of many interoperability projects to share metadata or be unaware of existence; (3) lack of time and budget are prohibitive to effectuate the sharing of information; (4) many agencies specify how data is to be shared; (5) policy makers and managers do not always have the expertise to develop strong interoperable systems. The authors concluded that there were no major policy barriers to interoperability at the federal level but that there was a lack of mechanisms to support interoperability.
This report examines the impact of providing government documents solely in electronic format and the feasibility of transferring the Superintendent of Documents' depository library program to the Library of Congress. The study was made at GPO and the Library of Congress headquarters from October 2000 - March 2001. The report provides an overview and history of the depository library program and explains the impetus behind providing documents solely in an electronic format. The advantages of electronic dissemination include a reduction in costs relating to storage, maintanance, and dissemination. A second advantage is greater functionality than traditional paper in that electronic documents can be searched, linked to related information, manipulated, and can be multimedia. Individuals can also print documents on demand. The third advantage is that electronic document dissemination make government information more accessible to citizens, including the physically handicapped. The disadvantages or challenges to disseminating documents solely in an electronic format involve the following issues: authentication, permanence, and equity of access and cost issues related to creating electronic documents when none exist. Approximately 40% of the titles currently distributed to depository libraries have an electronic counterpart. Other costs would involve purchasing selected printed documents no longer provided by the library program, printing shelf copies of electronic documents, training librarians and patrons to use the Internet to search and locate government publications. The report contains neither conclusions nor recommendations. The report identifies the major issues related to the feasibility of transferring the depository library program to the Library. The report does identify several measures that could assist in ensuring the success of a such a transfer. These include addressing issues raised by the library community concerning fugitive documents, cataloging and indexing functions; addressing concerns of union members; limiting the physical movement of staff and equipment during the transition period; rely on the information systems and computer support provided by GPO during the transition period. The report also details the advantages and disadvantages of transferring the depository library program. In addition to the depository library program, three other programs managed by the Superintendent of Documents could be considered for transfer. The other programs are (1)cataloging and indexing, (2) GPO Access, including the FDLP Electronic Collection, and (3) the International Exchange Service.
Minutes from a presentation at the CENDI meeting at the Defense Technical Information Center, Ft. Belvoir, VA on February 8, 2001. Mr. McLoughlin identified several Internet issues that will be of interest to the 107th Congress including Internet tax, privacy and security, the Internet infrastructure, and Internet access and deployment. Mr. Seifert discussed several technology issues facing the new Congress. These issues include the establishment of a federal CIO; how to implement e-government initiatives, yet still have accountability and efficiency; and how to recruit and maintain the IT workforce in government. He also noted that there is a lack of agreement as to what constitutes e-government.
Minutes from a presentation at the CENDI meeting at the Defense Technical Information Center, Ft. Belvoir, VA on February 8, 2001. OMB A-130 is up for review with a particular focus on Section 8(a) on information dissemination and information resources management (IRM).
This executive report summarizes and discusses the recommendations from a workshop on digital archiving and long-term preservation sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the Library of Congress held in April 2002. Several key recommendations are reported, with the most pressing need being for government agencies to undertake research opportunitites to improve the state of knowledge and practice for long-term perservation of digital information.
This article comments on the U.S. Congress's exploration of whether the cost of journal publications is hindering access to publicly funded research. The proposal introduced by Martin Sabo in (H.R. 2613) in conjunction with the Public Library of Science (PLoS) would put the results of scientific research that was funded primarily by the federal government into the public domain by requiring scientists to forgo copyright protection for such work. PLoS maintains that the rising cost of many journals is denying the public access to new discoveries. A new set of peer-reviewed journals that would be freely available on the Internet is being developed by PLoS will be introduced in October, 2003. The House and Senate Appropriations Committee are expected to request NIH to report on how the rising subscrption charges of for-profit biomedical research publishers are affecting access to taxpayer-funded research.
This Memorandum provides direction to Federal agencies on implementing Title III ( the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISA)) of the Electronic Government Act which was signed into law on December 17, 2002. The guidance consists of four attachments: Attachment A - Transition from Government Information Security Reform Act to Federal Information Security Management Act; Attachment B - Reporting on Federal Government Information Security Management. This attachment consists of two parts, the first of which provides reporting instructions and the report format and the second part provides a series of questions and answers to further assist agencies in meeting the reporting requirements. Attachment C consists of three parts, part one of which provides guidance and requirements on POA&Ms and the POA&M process, submital requirements, and guidance on reporting on performance measures. Part two of this attachment provides examples of program and system-level POA&Ms and part three provides a series of questions and answers to further assist agencies in developing, implementing, and reporting on POA&Ms. Attachment D provides definitions in law and policy that are referenced in the guidance.
This report outlines the governments efforts to establish protections on non-classified information that chould potentially be a security risk.
This draft report covers the development and status of the GPO's depository selection guidelines.
This draft report outlines the issues the GPO faces in converting to a primarily electronc depository and how best to implement this.
This draft report outlines the GPO's efforts to improve and modernize their delivery of printed documents to libraries.
This draft report outlines the GPOs strategy for implementing version control under its future Digital Content System
This draft report discusses the GPO's efforts to establish an authentication system for government documents.
This revised report covers the history of the GPO's depository practices as well a summary of the current status. This revision is the result of feedback received in reaction to the draft of the same title.
This revised report outlines the GPO's strategies for addressing the need to update its holdings to be primarily electronic. This report is a revision of an earlier draft after receiving external feedback.
This revised report outlines the GPO's strategy for improving their selection and dissemination of print materials. This revision is the result of external feedback on the previous draft.
This report outlines the governments plans to address the copyright legality of oprhaned works.
This report covers NARA's guidelines for preserving a wide range of formats digitally.
This paper outlines the challenges that the GPO and Federal Depository Library Program faces due to sweeping changes in information technology. The paper also outlines some basic suggestions and is intended to generate discussion on these topics
This website covers the activities and findings of the section 108 study group for the Library of Congress. Their goal is to propose changes that willl both respect copyright and allow access in respones to digitization.
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