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Volume 3 Issue 8: August 26, 2008
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The DotGov Buzz is an e-mail newsletter published by the GSA Office of Citizen Services and Communications to reach opinion leaders, policy makers, IT professionals, and others with the latest developments in e-government. Pass it along to your colleagues, and let us know if you want to subscribe on your home e-mail. To subscribe, submit a new e-mail to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.GSA.GOV, with SUBSCRIBE THEBUZZ in the body of the message, followed by your first and last name. To unsubscribe, submit a new e-mail to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.GSA.GOV, and enter the message: SIGNOFF THEBUZZ. To UNSUBSCRIBE to this mailing list, submit a new e-mail message to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.GSA.GOV and enter in the body of the message: SIGNOFF THEBUZZ. This and previous issues of The DotGov Buzz are available at www.usa.gov/dotgovbuzz. |
 DotGov Spotlight: Laurence Millar, CIO, New Zealand
From the first Polynesians who paddled here thousands of miles across the Pacific from Hawaii to modern-day bungee jumpers, New Zealand has always attracted an adventurous sort. Laurence Millar, the national government's CIO and an immigrant, is one of them. Even before being formally seated in the job, he was channeling this innovative spirit and bringing his countrymen into the Web 2.0 world. In fact, New Zealand has pioneered the use of technology to revise national law. The Police Act wiki was launched last fall to solicit comments from the public on legislation that will update the country's 1958 Act. The Act is being rewritten to reflect the modern role of the New Zealand police force. The public was invited to comment on the legislation between September 26 and September 30 - one week. During that week the wiki received more than 26,000 visits and hundreds of "constructive edits." The Police Act is now being marked up by members of Parliament. The wiki, although closed for comment, is still receiving visitors, who, statistics show, are spending more time on the site and viewing an average of four pages during each visit. The success of that wiki is one example of what Laurence Millar, the first New Zealand Government CIO, says is the innovation of Web 2.0 - "creating something new or adding to the work created by others to make something new." The government has launched other successful public wikis to discuss sustainability, education and bio-ethics issues. Millar's office has also set-up a blog that explores the use of technology in government and publishes the results of its research and innovation.
Twenty five years after immigrating to New Zealand with his family, Laurence Millar formally became the first New Zealand Government CIO this past July 1, capping years of working to improve the national systems from inside the government and without. Raised by Scottish parents in the U.K., Millar received his Master of Arts in Mathematics from Cambridge University and a Master of Science in Cybernetics (the study of systems) from London University. He left London in search of a better place to raise his four children. Moving to this small island country, home to 4 million people, more than 1,300 miles off the coast of Australia, he was struck by the resourcefulness of New Zealanders (or 'Kiwis'), "to die for" scenery and hasn't looked back since. In his first stint in New Zealand's government, 1990-1993, he served as the General Manager of Information Technology at the Department of Social Welfare. He left to join Azimuth Consulting, Ltd., an information management company, where he led information systems projects, including development of the New Zealand government's first web portal. Millar spent the next four years in supply chain and telecommunications consulting for companies in China, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia. Working in these different cultural settings gave him the "fantastic learning opportunity to understand how different people respond to change," he says. That experience helped prepare him for his later role of CIO, because a CIO is almost always a "change champion," developing new tools and techniques. In 2004, Laurence Millar returned to government work as appointed head of the E-Government unit of the State Services Commission, and went on to lead the Information and Communication Technology branch as Deputy Commissioner in 2005. This year, in keeping with the goal of bringing Web 2.0 to the public sector, the government refreshed its web portal in March, featuring RSS feeds, software widgets and a "tag cloud" that shows the most common search terms as they change in popularity. Govt.nz, which received 3.7 million visitors last year, links New Zealanders to the many ways they can be involved in government. In a single place 'Kiwis' can find out what's happening in Parliament, submit comments on a bill and join a forum to discuss the government issues important to them. In 2007, a downloadable search box was added to the web portal. It allows the public to search government websites from other sites without having to go directly to the portal. "Our interest is in people getting access to the information they are seeking, in a consistent and repeatable fashion, from wherever they are searching," he says. New Zealand is developing a voluntary identity verification service that will allow its citizens to interact consistently and securely with government agencies online. Called "igovt," it will not be mandatory, but will provide identity assurance, at passport-level strength, online and in real time for those who join, Millar says. New Zealand will begin piloting the service in 2009, but it already won a 2007 Identity Deployment of the Year Award from Liberty Alliance, a global identity consortium supporting federated identity management. igovt will enable people to verify their identity with government agencies without needing documents to prove their identity repeatedly to each government agency, thus saving people time and money. "We've proved we can build a secure, privacy-friendly identity verification service," he said - displaying some of the 'kiwi ingenuity' that will help his adopted country continue to reach its goals now and in the future. |
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GSA: President Bush designates Jim Williams as Acting Administrator Jim Williams, Commissioner of the GSA Federal Acquisition Center, has been designated Acting Administrator of the U.S. General Services Administration, effective August 30. He will succeed David L. Bibb who retires August 29. President Bush nominated Williams to be Administrator in June and the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approved the nomination, but a hold has been put on it by Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa). |
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OMB: GAO calls for improved oversight of Management Watch and High Risk lists
The number of IT investments on the Office of Management and Budget's Management Watch and High Risk lists declined in the third quarter of FY 08 by 40% and 21%, respectively, according to the Government Accountability Office. GAO was asked to analyze the current Management Watch List and High Risk project information, and review recent actions by OMB to better identify and oversee these projects. GAO surveyed managers from a random sample of 180 of the major IT projects the 24 major agencies planned to invest in during FY 08. In a report released July 31, it reported 413 IT projects, worth $25.2 billion, had been characterized as poorly planned, poorly performing, or both, and concluded that the planning, management and oversight of poorly performing projects needs to be improved. GAO also noted that 48% of the federal government's major IT projects had been re-baselined, some to reflect changes in project goals or funding, others to mask cost overruns and schedule delays. GAO recommended that OMB issue guidance for re-baselining and that major agencies develop comprehensive re-baselining policies to address identified weaknesses. |
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OMB: Guidance for Implementing Federal Desktop Core Configuration
OMB released guidance August 11 for agency CIOs implementing the Federal Desktop Core Configuration (FDCC). It supplements the FDCC Major Version 1, published by the National Institute of Standards and Technology on June 20. In the six-page memo, OMB offers information for agency CIOs in the following areas:
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GAO: Agencies need to do more to encrypt information
Only 30% of the laptops and handheld devices at 24 federal agencies were encrypted to protect information and systems between July and September 2007, although the Federal Information Security and Management Act requires agencies to implement information security programs, the Government Accountability Office found in a recent study. None of the agencies had documented comprehensive plans to guide encryption implementation activities, GAO reported. GAO evaluated commercially available encryption technologies for the study, reviewed relevant laws and guidance and surveyed the 24 agencies. |
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NIST: Guide for information security performance measures released
The National Institute of Standards and Technology released a development process for performance measures in July that will help demonstrate the value of information security to organizations. The Performance Measurement Guide for Information Security helps agencies develop, select and implement measures that indicate the effectiveness of security controls for information systems and supporting information security programs. The guide highlights factors to consider in developing and implementing an information security measurement program. |
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DHS: National emergency communications strategy issued
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a National Emergency Communications Plan (NECP) that establishes a national vision for emergency communications. It is designed to overcome communications deficiencies that affect first responders' abilities to respond to natural disasters, acts of terrorism and other incidents. The three-part vision will allow emergency responders to communicate as needed, on demand and as authorized, at all levels of government, and across all disciplines. The Plan outlines three goals:
Seven objectives for improving emergency communications for responders at the federal, state, local and tribal levels are set out to help meet the three goals:
The NECP was written to improve technology, coordination and governance, planning, usage, training and exercises at all levels of government. |
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E-Gov Scorecard: Some federal agency E-Gov scores drop
Eight agencies saw their E-Gov scores decline during the third quarter of 2008, according to the most recent President's Management Agenda scorecard. Only the Department of Health and Human Services and the Small Business Administration improved their E-Gov scores. The Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Labor and the Social Security Administration remained the only agencies to achieve the highest (green) scores in all five categories: Human Capital, Commercial Services Management, Financial Performance, E-Gov and Performance Improvement. |
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NARA: NARA issues records management information for e-mail
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) issued e-mail archiving applications guidance July 31 for certain e-mails that are considered records under the Federal Records Act. The bulletin informs agencies that e-mail archiving technologies may not necessarily meet all of the Federal Records Act requirements. Agencies using e-mail archiving applications as the only means of storing these federal records must create policies, provide adequate user training and take steps to identify and manage the limitations in current e-mail archiving applications in order to ensure compliance. Recordkeeping systems that include electronic mail messages must:
NARA is evaluating what steps federal agencies may take to improve the recordkeeping issues created by emerging technologies such as e-mail archiving applications. |
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International: The U.S. lags in Internet speeds, ranks third in E-Government implementation
Internet Speeds. The United States has not made significant improvement in the speed at which residents connect to the Internet, according to A Report on Internet Speeds in All 50 States, by the Communications Workers of America. The report, based on CWA's second annual survey of Internet speeds, measured the experience of 230,000 Internet users across the country, most with broadband, who took part in a test between May 2007 and May 2008 of how fast computers can download and upload data. "The results of this national survey of actual Internet speeds show just how far the U.S. continues to lag behind other countries," the survey report concluded. The median download speed for the U.S. was 2.3 megabits per-second (mbps), an increase of 0.4 mbps from last year's test. But the U.S. still ranks far behind Japan, which had a median download speed 30 times higher at 63 mbps, and other countries, including South Korea (49 mbps), Finland (21 mbps), France (17 mbps) and Canada (7.6 mbps). The study measured Internet download speeds in the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Rhode Island recorded the highest speeds, and Puerto Rico the slowest. To report the real-time connection speed, the speed test sent an HTTP request to the nearest server and measured the time that it took to receive a response. The test does not measure the actual transfer speed of a file over the Internet. E-Government Implementation. The United States came in third in the Brookings Institution's 2008 rankings of national technology utilization in electronic government, up from fourth in 2007. South Korea and Taiwan were ranked first and second. Others listed in the top 10 were Singapore, Canada, Australia, Germany, Ireland, Dominica and Brazil. The public policy think tank examined the current state of electronic government around the world this summer by analyzing 1,667 national government websites from 198 countries. Its report, Improving Technology Utilization in Electronic Government around the World, 2008 examines the types of features available online, the variation that exists among countries and how current e-government trends compare to previous years, going back to 2001. The study found, in general, e-government is not radically transforming the public sector. Government websites should make better use of the available technology, and address the problems of access and government outreach. Other highlights from the report:
The report also recommended some actions countries can take:
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Kudos: Many awards for digital government and personal/team achievement
Digital Governance Awards. Granicus Inc., (a streaming media solution provider) honored several public agencies with its Digital Governance Awards. The awards were given to agencies that: improved efficiency in government and public services; enhanced public communication; improved community engagement; and facilitated government transparency. The five winners and their categories are:
Rising Star Awards. The 1105 Government Information Group announced the winners of its 2008 Rising Star Awards that recognize talented young people hard at work in the government market. Among those honored are 13 technology winners. Best of Web and Digital Government Achievement Awards. e.Republic's Center for Digital Government announced its 2008 Best of Web and Digital Government Achievement Awards on August 19. The awards recognized the most innovative, user-friendly state and local government web portals and outstanding agency, department websites and applications. They were chosen by judges across the country. 2008 Best of the Web Awards: State Portal Category - 1st Place: Virginia 2008 Digital Government Achievement Awards: Government-to-Business Category Winners —
Government-to-Citizen Category Winners —
Government-to-Government Category Winners —
Government Internal Category Winners —
GCN Awards. Government Computer News announced the 10 government agencies and five executives receiving its 2008 GCN Awards for extraordinary IT accomplishments. The GCN Awards, in their 21st year, recognize IT initiatives at the federal, state and local levels as the best of the year. 2008 GCN Executive of the Year recipients:
2008 GCN Agency Award winners:
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Awards Nominations: Deadlines for e-gov community awards applications
The National Electronic Commerce Coordinating Council (eC3) is accepting nominations for its 2008 eC3 Excellence Awards Program until September 10. Harvard University is seeking applications for the Innovations in American Government Award until September 30. |
Transitions: Changes in the IT Community Also available in pdf 171 kb |
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Upcoming Events Calendar
10th Annual Commonwealth of Virginia Innovative Technology Symposium The 7th Enterprise Architecture Conference & Exhibition AFCEA Solutions Series - Information Assurance 2008 National Association of Government Webmasters National Conference Collaborative Expedition Workshop: Strategic Leadership for Networking and Information Technology Education, at National Science Foundation Digital Government Institute's Realizing IPv6 Conference & Expo CIO Council's IT Quarterly Forum NASCIO 2008 Annual Conference GTC East 08 GOVERNING's Managing Performance 2008 GEIA 2008 Vision Conference 2008 Federal IT and Privacy Summits ACT/IAC Executive Leadership Conference The 6th Annual Program Management Summit The 9th Security Conference & Exhibition The Council of State Governments Annual Conference National Electronic Commerce Coordinating Council Annual Conference AFCEA Solutions Series - CyberSpace/CyberWarfare GSA's IRMCO |
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Reader feedback: The DotGov Buzz archive is now searchable on Thanks to a reader suggestion, The DotGov Buzz teamed up with USASearch.gov to offer a search engine for the Buzz archives. It is located on the DotGov Buzz homepage on USA.gov and will search for relevant content in targeted pages of current and prior issues of The DotGov Buzz. Keep the suggestions coming! |
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Please send your comments, concerns, complaints and questions to dotgovbuzz@gsa.gov. Check out our previous editions at www.usa.gov/dotgovbuzz.html. The DotGov Buzz is produced by the following individuals in the GSA Office of Citizen Services and Communications: |
As CIO, Laurence Millar is leading the charge to use technology to transform government operations and provide "user-centered services." He believes government can use these tools to create a new model of government, better suited to the needs of the 21st century. "Government needs to increase the urgency with which we apply Web 2.0" in order to encourage active citizen participation, he says. "Governments gain their legitimacy based on their representation of the people. If a government does not do this, people disengage, and the result is a democratic deficit."
