The new data catalog is a key component of the Data.gov 2.0 coming in the next few months. Users visiting the new data catalog will notice the improved search function, which now allows the user to find all datasets for a particular location, better sorting and tagging of datasets and improved metadata.

Because Data.gov now has a unified data catalog based on an open source standard, datasets on the site will be easier to use with other federal agency, state, city and county catalogs. CKAN also makes implementation of the open data policy possible because it will draw on data inventories other federal agencies create under the policy.

Finally, in switching over to the new catalog, Data.gov had the opportunity to launch another round of usability testing, giving users yet another opportunity to improve the site as a whole.

Former U.S. Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra, now executive vice president of emerging markets at Salesforce.com, sat down with FedScoop Radio on Wednesday to discuss the latest in his career, the emergence of cloud computing in governments around the world and his outlook on the future of computing.

The report, Fast Government: Accelerating Service Quality While Reducing Cost and Time, looks at how people, processes and technology affect and are affected by an emphasis on time.

Public sector leaders can employ a number of strategies to make government work faster, by redesigning processes, adopting new technologies or supporting innovation and risk taking.

Implementing a fast-government strategy requires making sure federal employees have the skills and capabilities to succeed and that they understand how their work contributes to the larger agency mission. People must be motivated to work faster and more efficiently.

Fast government requires public sector leaders to make time a key performance metric in their respective agencies. It involves being innovative and using technology to mechanize basic tasks, cutting bureaucratic steps in government service delivery, developing ways to execute a requirements quicker and empowering citizens to solve their own problems rather than relying on government.

Predictive analytics can also be used to reduce or eliminate entire processes. Analytics can predict and prevent problems that would otherwise result in additional mission time and costs.

Another key component of fast government is technology-driven innovation and growth. The report suggests government should focus on infostructure instead of infrastructure. This means working to support private sector investments in ultramodern technology initiatives through forward-thinking, growth-oriented public policy, legislation, regulations and standards.

Reducing fragmentation in government will also be essential. Congress has numerous committees and subcommittees dealing directly or indirectly with technology or its acquisition. Establishing a technology committee or subcommittee specifically geared toward maximizing transformative use of technology, including drawing in private industry, is essential, according to the report.

As with all federal initiatives, accountability is imperative. Government must have an institutionalized mechanism for attaining speed and agility in agency missions without sacrificing federal integrity or performance in so doing.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel officially announced May 22 DOD will pursue “a full and open competition for a core set of capabilities for healthcare management software modernization” following a 30-day review of the program.

“Our objective is to provide the best possible healthcare for our service members with continuous quality care,” Hagel said. “Our service members and veterans, and their families, expect and deserve a seamless system to administer the benefits they have earned. Secretary Shinseki and I will continue to work closely together to deliver on that promise.”

In the near term, DOD will continue coordinated efforts with VA to develop data federation, presentation and enhanced interoperability, Hagel said. This goal will be the first priority in this process, he added.

Hagel said while VA may have good reasons to adopt VistA for its EHR core, it was not a good fit for his department.

“A competitive process will allow DOD to consider commercial alternative that may offer reduced cost, reduced schedule and technical risk, and access to increase current capability and future growth in capability by leveraging ongoing advances in the commercial marketplace,” he said.

He continued, “Approaching this challenge in this manner will ensure that DOD acquires the right healthcare IT to meet its requirements while ensuring interoperability with VA, that this acquisition is conducted in a manner that achieves the best value for America’s taxpayers, and that DOD invests in healthcare IT that is sustainable over the long term.”

Press briefing on the EHR announcement:

The General Services Administration announced the awarding of a new governmentwide blanket purchase agreement that will allow the federal government to consolidate its wireless service plans and centralize management.

GSA said the agreements could bring approximately $300 million in savings over the next five years.

“By buying in bulk, we’re buying once and we’re buying well,” said GSA Acting Administrator Dan Tangherlini in a released statement. “This common-sense approach allows us to do what families and businesses across America do every day. We’re driving down costs, increasing efficiency and improving service and operations. These agreements give agencies the ability to pool minutes, order plans and devices more efficiently and have greater visibility into their purchases.”

Tangherlini, whom President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate as the full-time GSA administrator, was joined by executives from AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon in making the announcement.

GSA said federal agencies spend an estimated $1.3 billion on wireless services and mobile devices annually.

The government, though, has had a fragmented approach to managing them, with the agencies handling more than 4,000 separate wireless agreements and 800 wireless plans.

Joe Jordan, administrator for federal procurement policy at the Office of Management and Budget said: “This is an important day for our governmentwide strategic sourcing efforts. We applaud GSA’s work on this initiative, and look forward to working with agencies as they take advantage of these new and innovative agreements that will help save taxpayer dollars.”

The federal government gets a wireless family plan.

Doctors and hospitals taking advantage of health IT.

Water awards.

U.S.-India security dialogues.

Some well-deserved tax relief in the wake of Oklahoma tornado.

Mental health partnership for veterans.

Presidential task force convenes to address human trafficking:

U.S. Coast Guard gets new tech toys to improve divers’ safety:

April Yvonne (Photo: Laurie Bracewell)

She has dressed everyone from Washington news anchors to luxury-hotel jet-setters. That’s why we turned to the founder of MyDCStyle and resident Capella stylist for tips on what to wear this summer — and whose closet we should covet.

Can you wear white after Labor Day, can technology help you get dressed in the morning? The answers to these questions, plus the one heard in dressing rooms around the world, as we get the fashion scoop with April Yvonne.

What’s your favorite fashion app?

Go Try It On is by far one of my favorite fashion apps! You can ask ANY style questions you have regarding an outfit you want to put together from an amazing network of fashion bloggers and friends in the social media world! It’s also a great app to use when you’re shopping solo to get second, third, fourth, etc., opinions. Love this app!

White after Labor Day?

Absolutely! In fact, I love nothing more than to rock a tailored white suit from head to toe in the dead of winter with a POC (pop of color) accessory like bright-yellow pumps or a bright-green clutch. You can do so much with white all year long, so erase this “rule” out of your head, ladies! Just remember to make sure it’s the correct material for the time of year – i.e. don’t wear a white linen suit in the dead of winter.

What styles should we expect to see this summer?

This summer, the stand-out trends are: black and white prints, neons, ladylike looks – lace, A-line skirts, frills, etc.;  and white-out (head-to-toe white).

You can raid one Washingtonian’s closet – whose style would you steal?

Probably Kate Bennett’s, Washingtonian Magazine’s fashion editor. She always looks flawless and has a great sense of style that seems effortless.

Most diplomatic answer for the question, “Does this make me look fat?”

“No, but rather it doesn’t compliment your shape… so I have something for you to try on that will make you look 5 pounds lighter!”

President Barack Obama with Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, left, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on March 23, 2010. (Photo: Pete Souza/White House)

You need not look at a Forbes list to know the world — and the U.S. in particular — is full of strong, empowered and innovative women leaders. However, it never hurts to give credit where credit is due.

Today, Forbes paid tribute to female role models around the world, ranking the 100 most powerful women politicians, entrepreneurs, media moguls, technologists, CEOs, celebrities and more by the money they bring in, their media momentum and impact.

Three of the top five leading ladies in 2013 are U.S. citizens. Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, first lady Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton ranked third, fourth and fifth respectively. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius all ranked in the top 25 as well.

On the technology side, Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer for Facebook, Virginia Rometty, CEO of IBM, Ursula Burns, chairwoman and CEO of Xerox, and Meg Whitman, CEO of Hewlett-Packard ranked in the top 15.

Many of Forbes’ inclusions also made Working Mother magazine’s list of 50 Most Powerful Moms for 2013, which was released earlier this month.

General Services Administration Acting Administrator Dan Tangherlini (File photo: David Stegon/FedScoop)

President Barack Obama intends to nominate Dan Tangherlini as administrator of the General Services Administration, according to a May 22 release from the White House.

“As acting director, Dan helped restore the trust of the American people in the General Services Administration by making the agency more efficient, accountable and transparent,” Obama said in the statement. “I want to thank Dan for his leadership over the past year and for agreeing to continue serving in the administration.”

Tangherlini stepped into his role as GSA’s acting administrator April 2012, following findings from the inspector general that the agency had spent more than $800,000 on a 2010 conference in Las Vegas. In the fallout of the scandal, then-Administrator Martha Johnson stepped down, as did other senior officials involved in the debacle.

After assuming his new role April 2, Tangherlini has worked to increase accountability at GSA and overhaul processes and procedures to reduce waste and inefficiencies by implementing a top-to-bottom review of the agency. Under that initiative, GSA consolidated its IT offices under the authority of the chief information officer and said it would take a similar approach with its human resources, administrative and financial offices.

That review process spearheaded by Tangherlini also included slashing executive bonuses by 85 percent, and reviewing and revamping the entire performance awards system.

Tangerlini’s position before GSA was at the Treasury Department, serving in roles including chief financial officer and assistant secretary for management. Prior to Treasury, Tangherlini was District of Columbia city administrator and deputy mayor. His other roles include interim general manager of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, director of the District of Columbia Department of Transportation and chief financial officer of the Metropolitan Police Department.

Tangherlini’s overall government career dates back to 1991, when he first came on board as a presidential management fellow at the Office of Management and Budget.

“We want to move the government from a paper-based model of cybersecurity to a continuous monitoring model,” she said May 21.

Speaking via Skype, Schlosser said continuous monitoring implementation will be a big focus the next two to three years. Filling in for U.S. CIO Steven VanRoekel, who was called in on official business, she echoed VanRoekel’s mantra the past weeks of innovate, deliver and protect.

Schlosser said the Office of Management and Budget wants federal agencies to move to a more headquarters-based authority to take advantage of commodity information technology services while minimizing duplication. Those savings, she said, can be reinvested in more mission-critical areas.

VA’s claims backlog

The Veterans Affairs Department has gotten the wrong kind of attention the past few months for the enormous backlog of claims it has to process. Stan Lowe, the department’s deputy assistant secretary for information security, has an idea that could help speed it up: increase the use of digital signatures.

Instead of relying on a paper system where documents need to be printed out and physically signed, Lowe wants to see more use of digital signatures – with employee identity verified using personal identity cards – to create more of a digital work environment.

“We use the digital signatures some, but not enough for my liking,” Lowe said.

Information sharing about trust

Donna Roy, executive director of the Department of Homeland Security’s National Information Exchange Model, said the future of information sharing largely hinges on the amount of trust people put into the process.

For example, in the Boston Marathon bombings, the images of the believed attackers were shared throughout social media. The trust comes in that citizens believe the information law enforcement is putting out is credible while law enforcement uses the information it receives back in a responsible way.

For instance, if the wrong people were publicly named, the system would have failed and there would have been consequences.

“For-profit industries already do this well,” Roy said, pointing to banks and credit cards that ensure card owners are not held responsible in the event of fraudulent purchases. “We need that same level of trust in government. If we can do that, there is no limit to what the information sharing environment can look like. And if not, we’ll always be hampered.”

Failure is not a word

When it comes to innovation, said Gadi Ben-Yehuda of IBM’s Center for the Business of Government, there is no such thing as failure. He quotes the old sports cliché, “I never lose the game. It just sometimes ends before I’m ahead.”

When an innovation project fails to reach its outlined goals, Ben-Yehuda said he takes it in stride, not seeing it as a failure as he was able to learn valuable lessons, built his rolodex and maybe got some ideas for the future.

“When you’re innovating,you can’t be afraid to fail,” he said. “You have to embrace it, because a lot of times that’s where the real breakthroughs come from.”