Senate slashes DHS’ IT
Despite growing demand for advanced information technology in government,
the Senate Appropriations Committee is not convinced that the Homeland Security
Department needs more metadata and geospatial solutions.
The committee’s fiscal 2006 Homeland Security Appropriations bill,
approved June 14, cuts dramatically the budget for “information technology
support,” including “enterprise architecture, consolidation and geospatial
initiatives,” to $21.8 million, down from a requested $60 million.
Metadata, or data about data, typically is used in building enterprise
architectures. Geospatial IT brings geographic and 3-D information into an
application.
Cox sharpens biometrics focus
If anyone doubts that House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rep.
Christopher Cox’s (R-Calif.) unique style of questioning won’t be missed on
the panel, check out his thoughtful and wide-ranging comments at the June 22
subcommittee hearing on biometrics.
Cox initiated a fascinating discussion on why Europeans are using
fingerprint biometrics and the
“You can touch your finger to open your laptop. I don’t believe
there’s any cultural resistance to this, whatsoever,” said Cox, who has been
nominated to chair the Securities and Exchange Commission.
‘Jointness’ joins DHS lexicon
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff is breaking new ground in
initiating a new term into the homeland security vocabulary.
In his June 23 speech to the Homeland Security Advisory Council, he
referred twice to “jointness,” including a need to “build jointness”
within the department.
The term, until now, has been used almost exclusively by the military to
describe the degree of unity and cooperation in operations involving different
branches of the military. Now that Chertoff has adopted the terminology, it’s
a safe bet it will be heard more often.
— Alice Lipowicz
