The SIGNAL Blog

The Regional Information Sharing Systems (RISS) Program recently implemented a simplified sign-on capability that enables federal, state and local law enforcement to collaborate.

On the road to the future “expeditionary Army of 2020,” Lt. Gen. Susan Lawrence, USA, chief information officer/G-6, says the path through a changed environment will include buying only what is needed to deal with network and information technology refresh programs in the short term. In discussing how the Army will spend its money in the year to come, Gen. Lawrence said that her staff has done the basic engineering work and initial purchasing decisions for the network modernization of 10 installations. She discussed the topic during the keynote address at the 2013 Army IT Day, sponsored by AFCEA NOVA. The general says that those projects will be based on a model envisioning how Fort Hood will look and operate under a new infrastructure, with updated security and state-of-the art enterprise services (“The Army Maneuvers Back to the United States,” SIGNAL Magazine, July 2012).

Gen. Lawrence said the Army has realized that with constrained budgets and the rapid progress in the development of new technology, it is pointless to engage in the large scale acquisitions of the past only to see the cost of that technology drop as it is adopted or, worse, becomes obsolete by the time it is deployed. She says that reviews on the effectiveness of new technology will take place more rapidly and give Army leadership more reliable information on what to base future modernization projects.

Gen. Lawrence also reported that as of last night, the Army-led effort to migrate the military services to enterprise email topped the 1 million user mark. She briefly discussed the effort to develop a Commander's Risk Reduction Dashboard, designed to help create a “virtual dossier” on every soldier and provide the means to eliminate the stovepipes to information to help manage the lives of soldiers worldwide. The hope, she said, is to use the information to combat the suicide rate among members of the Army.

Whether it's a Nike+ FuelBand, a Fitbit or just a traditional pedometer, more and more people are tracking their movements and fitness goals throughout the day. But keeping tabs on your activity level doesn't have to be complicated or expensive with the free Moves app for the iPhone.

The app, which runs in the background on your smartphone, automatically tracks the number of steps you take per day along with when and where you drive or bike. Then, you can scroll back through the days or weeks to see your progress.

Its sleek design helps you visualize your day by presenting data in a timeline format with your daily steps and any stops you made along the way. You can also see the paths you took on a map.

While the continued use of GPS on your phone can decrease battery life, the app creator ProtoGeo says it has taken that into consideration and is continuously working to minimize battery consumption.

Download the free app from the iTunes App Store.

Do you use any apps to track your fitness goals?

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Despite continued budget crunching, U.S. Defense Department officials are continuing to implement a three-phase plan to equip the department’s 600,000 mobile-device users with secure classified and protected unclassified mobile solutions that leverage commercial products. In conjunction with the Defense Information Systems Agency, the department’s chief information officer is establishing a basic multivendor mobility capability with the Defense Department for assessment. This first phase, which continues through April, deploys voice and data services over a commercial wireless network, and a contract will be awarded for the department’s initial enterprise mobile device management (MDM) and mobile application store (MAS). Phase two, which is set to last nine months, will focus on creating a security and service delivery infrastructure to support several competitive acquisition options. During the final phase, set to begin in October 2013, an operational capability will be offered to all Defense Department entities as a subscription-based service. Work is contingent on the availability of fiscal year 2013 and fiscal 2014 funding.