Information Technology Frontiers for a New Millenium Federal Information Services and Applications Council

	Introduction Crisis Management Digital Government Federal Statistics (FedStats) Next Generation Internet applications Universal Access Federal World Wide Web (WWW) Consortium
Introduction	The Federal Information Services and Applications Council (FISAC) helps apply state-of-the-art information technology R&D to Federal information systems and services in support of agency missions and systems. FISAC provides a two-way channel of communications to agencies that are either wholly or in part not represented or participating in the HPCC R&D agenda. The Subcommittee on CIC R&D uses FISAC to disseminate information about its research agenda, priorities, and results to the broad Government community, while the FISAC provides feedback and identifies research needed to field the cutting-edge applications required by the Federal government. The FISAC: Provides a forum for information exchange among end users of HPCC R&D and the HPCC research community Identifies HPCC research needed to enable information technology applications critical to the Federal government Facilitates collaboration on information and communications applications research across the Government Identifies information and communications science and technology issues and requirements to be considered in developing Federal policies and programs Provides input and advice to the Subcommittee on CIC R&D on its R&D activities and priorities to ensure that applications' computing, information, and communications requirements are addressed The FISAC accomplishes these objectives by: Promoting early application of HPCC R&D technologies to critical Federal government missions Supporting multiagency leadership to demonstrate and deploy advanced HPCC technologies that have the potential to be widely applicable to Federal agency missions Encouraging pilot projects to assess critical HPCC technologies needed by applications Supporting broad Administration goals to eliminate international barriers in information services and applications FISAC membership is drawn from applications organizations throughout the Federal government. FISAC accomplishes its tasks through its Crises Management, Federal Statistics (FedStats), Next Generation Internet Applications, and Universal Access teams, and liaison to NSF's Digital Government programand the Federal Web Consortium. Funding for FISAC activities comes from a combination of the HPCC R&D budget crosscut, other funds in HPCC R&D agencies, and funds from non-HPCC organizations.
Crises Management	FISAC's Information Technology for Crises Management (ITCM) Team collaborates with Federal, state, local, and international organizations and the private sector to promote collaborations that identify, develop, test, and implement HPCC technologies for crises management applications. The team consists of representatives from DoD, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), NASA, NCO/CIC, NOAA, NSF, the United States Census Bureau, and the United States Geological Survey (USGS).   ITCM works to define HPCC research needs in emergency preparedness and response, mitigation, and recovery; guide the development of HPCC applications and tools to meet crises management demand; coordinate demonstrations of new HPCC crises management applications and tools; and disseminate ITCM applications and tools.
Digital Government	NSF's Digital Government program fosters joint research projects between the computer and information science research community and Federal agencies with significant information services missions. Research is focused on making government more accessible to the public without compromising privacy and security -- either the individual's or the Government's. Participating agencies provide research testbeds.   Fifty project proposals were received in response to a 1998 digital government program announcement. While primarily for planning and workshop grants, they also included 15 research proposals. More than 20 Federal agencies participate in the grants that were awarded in areas such as Federal statistics, crises management, and environmental data integration. A round of FY 2000 proposals is expected in the summer of 1999.   The Digital Government program funded Crises Management, FedStats, Geospatial Information Systems, and state/local workshops conducted by the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board of the National Academy of Sciences in FY 1999. Further details about these and other workshops can be found beginning on page 93.
Federal Statistics (FedStats)	The FedStats R&D Team's focuses on: Identifying IT research issues that need to be addressed to enable the FedStats and individual statistical agency Web sites to create a virtually-integrated national statistical information infrastructure Promoting partnerships with research institutions through NSF's Digital Government and similar programs The FedStats Web site (http://www.fedstats.gov/) provides a gateway to the 70-plus agencies of the Federal government that invest significantly in compiling statistics. The site is funded by the 14 member agencies of the Interagency Council on Statistical Policy (ICSP) chaired by the Office of Management and Budget. The ICSP co-sponsors the FedStats R&D Team with FISAC.
Next Generation Internet applications	The Next Generation Internet Applications Team coordinates NGI applications with non-HPCC agencies. For example, NOAA, with the support of FEMA, is developing a prototype complex realtime wind analysis system that will integrate realtime data from numerous sources including ships, buoys, and aircraft; allow expert human intervention for quality assurance; and provide capabilities for automated product development and tailored products. This work will then be made available to the National Hurricane Center and to FEMA's Natural Hazard Loss Estimation Methodology (HAZUS) system. Researchers are examining advanced distributed software technologies and integrating multiple data sources, automated quality control, and dynamic HTML to provide users with rapid wind analyses for forecasting and disaster recovery.
Universal Access	The Universal Access Team facilitates national research, development, and deployment of information technologies to enable broader participation by the public. A Universal Access workshop, developed by the Team and hosted by the Federal World Wide Web Consortium, accelerated the formation of partnerships for expanded initiatives in FY 1999-2000, including joint research with the Bureau of the Census, General Services Administration (GSA), Social Security Administration, and Stanford University to explore the design of universally accessible human computer interaction systems; and an R&D project for the Group of Seven (G7) economic leaders involving people with disabilities as co-developers of an accessible, collaborative, Web-conferencing environment. Participants included representatives from three countries.   Additional FY 1999 research is being conducted with the Department of Labor's Office of Worker's Compensation and Georgetown University Medical Center to establish national IT-ergonomic standards to reduce the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) -estimated $100 billion annual IT-related business costs associated with worker injury. An Underwriter's Lab performance validation proposal is part of a Presidential Initiative on Universal Access in FY 2000. NSF has also announced a research program in Universal Access, for which the Team will promote proposal submissions.   The Universal Access Team merged with the Accessible Technology working group, established by the GSA Center for IT Accommodation in FY 1999. The combined group will also work with the Interoperability Committee of the CIO Council to integrate new electronic and information technology accessibility requirements mandated by Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act to meet the goals of the Government-wide architecture activities of this committee.
Federal World Wide Web Consortium	Founded in 1994, following release of NCSA's Mosaic -- the first graphical Web browser -- NSF's Federal WWW Consortium is a partnership between member agencies and NSF-sponsored academic and other research institutions whose goal is to accelerate the development and deployment of a Web-based digital Federal government. While not part of the FISAC, the Consortium provides advice to the FISAC on information technology issues of common interest. Collaboration tools, firewall research, universal access, and training workshops and seminars for Federal employees are past focus areas. Currently, the Consortium's member agencies use their resources to facilitate IT research with the PACI partners.