NITRD Newsletter - May 2020

View Full Text:  NITRD-Newsletter-052020.pdf

This revamped newsletter includes many interesting areas for you to explore:

• Snippets: Well, they are exactly that, snippets (with links) to fascinating agency projects in networking and information technology.
• Topic of the Day: This month we are examining wireless spectrum, 5G, and related technologies, but first we explain to our readers in the Topic of the Day section what exactly is 5G and importantly, how it will benefit the American public.
• Agency Corner: For our first revised newsletter, we chose DARPA to highlight in our Agency Corner section because they have brought to fruition many of the technologies that we associate with our Topic of the Day, wireless spectrum and communications.
• Innovation through NITRD: We also introduce our readers to NITRD’s Wireless Spectrum Research and Development Interagency Working Group who coordinates Federal agency wireless spectrum activities.
• Event Highlights: We highlight here two workshops recently held on this important and timely topic.
• NITRD Staff: Lastly and certainly not least, we acquaint our readers with three NITRD staff members and a recent intern. NITRD strongly supports STEM education and workforce development in the information technology fields and so we are proud to draw attention to their accomplishments at NITRD.

We invite you to take a look at this newly revised newsletter to see the transformative innovations that have found an important place in the American life and challenge you to Discover NITRD Innovations for You!

View Full Text:  NITRD-Newsletter-052020.pdf

Announcement: Tagging website information related to COVID-19

To increase the online visibility of important COVID-19 information, Federal Chief Information Officers have been directed to incorporate the new Schema.org vocabulary for tagging websites that contain information about COVID-19 prevention measures, disease spread statistics, etc. These new tags are available in Schema.org Version 7.0, released March 17, 2020 (http://blog.schema.org/2020/03/schema-for-coronavirus-special.html).

In addition to the direction to Federal Chief Information Officers, state and local government agencies as well as non-profit and private sector organization are encouraged to utilize these tags for publishing and disseminating information related to COVID-19.

Follow this link for instructions to add structured data to COVID-19 announcements, with examples.

Also, the National Science Foundation-funded projects seeking to establish an Open Knowledge Network are actively working on creating enhanced knowledge graphs to handle additional critical information that is being published on a variety of sites, including local, county, and state governments; hospitals; and other organizations. This includes information on local incidence rates, hospital admission rates, and more. Tagging these data appropriately will enable effective use by downstream analytics and visualization applications that would benefit the public. Those interested in contributing to this effort should contact COVID19-OKN@nitrd.gov.

There is also an effort underway to develop tags for the scientific information related to the coronavirus, to enable faster discovery and use/re-use of that information. That work is being pursued by the Open Knowledge Network along with Department of Energy and National Institutes of Health, and others. Those interested in contributing to that effort should contact COVID19-Science@nitrd.gov.

National Women's History Month: Women of the NITRD National Coordination Office

As National Women's History Month enters its final week, the National Coordination Office (NCO) acknowledges the women of the Perspecta Team whose talent, expertise, and dedication make the success of the Networking and Information R&D (NITRD) program possible. Whether it is facilitating meetings, preparing reports, writing documents, or coordinating with our Federal Agency members or the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, this group of women exemplify the core values that make the NCO a catalyst for the NITRD community... READ MORE

The Interoperability of Medical Devices, Data, and Platforms to Enhance Patient Care

View Full Text:  Medical-Interoperability-2020.pdf

In February 2019 the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) Program’s Health Information Technology Research and Development Interagency Working Group (HITRD IWG) issued a Request for Information (RFI) to collect input from industry, academia, and nongovernmental organizations on new approaches to solve the interoperability issues between medical devices, data, and platforms. On July 17, 2019, the group followed up with an in-person Listening Session that included 76 representatives from the device, standards, academic, and medical communities, and government.

View Full Text:  Medical-Interoperability-2020.pdf

Federal Health Information Technology Research and Development Strategic Framework

View Full Text:  Federal-Health-IT-Strategic-Framework-2020.pdf

This strategic R&D Framework was developed to improve medical, functional, and public health outcomes through R&D in the use of data and IT for advanced health IT applications and improved detection of existing health concerns and discovery of emerging issues. It is expected that this Framework will help the United States capitalize on the full potential of health IT to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare and lengthen and improve the quality of American lives. This Framework will also help Federal agencies work across silos and prioritize areas for transformation by investing in tools and technologies that open new areas of discovery and better coordination of R&D activities. It does not define specific research agendas for individual Federal agencies; instead, agencies will continue to pursue priorities consistent with their missions, capabilities, authorities, and budgets, while maximizing planning, collaboration, and coordination with one another through the HITRD IWG to avoid duplicative efforts.

View Full Text:  Federal-Health-IT-Strategic-Framework-2020.pdf