Online to Efficiency

n his "Access America" manifesto this year, Vice President Al Gore instructed all federal agencies to go digital. If America really is going to reinvent government, the report from Gore's National Performance Review said, agencies must hop onto the information highway.

The plan called for a government that allowed all Americans the opportunity to get services electronically. Aided by technology, the productivity of government operations would soar.

"The recommendations here paint a picture of the kind of government we should have as we begin the next century," Gore said. "The idea of reengineering through technology is critical. We don't want to automate the old, worn processes of government. Information technology was and is the great enabler for reinvention." Agencies have responded vigorously to the Vice President's call.

Created six years ago, Government Executive's Government Technology Leadership Awards program is designed to recognize these groups and their accomplishments. This year's 22 winners, selected from a field of 187 nominations submitted by government and industry, show what agencies can achieve if they are willing to innovate.

Programs were judged on their degree of difficulty, innovative use of technology, real cost savings and cross-agency impact. The winning projects range from an Internet site that displays cross sections of the human body, to a program that provides computer access to remote classrooms.

ENHANCED SECURITY

Border Identity Checks
Immigration and Naturalization Service
http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/index.html

NS' $17 million Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IDENT) led to the apprehension, identification and return of 996,000 illegal immigrants who entered the United States repeatedly, plus immediate identification of more than 14,700 criminal immigrants during fiscal 1996 alone.

When an immigrant is caught crossing the border illegally, the IDENT system is used to electronically scan the two index fingers and take a digital photograph of the person. The system attempts to match that biometric data with its lookout database, which holds information on more than 77,000 criminal immigrants, and its recidivist database, which identifies repeat border crossers.

If the database searches fail to identify the visitor, the fingerprints and photo are added to the system. If the immigrant is found in the lookout database, he or she is subject to prosecution. If a match is found in the recidivist database, the file is updated to reflect the person's new attempt at illegal entry. INS officials analyze this data to spot border crossing patterns and better allocate patrol agents.

IDENT is now installed in every line station in the San Diego area and the San Ysidro, Otay Mesa and Tecate ports of entry. Between October 1994 and October 1995, nearly half a million sets of fingerprints and photographs were entered into the system. In less than one year, INDENT has identified 1,378 criminal immigrants in San Diego.

Tim Biggs, chief, biometrics systems section, (202) 616-1067

Guarding Against E-Attacks
U.S. Strategic Command
http://www.stratcom.af.mil/news/j67home.htm

ecognizing the possibility of an electronic Pearl Harbor, Stratcom developed a system to protect U.S. nuclear forces information systems.

The command's Information Assurance program adopted a "protect, detect and react" strategy to secure its systems. Protection includes network security servers, software to block unauthorized access, virus checking software and password controls. Detection efforts are led by an operations center and security analysis team that provides vulnerability and compliance assessments, such as password profiles and electronic searches for unauthorized equipment. The central element of reaction is the computer emergency response team, which offers 24-hour, prompt-response capabilities for detecting intrusions and handling malicious codes and viruses.

Although the Information Assurance program saved $1.4 million by developing security audit software, its primary goal was to protect $2 billion worth of software and hardware that allow the President to execute the national security policy of strategic deterrence.

James E. Muckey, program manager, (402) 294-7709

Avoiding Flood Damage
Natural Resources Conservation Service
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/

he Federal Emergency Management Agency predicts flooding soon will cost U.S. citizens and businesses more than $5 billion a year. To avert those disasters, the Natural Resources Conservation Service began conducting flood plain management studies using new technology.

The program shows how technology like geographic information systems and the Global Positioning System can be used to prevent or minimize flooding disasters. The data helps community planners and decision-makers develop local flood plain management programs and determine whether proposed building sites are subject to flooding. Studies also help local and state governments enact or update flood plain zoning ordinances, secure flood insurance, correct flood plain maps, initiate improvements to bridges, and plan alternative routes for emergency vehicles during floods. Most recently, the agency studied the Thornapple River Watershed in Barry and Eaton counties in Michigan.

Since the project began in 1970, 24 flood plain management studies have saved an estimated $12 million in flood losses.

Jane Hardisty, Michigan state conservationist, project manager, (517) 337-6701

FASTER CUSTOMER RESPONSES

FastLane Project
National Science Foundation
http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov

s part of Vice President Al Gore's National Performance Review, the National Science Foundation is using Internet and World Wide Web technologies to expedite business transactions and communications between NSF and its client researchers, reviewers and research administrators.

The public can use the site to search for recent foundation grants and contracts and to apply for research fellowships. Access to most of the features is restricted to representatives of NSF client institutions, who can submit proposals, check on proposal status, and rate and comment on posted proposals. Users can submit inquiries to FastLane on the Web. When a request is received, the FastLane Web server uses C and Perl programs to interface with the FastLane database and create a response.

NSF is ahead of the federal government pack in providing an online, interactive option for such transactions. FastLane has cut proposal processing time by 49 percent, for a savings of $16.54 per proposal. That and savings on other functions added up to more than six weeks of employee time. NSF continues to enhance FastLane, and officials expect to see more benefits.

Carolyn Miller, project manager, (703) 306-1152, ext. 4659

Mortgage Automation
Rural Housing Service
http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/agency/rhs/rhs.html

ith its Dedicated Loan Origination and Service system (DLOS), the Agriculture Department's Rural Housing Service has reinvented the way it manages its $18 billion portfolio of single-family Section 502 housing loans.

The DLOS system automates the loan functions previously done by 3,300 Rural Development field personnel in 1,200 offices. Under the new system, the field staff uses software to originate and process mortgage applications and enter data into a central database. From then on, all servicing is done by the new Centralized Servicing Center in St. Louis. Using an automated environment and off-the-shelf software, the center is providing new services such as property tax escrow to borrowers. Clients can get information about their loans by telephone.

DLOS will decrease the cost of servicing the Rural Housing Service's loan portfolio by more than $100 million a year while providing better customer service to 550,000 mortgage borrowers.

Thomas Hannah, director, DLOS Working Group, (202) 720-1451

Automated Enrollments
Social Security
http://www.ssa.gov

hen Congress last year passed a law requiring all recipients of federal payments to receive them electronically beginning Jan. 1, 1999, the Social Security Administration knew it had to act fast. SSA faced the challenge of enrolling 20 million Social Security check recipients in an electronic payment program. Typically, many of these beneficiaries would enroll in direct deposit by visiting or calling a local SSA office, but SSA didn't have enough employees to receive the enrollment forms and key data into client records.

The agency devised a better way: a new electronic funds transfer format and automated enrollment plan. Beneficiaries can simply go to their financial institution and fill out a new electronic banking slip with their name, bank account information and Social Security number. Banks send the information electronically through the Automated Clearinghouse Network to SSA, where the records are updated automatically.

Since the program began last year, SSA has received about 500,000 automated enrollments, saving the agency 45 work years valued at $2.2 million. By 1999, SSA expects to have saved 500 work years and $26 million in avoided enrollment interviews and data keying workloads. Other agencies are using the new format as well.

Michael D. Johnson, director, Payment and Recovery Policy Staff, (410) 965-3839

Automated Personnel Advice
Defense Civilian Personnel Management Service
www.cpms.osd.mil/fas/fas.htm

o fill the void left by the closing of Office of Personnel Management field offices and the reduction of personnel advisers in Defense Department offices, the Civilian Personnel Management Service developed an automated advisory system. The Field Information Delivery Options system provides benefits, pay, classification, retirement and labor relations information via telephone and the Internet to more than 400 DoD human resources offices worldwide. In addition, the system provides reference guides and news bulletins around the clock through an automated fax system.

DoD human resources employees have access to 69 voice lines, five fax lines and four fax-on-demand lines through an automated call director and interactive voice response technology. The $840,000 system allows employees to dial in and select an adviser, news bulletins or fax-back services. On the Internet version, visitors can select from four categories of online information: labor relations, pay and hours of work, benefits and entitlements, and classification.

Before the system's launch in September 1995, the civilian personnel management service commonly took several days to respond to inquiries. Now 95 percent of calls are answered within one workday.

Joyce McGehee, project manager, (703) 696-1615

INFORMATION ON DEMAND

Maps When and Where They're Needed
U.S. Army/National Imagery and Mapping Agency
http://164.214.2.59/geospatial/rrs/group/toc.htm

n a crisis there is no time to waste, so the National Imagery and Mapping Agency developed the Remote Replication System, which produces and prints maps on demand.

Conventional map production and distribution present planners and operators with unacceptable delays. Using commercial off-the-shelf technology, the RRS manipulates data to generate a map wherever it is needed. The system can print and develop maps from CD-ROMs, digital data and scanned hard copy. Developers estimate that this speedy process has saved about $3.9 million in labor, supplies and transportation.

During Operation Joint Endeavor in Taszar, Hungary, the system provided troops with more than 14,000 critical maps and charts on land and sea. However, its use is not limited to military activities. RRS has provided the National Guard with evacuation routes for hurricane-threatened areas and has developed maps of stricken areas to help in cleanups. RRS maps also have been used for the Presidential inauguration and the Atlanta Olympics. In the aftermath of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah federal building in Oklahoma City, RRS generated floor plans.

Ruth Ann Lofton, project manager, (301) 227-3892

One System for Maintenance Management
Military Sealift Command
http://www.msc.navy.mil/

aced with the need to upgrade an array of personal computer software programs upon the arrival of the Microsoft Windows operating environment, Navy systems professionals decided to combine them into a single, more useful tool for managing shipboard maintenance.

Although Version 5 of the Shipboard Automated Maintenance Management system has the same name as its predecessors, it gives the ship's crew much more information about maintenance schedules and techniques, vibration effects, used oil, parts inventories and labor utilization. With handheld electronic data collectors, the crew can perform nondestructive testing to determine the condition of machinery.

Not only does the crew get better information, but the data is transmitted to shoreside management offices via satellite and electronic mail. A central maintenance database enables Navy managers to analyze information from the fleet and plan for maintenance.

Randel Torfin, project manager, (202) 685-5744

Shared View of the Battlefield
Defense Information Systems Agency
http://204.34.175.79/

n just 21 months, the Defense Department developed and deployed its Global Command and Control System (GCCS), which provides warfighters with shared information about military operations. The system replaced the antiquated and expensive Worldwide Military Command and Control System (WWMCCS), which did a poor job of exchanging information among the military services.

The secure system relies on commercial products and industry standards such as the Unix operating system and the Internet communications protocol. As a result, it is portable and easy to install, maintain and modify. Its map-based information can be delivered to the battlefield, to aircraft and ships, and anywhere else it is needed. Users can employ its World Wide Web-style interface to get the information that suits their assignments.

Although GCCS is far more powerful than its predecessors, it costs much less to deploy and operate. For example,WWMCCS was installed on 31 mainframes at sites worldwide, each of which cost $2.5 million a year to operate. The cost to operate a comparable GCCS site for a year is $1 million. Communications costs are also substantially lower.

Col. Ellis Conoley, project manager, (703) 735-8501

HEALTH AND WELFARE

Simulation for Health Care Training
Veterans Affairs Department
http://pkpd.icon.palo-alto.med.va.gov/simulator/simulator.htm

annequins at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System/Stanford University simulation center for crisis management training aren't dummies,they can speak, breathe and even have heart attacks. They are part of a sophisticated system for training hospital residents in anesthesiology and general surgery and medical students.

The 1,600-square-foot center houses patient simulators, developed with the same technology used in full-motion flight simulators. With mannequins and computers, the simulator recreates the operating room, the intensive care unit and the emergency room. Students can insert intravenous tubes and airway tubes into the mannequins, which have pulses and beating hearts. Future doctors can experience as many as five life-threatening medical crises at a time, such as a heart attack, stroke or severe allergic reaction.

David M. Gaba, project manager, (415) 858-3938

Digital Cadaver
National Library of Medicine
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/research/visible/visible_human.html

n 1991 the National Library of Medicine commissioned a team of researchers from the University of Colorado at Denver to slice thousands of razor-thin tissue cross-sections from two cadavers,a 39-year-old murderer who was executed by lethal injection in Texas and a 59-year-old Maryland homemaker who died of a heart attack.

In the $1.4 million project, each view was digitally photographed and stored, creating data that can be displayed as full-color, three-dimensional images. In addition, the cadavers were subjected to complete CT and MRI imaging. As a result, users can take a virtual tour of the entire body.

The Library placed the visible male data on the Internet in November 1994 and the visible female data a year later. To access the site, users are required to sign a licensing agreement and keep the agency informed of how the information is being used.

Physicians and scientists are using the Visible Human as a substitute for cadavers, to train surgeons and to practice surgical procedures. Other innovations using the Visible Human include colonoscopy screening for cancer and cardiac catheterization.

Michael Ackerman, project manager, (301) 402-4100

Aircraft Noise Assessment
Air Force Conservation and Analysis Branch/
Environmental Programs Division
http://www.afcee.brooks.af.mil/ec/asan/asan.htm

he Air Force designed its Assessment System for Aircraft Noise so that computer users with only basic skills could carry out complex scientific analyses by filling out a form and pushing a button.

With this system, Air Force bases can rapidly assess the effects of changes in aircraft operations or analyze the noise associated with current flight patterns. The system determines aircraft noise's potential effects on humans, animals and sensitive structures by weighing factors such as speed, altitude, aircraft type and route width.

The system analyzes these elements and produces a visual depiction of the noise contours associated with the operations. It also produces tables, charts and references for environmental analysis documents. The system was designed to use commercial hardware and software, augmented by government-developed software.

Because of the system's accuracy, the Air Force can anticipate noise complaints and respond quickly.

Brenda Cook, project manager, (757) 764-6197

CONSERVING RESOURCES

Computerized Irrigation System
Agricultural Research Service
http://www.ars.usda.gov/

n a long-term project, the research service developed a computerized irrigation management system that it turned over to the private sector for commercialization. The system, in use on at least 10 percent of the nation's irrigated land, is saving an estimated 160 billion gallons of water and 108 million kilowatt-hours of energy annually.

The package of software, equipment and control systems ensures that farmers apply only as much water as their fields need, in view of the crops planted and the weather conditions. Using a personal computer to receive and process weather reports and crop data, the farmer can rely on the system to prescribe the proper timing and amount of watering.

The Agriculture Department estimates annual savings of $8.65 million from the $5.5 million project. Project officials expect those savings to grow as the technology spreads across the United States and to other nations.

Dale F. Herrmann, agricultural engineer, (303) 491-8511

More Options and Less Waste
Defense Department
http://www.ha.osd.mil/hmdhpmfr2.html

n October 1990 the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs began to develop a medical supply inventory control system for the Army, Air Force and Navy. The goal was to remedy deficiencies in materiel, facilities, equipment management and wholesaling functions.

The result was the Defense Medical Logistics Standard Support program (DMLSS), a system that since 1993 has reduced surplus inventories and lowered pharmaceutical prices by 15 percent. The program uses electronic commerce, electronic data interchange and hand-held wireless terminals to replace eight service and one Defense Department medical logistics legacy systems.

The system has increased the number of pharmaceutical and medical/surgical products available to medical treatment facilities from about 15,000 in 1992 to 166,000 in 1996. DMLSS also has reduced the shipping time for medical products from 20 days to one. Between fiscal 1991 and fiscal 1996, the program saved taxpayers $642 million, yet cost only $99 million.

John H. Clarke, project manager, (703) 681-8827

Energy Management by Radio
Army
http://www.hood-pao.army.mil

hen facility managers at Fort Hood, Texas, began planning the FM Load Management System in 1991, their top priority was reducing the installation's electricity bill. They succeeded in cutting energy consumption and extending equipment life.

The installation, where 70,000 people work, installed radio-controlled switches that shut down air conditioners briefly during peak usage periods on hot summer afternoons. Although the buildings' occupants do not notice the outage, the facility minimizes electricity usage at times of high rates.

A central computer monitors electricity use at Fort Hood's two substations. When the load exceeds a preset limit, the computer generates codes to shed loads in individual buildings. These codes are relayed to a transmitter by modem, converted to digital audio and broadcast as an encoded FM signal. The receiver is linked to a switch that turns off the air conditioning at 7 1/2 minute intervals. The FM system completely turns off air conditioners and air handlers in offices that close at 5 p.m., and it has been extended to manage lighting at night.

Fort Hood officials say the system will save customers $1.4 million a year.

Bobby Lynn, energy team leader, (817) 287-8716

GOING PAPERLESS

International Trade
Treasury Department
http://www.ustreas.gov/

he Treasury Department designed the North American Trade Automation Prototype to be the first paperless international trade process. NATAP tests electronic commerce by using the Internet for trade communication and the World Wide Web for reporting and the dissemination of trade software and information.

The system links North American nations' border systems for customs and immigration. Before a shipment's arrival at an international border, goods, vehicle and driver information is submitted via the Internet to each country's NATAP system. When the cargo arrives, radio frequency transponders trigger the NATAP system to download the information to the inspectors' computers.

To facilitate international participation and cooperation, the system relies on a trade software package, which can be downloaded from the Internet eliminates the need for countries and federal agencies to buy or develop their own software.

NATAP streamlines the importing and exporting process and expedites trade. This translates into lower cost of goods, shorter transit times and reduced inventory costs.

Robert W. Ehinger, project manager, (202) 927-1826

Digital Engineering Library
Navy
http://jrts.jedmics.navy.mil

hen Defense Department units needed to repair or replace a complex weapons system, they once had to locate paper copies of the plans and drawings made by the designers and builders. Now they can look in the Joint Engineering Data Management Information and Control System digital library, which is accessed through off-the-shelf computers at 34 Defense Department sites.

By automating storage and retrieval of blueprints and other engineering drawings, the database program replaced more than 100 indexing schemes the three military services and the Defense Logistics Agency previously employed to keep track of the data. More important, it has speeded up repairs and replacements. For example, an F/A-18 jet that took nearly 300 days to repair is now back in the air in less than 100 days. That means fewer spare parts are needed.

The system saves its users $170 million a year. The program communicates with other internal logistics systems. The 46 million digital images it maintains often are more complete than their paper predecessors.

Dave Mullins, program manager, (703) 681-4987

Online Information Repository
Environmental Protection Agency
http://www.epa.gov/enviro/

PA receives thousands of Freedom of Information Act requests each year. Before the launch of the Envirofacts Warehouse, the agency's informational Web site, requests took up to 35 days to process.

Now, regulatory, spatial and demographic data is available to federal, state and local regulators, citizens and businesses with the click of a mouse. By using the site's maps and text reports, users can analyze information about air emissions, water-discharge permit compliance, toxic chemicals and hazardous waste handlers.

Prior to Envirofacts, all of EPA's national environmental program databases resided on the agency's mainframe. Each database had its own account structure, security and protocol for accessing information, making it difficult for anyone other than information systems staff to obtain the information.

Now, if users wish to obtain an environmental profile of a facility, for example, they simply fill in the ZIP code, city, state or county fields in an online form. The query generates a list of facilities matching the location. Users then select a facility to receive a detailed environmental profile, including the toxic chemicals or air pollutants released over the last year.

Agency officials credit Envirofacts with cutting FOIA requests by about 20 percent and eliminating waits for information.

Patrick Garvey, project manager, (202) 260-3103

INTERGOVERNMENTAL COOPERATION

Better Buying
General Services Administration/Army/ Defense Finance and Accounting Service
http://www.gsa.gov/

SA's Federal Systems Integration Management Center, the Army Contracting Directorate and the DFAS center in Seaside, Calif., are providing better support for purchasers of computer hardware, software and services, thanks to the work of an integrated project team composed of representatives from the participating agencies, plus a contractor.

They used Lotus Development Corp.'s Notes system to develop a shared workflow system, the Tracking and Ordering System (TOS). The system initiates, tracks, manages and administers hundreds of procurements each year for 171 federal clients. TOS integrates the traditionally stovepipe functions of contracting and financial and project management into one entirely paperless system.

The system supports program management, financial management, contracting and inventory functions. It generates information on workloads, expenditures and other performance and management measures. Team members say it has cut processing costs per procurement by 47 percent and halved certain labor requirements while speeding acquisitions and improving service.

Elizabeth Wilkinson, project manager, (703) 756-4182

Smooth Rides
Transportation Department
http://www.dot.state.ga.us/homeoffs/dttsdrr.www/atmshome.html

otorists will have an easier time navigating the Atlanta region's highways, thanks to a new project that informs citizens of traffic conditions and travel options. The Intelligent Transportation System is designed to help the public make informed route, mode and vehicle occupancy decisions.

Operators at the Transportation Management Center collect real-time traffic information through video imaging that detects traffic speed, lane occupancy and lane volume. Operators also use video surveillance cameras to dispatch emergency services to accident scenes. The information is processed and sent to the public via roadway message signs, information kiosks, the Georgia Traveler Web site (www.georgia-traveler.com), a telephone advisory system and cable television.

The $147 million project has saved motorists countless hours of roadway frustration, thanks to faster accident detection and removal. Implementation of the system also created more than 60 new jobs within the Georgia Department of Transportation.

Joe Stapleton, program manager, Atlanta Regional Advanced Transportation Management System, Georgia Department of Transportation, (404) 635-8005

Tribal Schools Linked
Bureau of Indian Affairs
http://challenge.ukans.edu

tudents in remote areas of the United States and their parents and neighbors no longer have to wonder what it's like to surf the Net. In the Four Directions pilot program, eight Bureau of Indian Affairs schools were supplied with computers and connected to the Internet. The project showed that e-mail, teleconferencing and the Internet can improve collaboration within schools and communities. In particular, the technology has allowed distant schools to share strategies and information.

The program taps the resources of federal agencies, universities and the computer industry. The Laguna, N.M., Department of Education coordinates the program; the Office of Indian Education Programs establishes local and wide area Internet connectivity; the University of New Mexico assesses and maintains network connectivity; Kansas University provides network community publishing; and the University of Texas provides curriculum integration. Microsoft Corp. contributed about $350,000 in software, computers and cash.

Based on the success of this pilot, the Bureau of Indian Affairs drafted a plan to connect all Bureau-funded schools, tribal community colleges, the Haskell Indian Nations University and the Southwestern Indian Polytechnical Institute to the Internet.

Joann Sebastian Morris, director, Office of Indian Education Programs, (202) 208-6123.