Smarter Gov Tech, Stronger MerITocracy

Autonomous vehicle technologies have the potential to eliminate road deaths worldwide, according to the Department of Transportation. Companies including Transurban are jumping at the chance to be a part of the autonomous vehicle revolution. […]

A fleet of 16 mannequins is joining the groups of TSA officers who are training for pat-down procedures. The Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate partnered with Design Interactive last fall to create the Pat-down Accuracy Training Tool. This tool, nicknamed PATT, is a mannequin endowed with a layer of sensors that can detect the amount of pressure a trainee is applying. […]

The Federal Aviation Administration restricted the flight of drones over 133 military bases Thursday. This rule is the first time that the FAA has issued airspace restrictions over drones. The ruling is based on national security interests from the Department of Defense and intelligence agencies. […]

The Transportation Security Administration’s new training device, which tracks security officers’ eyes as they scan images, will not get in the way of human instruction, according to Eric Houser, director of the Mission Analysis Division within TSA’s Office of Requirements and Capabilities Analysis. […]

The Federal Aviation Administration has not established any rules for commercial companies that collect and retain personal information, according to Earl Lawrence, director of the FAA’s Office of Unmanned Aircraft Systems. […]

Clear, a New York City-based biometrics company, is rolling out biometric pods to major airports across the country.
In an interview with MeriTalk, David Cohen, Clear’s chief administrative officer, shared how the tech works and why it benefits airports and fliers alike–plus his thoughts for the future of biometrics. […]

Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., is optimistic about getting support from President Donald Trump on a plan to privatize the Federal Aviation Administration. Shuster proposed last year that air traffic controllers and FAA modernization staff should become a Federally chartered nonprofit organization run by a board of directors. The plans would sever about 14,000 air traffic […]

Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced the members of the agency’s Advisory Committee on Automation, which will discuss the development and deployment of automated vehicles, and determine their research, policy, and regulation needs. […]

The Department of Transportation issued a notice of proposed rulemaking that would enable vehicle manufacturers to install technology that allows cars to talk to each other in order to avoid crashes. […]

The Department of Transportation’s F+ on the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act scorecard does not reflect all of the agency’s compliance work, according to a DOT spokesperson who asked to remain anonymous. […]

One of the most common commercial drone waiver requests concerns permission to fly at night, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, which has rejected 71 waiver requests and 854 applications because of inaccurate or incomplete information. […]

The Department of Transportation issued guidance for motor vehicle cybersecurity to ensure that connected vehicles can make appropriate decisions when cyberattacks are successful. […]

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced Thursday the award of more than $56 million in support of technologies that reduce congestion and $8 million in support of innovative transit. […]

The future of drones depends on a built-in incentive for safety, users’ understanding of what they can and can’t do with drones, and an ongoing conversation in government about evolving as the industry evolves, according to Anthony Foxx, secretary of the Department of Transportation. […]

The White House released a report on artificial intelligence (AI) and a National Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Strategic Plan on Wednesday that address the state of AI and the progress that will be made. […]

The White House announced the creation of 29 tools Thursday that use Federal and local data to address problems identified by Federal agencies as part of the Opportunity Project, an open data effort to improve economic mobility for all Americans. […]

When Richard McKinney started his job as chief information officer of the Department of Transportation, he didn’t know what its network looked like. “Our network was the child of many hands,” McKinney said. “There was no overarching architectural approach to our network.” […]

President Obama announced that he will ask self-driving car manufacturers to sign a 15-point checklist to ensure the safety of the vehicles. The Federal Automated Vehicles Policy will include provisions to increase safety, mobility, productivity, and sustainability of automated vehicles. […]

The Department of Transportation launched its National Transit Map, which includes transit data, a participation map, and interactive mapping apps. The map includes data from 270 transit agencies that provided information on more than 398,000 stops and 10,000 routes. […]

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