The latest news and opportunities in government data and analytics                                                   

VOLUME 5. ISSUE 41.

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Welcome to Carpe Datum’s weekly newsletter, the Federal Data Prospector, the only publication of its kind dedicated exclusively to data and analytics companies that share our passion for serving the public sector. Our featured items start with the National Science Foundation (NSF) which is seeking input on how best to acquire and integrate external data sources into its analytic environment, focusing on topics such as data sources, cost considerations, and integration methods.

 

  • National Science Foundation — Data on Science and Technology Landscape - The National Science Foundation (NSF) requests input from the full range of institutions and organizations across all sectors—industry, academia, non-profits, government, venture capital, and others—to inform the acquisition of data to support the assessment and evaluation of the NSF portfolio of grants and contracts. This RFI seeks to inform NSF’s acquisition of key external data sources and integration of these data into NSF’s data and analytic environment to support robust assessment and evaluation of the outcomes and impacts of the agency’s investments and activities.

 

In other data news, on October 2nd, The Markup published an article entitled Predictive Policing Software Terrible At Predicting Crimes. In this story, Aaron Sankin and Surya Mattu describe how predictive policing algorithms, designed to forecast criminal activities, have faced scrutiny for their low success rates and limited effectiveness, as they often fail to accurately predict and prevent crimes, raising concerns about their broader utility in law enforcement. Critics argue that while data analysis can identify crime trends, addressing the root causes of crime may require alternative approaches beyond predictive policing.

 

  • 'To me, the entire benefit of this type of analysis is using it as a starting point to engage police commanders and, when possible, community members in larger dialogue to help understand exactly what it is about these causal factors that are leading to hot spots forming,' said Northeastern University professor Eric Piza, who has been a critic of predictive policing technology. ”

 

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The Carpe Datum Team

USAFA Jodel Social Media Monitoring

Dept. of Defense

The Contractor shall provide advisory and assistance services for social media monitoring services of the application “Jodel” and other popular social media platforms used by United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) cadets. The contractor shall quickly and effectively coordinate with Jodel to actively address posts by USAFA Cadets or Permanent Party that violate company policies and/or United States laws, or those identified to negatively impact the culture & climate of USAFA.

Information Search Platform

Dept. of Defense

Require Access for 150 each Authorized Agency Users- Information Search Platform- is required to search all available background information for soldiers and civilians that will handle and manage varying levels of classified documents.

Data Analytics and Innovation Support 2.0

Dept. of the Treasury

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has a requirement for contractor support services to create application of data and analytic techniques to improve any of the IRS’ operations.  

Data Variables and Analysis Services

Dept. of Health and Human Services

The RSO objective seeks to support the procurement of data for the Market Overhaul to Reward Public Health Elevation in the United States (MORPHEUS) program Outcome Toolkit.

Unified Data Reference Architecture Industry Day

Dept. of Defense

Date offers due extended to October 10, 2023.

DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory Broad Agency Announcement for Foundational Research

Dept. of Defense

ARL research topics posted.

ARPA-H Biomedical Data Fabric (BDF) Toolbox

Dept. of Health and Human Services

Abstract submissions should be submitted at: https://ecps.nih.gov/.

TIVOD Modernization Project

Dept. of Education

Date offers due extended to October 31, 2023. Response page limit increased.

Group License Subscription for Bloomberg.com

Federal Housing Finance Agency

FHFA has a requirement for a Group License Subscription for Bloomberg.com, including a commercial interactive information system delivering a continuous data feed of real-time and delayed current and historical domestic and international financial information. 

Thomson Reuters Special Services Snags $60M DOD Data Contract

Dept. of Defense

Thomson Reuters Special Services won a 5-year, $60 million blanket purchase agreement from the Defense Department to support the agency’s global intelligence mission.

ZeroFox Social Media Detection Software

Dept. of Defense

United States Army recuriting Command (USAREC) has a requirement for ZeroFox Social Media Detection Software.

NASA expands purchase of commercial data with latest award

NASA

NASA’s Commercial Smallsat Data Acquisition Program provides data for NASA’s Earth science research and application activities. NASA is particularly eager to obtain “data acquired by commercial satellite constellations, affording the means of complementing NASA’s Earth observations data with higher resolutions, increased temporal frequency or other novel capabilities,” according to the NASA news release.

Deep Analytics Announces SBIR Contract Wins with U.S. Army and DHS for Artificial Intelligence Solutions

Dept. of Homeland Security

The U.S. Army Program Executive Office (PEO), Simulation, Training and Instrumentation (STRI) group in Orlando, Fla., has contracted Deep Analytics to develop an AI-Enabled Vehicle Recorder (AIEVR) for training evaluation. The AIEVR 'Black Box' will capture, record, and transmit tactical vehicle telemetry and voice communication data streaming from Army tanks and fighting vehicles during live fire training.

The CIA’s data-challenged AI imperative

The Central Intelligence Agency is developing its own Chat-GPT-like tool, but the agency is still struggling to manage its data and quickly adopt commercially available solutions, said Dan Richard, the CIA’s chief cyber policy advisor.  

The story of the drug-running DEA snitch behind the web databases tracking our lives

The internet remembers everything, even if we have forgotten - where we've lived, what we've bought, whether we've ever been convicted of a crime. So McKenzie Funk started to wonder, how exactly did we get here? Who started building the databases that store all that information? The answer took him back before Facebook, before the Department of Homeland Security, before the internet to a larger-than-life character named Hank Asher. 

IRS won't add Login.gov without changes

“Login.gov’s lack of strong anti-fraud controls prohibits the IRS’s ability to detect large-scale exploits, putting billions of dollars of taxpayer payments at risk,” senior executives wrote to the tax agency's deputy chief in a November 7, 2022 memorandum quoted at length in the report from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.

Minnesota’s new crime data tool helps keep law agencies accountable, official says

Like in many other states, Evans said, Minnesota saw an uptick in violent crimes during the pandemic, which in turn revealed a widening gap in trust and accountability between law enforcement and the communities they serve. To build public trust and fight crime, the division in 2021 partnered with Minnesota IT Services, the state’s technology bureau, on a publicly accessible database.

‘Continuous vetting’ procedures will soon apply to more feds governmentwide

The continuous vetting process subjects certain federal employees to background checks at any given time. To carry out these procedures, agencies use automated record checks of employees’ credit history, criminal records and other information, and flag any instances where an employee faces an issue that may put their employment at risk, such as an arrest.

Wyden, Cassidy to Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Crack Down on Identity Fraud from AI

U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today announced that he and U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, R-La., will introduce bipartisan legislation to combat rising cases of identity fraud from the use of artificial intelligence by allowing the United States Postal Service to offer identity verification and related services to the private sector like they currently do for government agencies.

CFPB Initiates FCRA Rulemaking on Medical Debt and Data Brokers

In addition to removing medical bills from consumer credit reports, the Outline also details proposals that the CFPB is considering with respect to data brokers. 

Feds Leveraging Data to Modernize Government Business Practices

The Growing Good in Government Initiative (G3I) – spearheaded by the Marketing and Regulatory Programs (MRP) Mission Area at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) – aims to help Feds improve how they influence the strategic direction and the business practices of government by leveraging data and emerging technology.

Signal Ocean launches Data Warehouse to supercharge shipping’s data-crunching capabilities

The Signal Ocean platform uses AI, advanced geospatial models and predictive technology to provide ship owners, brokers, traders, charterers and market analysts with real-time shipping market data – combining industry insight with a breadth of vessel information relevant to chartering and trading decision-making.

Palantir Technologies and PwC Collaborate to Accelerate Operational Transformation

The Alliance brings together PwC’s deep industry and functional expertise and Palantir’s cutting-edge software to enable organisations to effect outcomes at speed and utilise latest technologies to deliver transformational and sustained business impact across multiple industries and activities including, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Health, Pharmaceuticals, Financial Services, ESG, M&A, Digital Audit, and others.

Socure Launches Compliance Product Suite Leveraging GenAI to Optimize Accuracy of Identity Verification

Socure, the leading provider of digital identity verification and fraud solutions, today announced the launch of its next-generation Socure Compliance Suite, with market-leading data coverage, unmatched precision and accuracy, and world-class tools to efficiently manage operations.

HG Insights Launches GenAI Navigator As AI Becomes Major Priority For Global Businesses

To help customers capitalize on the wave of innovation in Artificial Intelligence, HG has launched GenAI Navigator™, a solution to help customers understand a company’s AI maturity, interest, and cloud-centricity.

Intelligence Unleashed - Red Hat Government Symposium 2023

At the Red Hat Government Symposium, we’ll explore what agencies need to unleash AI’s promise, whether that means accelerating time to innovation, improving military readiness, or delivering personalized and predictive services to citizens. You’ll hear from innovators building environments that put meaningful intelligence into the hands of leaders and operators, powering agency missions more efficiently and securely than ever before.

USSOCOM Innovation Foundry (IF14) Event Collaboration Event (CE)

Specific areas of interest include the growth of digital infrastructure for civilian and military systems; the impact of artificial intelligence technologies in the design, implementation, exploitation, and securing of information systems; the impact of innovative communications, networking, and control systems on future cyber infrastructure; advancements of quantum computing and encryption tools; as well as offensive and defensive approaches including prevention, pre-emption, detection, isolation, defeat, and the exploitation of digital vulnerabilities.

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The Federal Data Prospector is curated by Carpe Datum employees, and delivers fresh content about the intersection of the data and analytics industry and the Federal Government for businesses who want to start or grow their public sector practices.

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