GovernmentExecutive.com

A Big Federal Second Life?

That's the goal of key staffers at the Information Resources Management College at the National Defense University, which has a formed a multiagency consortium to establish a sizeable federal presence in the Second Life virtual world run by Linden Labs.

Paulette Robinson, assistant dean for teaching, learning and technology at the IRM College, said she has signed up almost 20 agencies for the ad hoc Second Life federal group since an initial organizational meeting in July, with more expressing interest every day.

Robinson said the consortium plans a major push to establish a federal presence in Second Life and other virtual environments, and along the way create processes and procedures to make it simpler for agencies to get a life in Second Life.

The Air Force and Navy already have signed up with the consortium, Robinson said, as well as multiple civilian agencies, including the State and Transportation departments, National Institutes of Health, Library of Congress, and two early federal Second Life pioneers: NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The federal consortium will probably initially follow the lead of NASA and NOAA and use virtual "islands" in Second Life for educational outreach to the public, Robinson said. NOAA uses its island to house, among other things, an interactive weather map that's better and more interesting than anything served up on its static Web pages.

NASA has set up an island to network with space professionals. It's located next door to the Second Life International Space Flight Museum.

The consortium also is eyeing establishing federal outposts in more secure virtual environments, such as those built by Forterra Systems, which would allow agencies to conduct virtual business in an environment more controlled than the anything-goes atmosphere of Second Life, Robinson said.

Since real estate -- even virtual real estate -- is all about location, Robinson said the federal consortium is looking to co-locate Second Life islands for economies of scale in a new federal neighborhood.

A combined federal effort in Second Life, Robinson said, would allow various agencies to share a virtual conference center and other resources.

She said the consortium is planning a one day real-world meeting about Second Life in November and anyone interested in attending or learning more can contact Patty Coopersmith, educational initiative project manager for the IRM College, at coopersmithp@ndu.edu.

If this gets going, will agencies count personnel in terms of real and virtual world FTEs?

It Takes a Real RFP to Build a Federal Virtual Infrastructure

The IRM College bought its own Second Life island at the start of the summer and Robinson said it now has a real-world request for proposals on the street to build its infrastructure.

This will include conference rooms and a virtual replica of the college's Crisis Management Center set up this summer in NDU's Marshall Building at Fort McNair in Washington. Robinson expects to have the virual IRM College running early next year.

I think GSA should quickly join the federal consortium so it can issue virtual RFPs, which of course will be governed by a virtual Federal Acquisition Regulation.

Looking for Tomorrow's Tools Among Today's Gizmos

Robert Childs, IRM College director, makes more than his share of appearances at AFCEA and other military technology conferences, but said he does his real trendspotting at a place you might not expect to see a senior federal technology executive: the annual and mammoth Consumer Electronics Show held in Las Vegas.

Childs has attended CES the last four years to spot consumer technology trends that could have uses in government, such as now widely used mobile phones equipped with tech messaging capabilities and MP3 gadgets that can play music as well as tons of informational podcasts put out by multiple Defense and civilian agencies.

Childs thinks Defense would get value for its money by sending a handful of colonels and majors to wander around CES to check out if there are military applications for today's gadgets and gizmos.

I suggest grunts be tapped for this mission -- a day at CES is as tough on the body as a hike from Case Springs to Margarita at Camp Pendleton.

The GIG Vision Thing

What's a Global Information Grid without a vision statement?

Defense has had its GIG for years, and this week publicly released a vision statement (dated June 2007) for those who just can't live without one. It puts a new spin on what folks once viewed a globe-girdling network of fiber-optic and satellite circuits.

Network pipes and plumbing take a back stage to information in the GIG vision statement signed by John Grimes, assistant secretary of Defense for network and information integration. "Information is focal point of the GIG," the vision statement says, and then lays out the technology, processes, architecture and policy needed to ensure personnel can get the information they need when and where they need it.

This is a must read, and I hope Mr. Grimes will autograph my copy.

Yes, Virginia, There Always Will Be a Signal Corps

I speculated last week that since the Army had changed the name of its Signal School to LandWarNet University, the venerable and historic branch could be changed to the LandWarNet Corps.

Not to worry. I ran into Vern Bettencourt, the Army's acting CIO, at the AFCEA D.C. chapter lunch earlier this week, and he assured me that the Signal Corps is the Signal Corps and will not morph into the LandWarNet Corps.

I bet the Army Institute of Heraldry is thrilled with this. They're clever folks, but coming up with a shield and badge for the LandWarNet Corps would have been a real challenge.