Lauren Harrison

Sacramento

Managing Editor at Government Technology

Managing editor @govtechnews. Audiobook junkie. Sparkling water enthusiast.

Articles

Texas Firm Announces Plans to Build Data Centers on the Moon

4 weeks ago | mercedsunstar.com | Lauren Harrison

A GIANT LEAPFlorida-based Lonestar Data Holdings announced in March its plans to start building data centers somewhere out of this world: the moon. Lonestar said it would use $5 million in seed funding to build a series of lunar data centers and create a platform for data storage and processing there. The sites will initially be for remote data storage and disaster recovery backups. In December 2021, Lonestar ran a successful test of its technology on the International Space Station.
U.K. Government Plans 165-Mile Drone Superhighway

4 weeks ago | sanluisobispo.com | Lauren Harrison

165 MILESPlans were approved by the U.K. government in July for a drone superhighway. Stretching 165 miles across England, the Skyway is set to be the world's longest dedicated drone corridor. Led by U.K. firm Altitude Angel, the superhighway will use "detect and avoid" technology to prevent drone collisions and allow for flight beyond line of sight.
N.C. Risk Officer on Zero Trust, Protecting Resident Privacy

4 weeks ago | sanluisobispo.com | Lauren Harrison

Rob Main was named North Carolina chief risk officer in October 2021 after two years in the deputy role. He oversees state cybersecurity and talked to GovTech at the National Association of State Chief Information Officers Midyear conference in May about zero trust, privacy and North Carolina's whole-of-state approach to cyber. 1. Do you have a zero-trust posture in North Carolina? Zero trust is absolutely essential to ensuring the confidentiality, integrity and availability of state data.
Walmart 30-Minute Drone Delivery Expands to 4 Million Homes

4 weeks ago | sanluisobispo.com | Lauren Harrison

30 MINUTESThat's how quickly you could have an order from Walmart delivered to your home via drone. The retail giant has been testing a drone delivery program since 2020 and is now expanding its DroneUp network to offer the service to 4 million homes in Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Texas, Utah and Virginia. Walmart anticipates that drones will be able to deliver 1 million orders annually before 2022 comes to a close.
Texas Firm Announces Plans to Build Data Centers on the Moon

4 weeks ago | sanluisobispo.com | Lauren Harrison

A GIANT LEAPFlorida-based Lonestar Data Holdings announced in March its plans to start building data centers somewhere out of this world: the moon. Lonestar said it would use $5 million in seed funding to build a series of lunar data centers and create a platform for data storage and processing there. The sites will initially be for remote data storage and disaster recovery backups. In December 2021, Lonestar ran a successful test of its technology on the International Space Station.
World’s Largest Radio Telescope Being Built in Australia

4 weeks ago | sanluisobispo.com | Lauren Harrison

SPACE CASEConstruction of the world's largest radio telescope kicked off in Australia in December. The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) Observatory will include 131,072 antennas in Australia's western region and is projected to map space about 135 times faster than existing telescopes. Another portion of the SKA, built with 197 radio dishes, is already in use at Meerkat National Park in South Africa.
State CIOs Weigh In on Securing the 2024 Election

Sep 3, 2024 | govtech.com | Noelle Knell |Lauren Harrison

“We play a huge role in election security. We partner with our security organization. We helped them through the last election get to a new system. We provide the reporting. We do lots with security, partnering with organizations like the National Guard. Our teams are working around the clock during our election cycles, so we have a great relationship with our elections office. I’d say we look forward to it, but it’s going to be quite a challenge, particularly in Delaware.
What Does AI Mean for Human-Centered Design?

Jul 1, 2024 | govtech.com | Noelle Knell |Lauren Harrison

We asked state CIOs: What does AI mean for human-centered design? “It’s more important than ever, when we’re looking at generative AI, to make sure that we are designing it and building those systems with humans in mind. We like to use the term ‘artificial intelligence,’ but at the end of the day, it’s not really intelligent. It’s just an algorithm. And so because of that, and especially in government, trust is foundational and we can’t lose that trust.
States Embrace Non-Traditional Hiring, Easing Workforce Woes

May 9, 2024 | govtech.com | Lauren Harrison |Noelle Knell

In the 2022 Digital States Survey,* CIOs ranked IT staffing concerns as their No. 3 priority, fearing a retirement wave would mean more vacant government IT positions than they could easily fill, especially given competition with the private sector. At the NASCIO Midyear conference last week, tech leaders indicated that some of those worries remain, but there’s been a distinct shift as states have embraced non-traditional hiring practices to recruit new talent.
AI’s Potential in Government? Ask the Chief Data Officer

May 8, 2024 | govtech.com | Noelle Knell |Lauren Harrison

As government begins to navigate past the initial fervor around artificial intelligence and, more recently, generative AI, a clear connection is emerging: a link between solid data management and the ability to take advantage of new technologies like AI. At last week’s NASCIO Midyear Conference, GT spoke with tech leaders — most in some stage of assembling AI task forces and developing guardrails for safe use — about where the use cases lie.