House holds vote to overturn Trump's border emergency veto

wlos | March 26, 2019

President Donald Trump is nearing a victory over Democrats as the House tries overriding his first veto, a vote that seems certain to fail and would let stand his declaration of a national emergency at the Mexican border. Tuesday's vote would keep the border emergency intact, which for now would let him shift an additional $3.6 billion from military construction projects to work on a barrier along the southwest boundary. Building the wall was one of his most oft-repeated campaign promises, though he claimed the money would come from Mexico, not taxpayers.

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Infrastructure, Cybersecurity

Palantir Selected by Department of Defense to Automate Spectrum Coordination Workflows

PR Newswire | August 01, 2023

Palantir Technologies Inc. (NYSE: PLTR) today announced that it was selected by the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) to support coordination between federal and commercial licensees of the 3450 - 3550 MHz spectrum band. Palantir will provide its software platform to enable end-to-end automation that will enhance coordination between the Department of Defense and commercial spectrum licensees for shared use of the 3450-3550 MHz band within cooperative planning area (CPA) and periodic use area (PUA) coordination zone boundaries. As part of an ongoing interagency effort to facilitate the shared usage of critically important mid-band spectrum, Palantir's software will enable DISA's Defense Spectrum Organization (DSO) to support formal and informal coordination processes between the Department of Defense and commercial licensees. Existing and future government activities in the spectrum band are vital to protect national security and ensure military readiness. Palantir software will be used to integrate multiple existing functions and capabilities into a single infrastructure that will result in more efficient workflows, reducing the timelines for licensee coordination with DoD to establish sharing agreements and enable deployment of 5G wireless services within CPA/PUA boundaries. Palantir software will also be used to demonstrate the ability to support more advanced spectrum sharing use cases. "We are proud to partner with DISA DSO to support the complex task of sharing limited spectrum resources between federal and commercial users," said Akash Jain, President, Palantir USG. "We are excited to rapidly deploy software that will accelerate and automate coordination workflows and enable the increasingly dynamic and efficient use of spectrum." "As military and commercial use of radio-frequency spectrum continues to grow, spectrum coordination will be increasingly necessary to preserve the effectiveness of critical national security capabilities while enabling U.S. commercial leadership in 5G and other critical technology areas. Palantir looks forward to working alongside the Department of Defense to deploy innovative software solutions that support advanced spectrum sharing workflows and processes," said Miriam Marwick, SVP, Emerging Technologies, Palantir USG. About Palantir Technologies Inc. At Palantir, we're helping the world's most important institutions use their data to solve their most urgent problems. Our software lets our customers integrate and analyze all of their data so they can answer questions that they couldn't before. From delivering disaster relief to building safer automobiles, we're honored to help make our partners better at their most important work.

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Emerging Technology

Gorilla Technology Signs Contract to Deploy Massive Smart Government Project in Egypt

Globenewswire | July 07, 2023

Gorilla Technology Group Inc. , a global provider of AI-based edge video analytics, IoT technologies, and cybersecurity, today announced that it signed a contract with the Government of Egypt to implement a Smart Government Security Convergence solution. The contract, worth more than $270 million over three years, represents the largest customer win in Gorilla’s history and a notable stride in its globalization strategy, putting Gorilla on a path toward profitability by the end of 2024. “We're extremely excited to execute the contract and officially embark on what we expect to be a long-term relationship with the Government of Egypt,” said Gorilla CEO Jay Chandan. “This is the largest project we have ever won and, inclusive of our recent win in Taiwan, we have now secured $300 million worth of projects this quarter. We could not be more excited by our momentum and future. The execution of this contract affirms our standing as a reliable global solutions provider, particularly when the MENA region governments are actively seeking innovative partners to support their crucial transformation from conventional systems to digital technologies and underpins future growth opportunities more broadly in the region and across the globe.” “I am thrilled with this groundbreaking contract. This partnership marks a significant milestone in our mission to create a secure and connected governance ecosystem,” said Gorilla’s Chief Innovation Officer Dr Rajesh Natarajan. “By integrating cutting-edge technologies such as AI, IoT and data analytics, we are poised to revolutionize the way governments safeguard their critical assets. This collaboration reaffirms our commitment to delivering innovative solutions that empower governments to proactively address emerging security challenges. Together, we will build a resilient and future-ready security framework, setting standards for safety and governance in the digital age.” The key objective of the smart government security convergence solution is to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of security operations while enabling better decision-making, proactive threat detection, and quick response to emerging risks. The system includes: Access Control and Identity Management: Robust access control systems to manage and authenticate the identities of individuals accessing critical resources in the governmental network. Interagency Collaboration: Enable interagency collaboration by enabling seamless information sharing and communication among government entities via email, document sharing, voice, and video conferencing. Cybersecurity Measures: Strong cybersecurity measures integrated to protect the entire smart government security convergence infrastructure from cyber threats. These measures include network segmentation, encryption protocols, intrusion detection and prevention systems, and continuous monitoring of network traffic. Command and Control Center: A centralized command and control center to act as the nerve center of the security infrastructure, integrating data from multiple sources, providing operators with a comprehensive situational awareness dashboard for effective decision-making and rapid incident response coordination. The implementation of these advanced technologies and systems within the smart government security convergence project aims to create a highly secure and interconnected air-gapped environment. It facilitates proactive threat detection, timely incident response, and effective resource allocation, enabling governments to protect their critical infrastructure. “We deeply appreciate the trust placed in our team, products, and solutions by the Egyptian Government. This achievement is a testament to the tireless efforts of representatives of the Government of Egypt and all at Gorilla. The sheer scale is unique, propelling us closer to our vision of being acknowledged as a global platform-as-a-service provider and a catalyst for innovation,” Chandan added. About Gorilla Technology Group Inc. Gorilla, headquartered in London U.K., is a global solution provider in security intelligence, network intelligence, business intelligence and IoT technology. Gorilla develops a wide range of solutions including Smart Cities, Smart Retail, Enterprise Security, and Smart Media. In addition, Gorilla provides a complete Security Convergence Platform to government institutions, telecom companies and private enterprises with network surveillance and cyber security.

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Emerging Technology, Infrastructure

nZero Joins Green Proving Ground Program as U.S. General Services Administration Integrates Carbon Tracking Software for the First Time

PR Newswire | July 13, 2023

Carbon management and accounting platform nZero will be tracking real-time 24/7 carbon-free electricity under the U.S. General Services Administration's (GSA) Green Proving Ground (GPG) program as part of the Federal Government's quest to decarbonize federal buildings. The government agency recently announced that, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy, it will invest $30 million from the Inflation Reduction Act to increase the sustainability of federal buildings by testing novel technologies through the GPG program. This marks the first year GSA is integrating carbon tracking software. nZero will be supporting the Biden-Harris Administration's larger initiative to advance clean energy tech offerings and establish net-zero federal buildings. "GSA serves as a standard for federal building development across the country, and our carbon management and emissions tracking will complement the agency's ongoing work toward achieving net-zero federal buildings," said Josh Griffin, Chief Policy Officer and Co-Founder at nZero. "The opportunity to work with GSA and the GPG program as one of the first carbon accounting software to be evaluated under this program is an honor. We look forward to working toward a common goal of decarbonizing the built world through more transparent and accurate greenhouse gas accounting." The GPG program works to advance GSA's goals of achieving net-zero emissions in federal buildings and creating clean energy jobs by evaluating American-made, emerging and sustainable technologies to help increase the deployment of federal electric vehicle supply equipment, protect air quality, reduce climate pollution, and enhance building performance. The GPG program leverages GSA's real estate portfolio to assess innovative building technologies in real-world settings. "nZero is playing an important role in the Green Proving Ground program, as the Federal Government drives further innovation and clean energy initiatives across the country," said Robin Carnahan, Administrator of GSA. "In furtherance of the Federal Government's mandate to track these emissions, nZero's participation in the program will help GSA evaluate accurate and efficient carbon accounting as we push toward our ongoing goal of net-zero federal buildings." With the additional funds from the Inflation Reduction Act, GSA is able to increase its evaluation and investment in technologies that will benefit its real estate portfolio. nZero's role as a selected technology pertains to greenhouse gas accounting, one of the GPG program's seven technology areas of focus. The seven areas include: Greenhouse Gas Accounting, Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment, Germicidal Ultraviolet, Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings, High-Performance, Onsite Renewables, and Window Retrofit. About nZero nZero is a real-time carbon accounting and management platform that collects, analyzes and produces emissions and insights data to help NGOs, government agencies and organizations accelerate their journey to net zero. nZero utilizes a proprietary carbon data model to capture and automate all emission points from an organizations' operational footprint at the highest granularity possible and provides 24/7 analysis of scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions. Unlike other offerings that rely on third-party data and opaque averages, nZero's accurate, first-party, contextual data helps clients understand changes hour-by-hour, access metrics to reach climate goals and reduce operational and capital costs. nZero's data is audit-ready and compliant with all reporting criteria, mitigating risk and ensuring that organizations are prepared for new rules, regulations, and financial reporting demands. nZero recognition includes the 2022 "Leader in Sustainability" Award from the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada (EDAWN), the 2022 Sustainability Product of the Year Award from Business Intelligence Group, a TIME Magazine Best Inventions of 2022 recipient, as well as an honorable mention on Fast Company's 2022 World Changing Ideas List. About GSA GSA provides centralized procurement and shared services for the Federal Government, managing a nationwide real estate portfolio of nearly 370 million rentable square feet, overseeing approximately $75 billion in annual contracts, and delivering technology services that serve millions of people across dozens of federal agencies. GSA's mission is to deliver the best customer experience and value in real estate, acquisition, and technology services to the government and the American people.

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