The Miele Guard L1 Electro is available now for $1,499 making it the most expensive model in the company’s L1 lineup and considerably pricier than even the $380 canister vacuum that Dyson still sells. That seems like a lot for a vacuum that still has a power cord, but the Electro does offer additional functionality including a built-in LCD touchscreen for changing the vacuum’s cleaning mode. The screen also displays status messages letting you know when the filter or vacuum bag needs replacing, or if a clog is detected.
The Electro connects to Miele’s mobile app over Wi-Fi giving you another option for staying on top of those important status messages. And should it be time to replace bags or filters, you can conveniently order them directly through the app.
The majority of states along the U.S.-Canada border could have a shot at seeing the northern lights Monday night, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which issued a similarly strong forecast for Tuesday night.
NOAA issued a Kp index of four for Monday night. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)
Getty Images
Key Facts
A Kp index of four was issued by NOAA for Monday night, meaning the aurora borealis “can be quite pleasing to look at” for people in the right areas.
Monday’s curved viewing line stretches as far down as central South Dakota, with chances of seeing the northern lights increasing the further north viewers are from the line.
Northern lights viewers will have another shot at seeing the natural phenomenon on Tuesday, when a Kp index of four is also forecast alongside a viewing line identical to Monday’s.
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Where Will The Northern Lights Be Visible?
Monday’s viewing line includes Alaska, northern Washington, northern Idaho, most of Montana, all of North Dakota, the upper half of South Dakota, most of Minnesota, the Michigan Upper Peninsula, the northern half of the Michigan Lower Peninsula and northern Maine.
Monday’s viewing line.
NOAA
What’s The Best Way To See The Northern Lights?
The window of time between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. usually provides viewers with their best chance at seeing the northern lights. Areas with little to no light pollution, as well as high vantage points, can increase the likelihood of seeing the aurora borealis.
What’s The Best Way To Photograph The Northern Lights?
Night mode and no flash should be used for those trying to snap a photo of the lights on their smartphones. Traditional cameras should be equipped with wide-angle lenses and low apertures while shooting the northern lights. Tripods can help smartphones and cameras with stability.
Key Background
Auroral activity has been above-average through much of 2024 and 2025. The increased activity comes from the sun reaching the peak of its 11-year solar cycle, generating coronal mass ejections and solar flares that often lead to northern lights showings. While the summer has brought some decent showings, winter months are typically the best time to view the northern lights due to longer and darker nights.
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Researchers have published the most comprehensive survey to date of so-called “OS Agents” — artificial intelligence systems that can autonomously control computers, mobile phones and web browsers by directly interacting with their interfaces. The 30-page academic review, accepted for publication at the prestigious Association for Computational Linguistics conference, maps a rapidly evolving field that has attracted billions in investment from major technology companies.
“The dream to create AI assistants as capable and versatile as the fictional J.A.R.V.I.S from Iron Man has long captivated imaginations,” the researchers write. “With the evolution of (multimodal) large language models ((M)LLMs), this dream is closer to reality.”
The survey, led by researchers from Zhejiang University and OPPO AI Center, comes as major technology companies race to deploy AI agents that can perform complex digital tasks. OpenAI recently launched “Operator,” Anthropic released “Computer Use,” Apple introduced enhanced AI capabilities in “Apple Intelligence,” and Google unveiled “Project Mariner” — all systems designed to automate computer interactions.
OS agents work by observing computer screens and system data, then executing actions like clicks and swipes across mobile, desktop and web platforms. The systems must understand interfaces, plan multi-step tasks and translate those plans into executable code. (Credit: GitHub)
Tech giants rush to deploy AI that controls your desktop
The speed at which academic research has transformed into consumer-ready products is unprecedented, even by Silicon Valley standards. The survey reveals a research explosion: over 60 foundation models and 50 agent frameworks developed specifically for computer control, with publication rates accelerating dramatically since 2023.
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This isn’t just incremental progress. We’re witnessing the emergence of AI systems that can genuinely understand and manipulate the digital world the way humans do. Current systems work by taking screenshots of computer screens, using advanced computer vision to understand what’s displayed, then executing precise actions like clicking buttons, filling forms, and navigating between applications.
“OS Agents can complete tasks autonomously and have the potential to significantly enhance the lives of billions of users worldwide,” the researchers note. “Imagine a world where tasks such as online shopping, travel arrangements booking, and other daily activities could be seamlessly performed by these agents.”
The most sophisticated systems can handle complex multi-step workflows that span different applications — booking a restaurant reservation, then automatically adding it to your calendar, then setting a reminder to leave early for traffic. What took humans minutes of clicking and typing can now happen in seconds, without human intervention.
The development of AI agents requires a complex training pipeline that combines multiple approaches, from initial pre-training on screen data to reinforcement learning that optimizes performance through trial and error. (Credit: arxiv.org)
Why security experts are sounding alarms about AI-controlled corporate systems
For enterprise technology leaders, the promise of productivity gains comes with a sobering reality: these systems represent an entirely new attack surface that most organizations aren’t prepared to defend.
The researchers dedicate substantial attention to what they diplomatically term “safety and privacy” concerns, but the implications are more alarming than their academic language suggests. “OS Agents are confronted with these risks, especially considering its wide applications on personal devices with user data,” they write.
The attack methods they document read like a cybersecurity nightmare. “Web Indirect Prompt Injection” allows malicious actors to embed hidden instructions in web pages that can hijack an AI agent’s behavior. Even more concerning are “environmental injection attacks” where seemingly innocuous web content can trick agents into stealing user data or performing unauthorized actions.
Consider the implications: an AI agent with access to your corporate email, financial systems, and customer databases could be manipulated by a carefully crafted web page to exfiltrate sensitive information. Traditional security models, built around human users who can spot obvious phishing attempts, break down when the “user” is an AI system that processes information differently.
The survey reveals a concerning gap in preparedness. While general security frameworks exist for AI agents, “studies on defenses specific to OS Agents remain limited.” This isn’t just an academic concern — it’s an immediate challenge for any organization considering deployment of these systems.
The reality check: Current AI agents still struggle with complex digital tasks
Despite the hype surrounding these systems, the survey’s analysis of performance benchmarks reveals significant limitations that temper expectations for immediate widespread adoption.
Success rates vary dramatically across different tasks and platforms. Some commercial systems achieve success rates above 50% on certain benchmarks — impressive for a nascent technology — but struggle with others. The researchers categorize evaluation tasks into three types: basic “GUI grounding” (understanding interface elements), “information retrieval” (finding and extracting data), and complex “agentic tasks” (multi-step autonomous operations).
The pattern is telling: current systems excel at simple, well-defined tasks but falter when faced with the kind of complex, context-dependent workflows that define much of modern knowledge work. They can reliably click a specific button or fill out a standard form, but struggle with tasks that require sustained reasoning or adaptation to unexpected interface changes.
This performance gap explains why early deployments focus on narrow, high-volume tasks rather than general-purpose automation. The technology isn’t yet ready to replace human judgment in complex scenarios, but it’s increasingly capable of handling routine digital busywork.
OS agents rely on interconnected systems for perception, planning, memory and action execution. The complexity of coordinating these components helps explain why current systems still struggle with sophisticated tasks. (Credit: arxiv.org)
What happens when AI agents learn to customize themselves for every user
Perhaps the most intriguing — and potentially transformative — challenge identified in the survey involves what researchers call “personalization and self-evolution.” Unlike today’s stateless AI assistants that treat every interaction as independent, future OS agents will need to learn from user interactions and adapt to individual preferences over time.
“Developing personalized OS Agents has been a long-standing goal in AI research,” the authors write. “A personal assistant is expected to continuously adapt and provide enhanced experiences based on individual user preferences.”
This capability could fundamentally change how we interact with technology. Imagine an AI agent that learns your email writing style, understands your calendar preferences, knows which restaurants you prefer, and can make increasingly sophisticated decisions on your behalf. The potential productivity gains are enormous, but so are the privacy implications.
The technical challenges are substantial. The survey points to the need for better multimodal memory systems that can handle not just text but images and voice, presenting “significant challenges” for current technology. How do you build a system that remembers your preferences without creating a comprehensive surveillance record of your digital life?
For technology executives evaluating these systems, this personalization challenge represents both the greatest opportunity and the largest risk. The organizations that solve it first will gain significant competitive advantages, but the privacy and security implications could be severe if handled poorly.
The race to build AI assistants that can truly operate like human users is intensifying rapidly. While fundamental challenges around security, reliability, and personalization remain unsolved, the trajectory is clear. The researchers maintain an open-source repository tracking developments, acknowledging that “OS Agents are still in their early stages of development” with “rapid advancements that continue to introduce novel methodologies and applications.”
The question isn’t whether AI agents will transform how we interact with computers — it’s whether we’ll be ready for the consequences when they do. The window for getting the security and privacy frameworks right is narrowing as quickly as the technology is advancing.
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A team of engineers has come up with designs of a 36-mile spacecraft, dubbed Chrysalis, designed to carry up to 2,400 passengers to Alpha Centauri, the closest star system to our own.
As first spotted by Live Science, the ambitious vision recently won the team the top prize at the Project Hyperion Design Competition, which was launched last year by an international consortium of scientists, engineers, and urban planners.
Unsurprisingly, Chrysalis sounds like it was yanked straight out of a sci-fi novel. The hypothetical habitat generates Earth-like gravity by constantly rotating around its own axis, as laid out in a project brief. Several onion-like layers include dwellings and gardens for inhabitants, warehouses, food production and ecosystems, and communal spaces.
Each of these shells is powered by nuclear fusion reactors — which, it’s fair to point out, is tech that hasn’t been yet been made practical by anybody here on Earth.
Chrysalis is made up of several stages, each of which is a “fully autonomous and complete” habitat.
The layer closest to the core was designed to provide space for plants, microbes, livestock, and other mechanisms of food production. Various environments allow biodiversity to continue, including tropical and boreal forests.
The second layer houses communal spaces, and the third holds “3D-printed dwelling modules.” The outermost shell serves as a warehouse for machinery, equipment, and other types of resources.
A “Cosmos Dome,” 426 feet in height and 1,180 feet in diameter, provides a controlled, zero-gravity environment, as well as thermal insulation and shielding from deep space radiation.
It’s also the only place where inhabitants can gaze at the universe outside, while freely and safely floating around in weightlessness.
“Through the transparent panels of the dome, the inhabitants will be able to observe the universe to the rear of the spaceship,” the brief reads.
Since Chrysalis is a generational ship, the goal is to give both male and female inhabitants a three-year window between the ages of 28 and 31 to reproduce. There’s a two-child limit for each inhabitant, “not necessarily with the same partner,” according to the brief.
The goal is to maintain a “stable population” of roughly 1,500 individuals over three generations.
An artificial intelligence would allow for “resilience of the whole social system, better knowledge transfer between the different generations of inhabitants and a deeper vision of the overall dynamics of the Chrysalis spaceship complex,” the pitch reads.
While it’s a fascinating and detailed vision of an exciting, multi-generational journey to a different star system, Chrysalis is still firmly in the realm of science fiction.
Beyond the pesky issue of nuclear fusion not yet existing in a practical form, the manufacturing processes required to build a tens-of-miles structure in zero gravity far surpass anything humanity has accomplished yet. We haven’t even fully explored the concept of artificial gravity with the help of a centrifuge.
But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t explore the concept — especially in the face of various potential disasters that could threaten humanity’s future on Earth.
More on generational ships:Researchers Plotting Giant Spaceship That Could Carry Generations of Humans
The CDC’s new campaign aims to resolve the ongoing drug overdose crisis in America. Stock.adobe.com
More than 80,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2024. Younger demographics have seen the worst effects of this along with mental health concerns, poor mental health reports amongst teens and adolescents are rising over the nation and highlighting the two largest concerns surrounding the youth population.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched a new national campaign “Free Mind.” This campaign aims to provide young adults aged 12-17 and their parents & caregivers with the resources and educational information surrounding mental health, and substance abuse issues.
Young Americans are facing one of the most lethal drug epidemics in recent memory, with the main culprit being illegally produced fentanyl. An estimated 75% of reported drug overdoses from 2020 to 2024 were directly linked to the illegally manufactured drug. Overdose casualties are not the only concern amongst today’s youth as mental health problems are on the rise, with reports of day-to-day lifestyle impacts on teens. The beginning of this mental health dilemma traces back to 2023, were data shows that 40% of high school students suddenly ceased their standard daily routines, citing feelings of depression and despair. These negative mindsets affect young adults in a variety of ways, but the most concerning is self-harm.
Being in a negative mindset can led to poor and sometimes dangerous decisions, especially in adolescents suffering from poor mental health. Recent data suggests that one in five high school students will have a serious attempt of suicide, showing the deadly turn untreated mental health can take. The correlation between drug overdose and mental health in the youth community have started to blend, with both issues adversely affecting one another.
Dr. Allison Arwady, director of the CDC national center for injury prevention and control touched on the effects of substance abuse and bad mental health on young adults, saying, “Teens may use alcohol and other substances to cope with stress, anxiety, and depression. Talking openly about mental health and substance use, and knowing when to get professional help, is critical to helping teens stay healthy. That’s why this campaign supports youth, parents, and caregivers in having those conversations early, before an issue arises.”1
To assist in establishing its new campaign, the CDC reached out to youth groups regarding the community’s knowledge around substance abuse, aiming to use this to produce branding and messages that resonate with younger audiences. Free Mind will provide educational support covering the connection between bad mental health and drug abuse, while also touching on associated risk factors of substance abuse, and strategies for young adults to provide protection from drug use. The new campaign will also offer parents and caregivers the resources to assist and inform their child on the importance of mental health and staying safe from drug abuse.
CDC Launches New Campaign to Address Youth Substance Use and Mental Health The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention August 7, 2025 https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cdc-launches-new-campaign-to-address-youth-substance-use-and-mental-health-302524817.html
August 11, 2025 — Waterloo, ON – A Perimeter Institute researcher is part of a collaboration named in a funding announcement made by the Simons Foundation today. The Simons Collaboration on Black Holes and Strong Gravity represents an $8 million investment in a network of multidisciplinary gravity and black hole experts at 12 institutions around the world. The network will develop a robust theoretical framework for deciphering the secrets encoded in gravitational wave (GW) data, including possible extensions to Einstein’s theory of general relativity.
Perimeter Faculty Member Luis Lehner, Carlo Fidani Rainer Weiss Chair in Theoretical Physics, is a specialist in general relativity who uses advanced mathematics and numerics to push the theory to its limits and hopefully find the cracks that lead to new physics. He is one of 12 principal investigators named in the funding announcement made by the Simons Foundation today, and the only Canadian representative.
Gravitational waves, as predicted by general relativity, are ripples in spacetime that propagate at the speed of light. They were first detected in 2015 by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO), in Livingston, Louisiana, and Hanford, Washington. Today, GW science represents the best means to probe the physics of strong gravity.
Planned upgrades to the Advanced LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA gravitational wave detectors will double the sensitivity of these instruments in the coming years. Earth based detectors will also be joined by powerful new GW observatories in space, like ESA’s upcoming Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA).
Nicolás Yunes, University of Illinois physics professor, will serve as the collaboration’s director for the full four-year term. “We’re moving toward the era of precision gravitational wave physics,” says Yunes. “This new era must be accompanied by a multidisciplinary effort to deepen our understanding of non-linear gravity. Otherwise, we will miss secrets encoded in the gravitational wave data, or worse, misinterpret our observations and be led in the wrong direction.”
Lehner joins physicists and mathematicians who specialize in strong gravity from theoretical, computational, and observational perspectives. Lehner says he is particularly inspired by fluid dynamics, a field that embraces non-linear approaches to problems.
“In physics, it’s common to begin with well-understood systems and then examine the departure from those systems when gently nudged,” he says. “I’m also interested in seeing what happens when we strongly kick it; we might encounter surprises.”
The $8 million grant will provide postdoctoral and graduate student support, fund travel between member institutions, and enable team meetings each year. The collaboration will enlist the expertise of associates – physicists, mathematicians, and data scientists – whose research programs are already immersed in these astrophysical mysteries. Researchers from this large, combined network will come together to tackle the deepest mysteries about our strong gravity universe.
“Gravitational waves enable the strongest stress test we can use on the theory of general relativity,” says Lehner. “The theory may fail, and if it does, that would be wonderful, because it will point us in new directions and spark novel ideas. It’s all about trying to understand gravity from all angles.”
Drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro (known as semaglutide and tirzepatide) have changed the way clinicians manage diabetes and obesity around the world.
Collectively known as GLP-1 agonists, these drugs mimic the hormone GLP-1. This limits both hunger and interest in food, helping users lose weight, and helps control blood sugar levels.
But two new studies published today show that people taking these drugs may have a small increased risk of serious eye conditions and vision loss.
Here’s what you need to know if you’re taking or considering these medications.
What damage can occur?
Non-arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy, or NAION, is a rare but devastating eye condition that occurs when blood flow to the optic nerve is suddenly reduced or blocked. It’s also called an “eye stroke”.
The exact cause of NAION remains unclear and there are no current treatments available. People with diabetes are at increased risk of developing NAION.
Unlike other eye conditions that develop gradually, NAION causes a sudden, painless loss of vision. Patients typically notice the condition when they wake up and discover they’ve lost vision in one eye.
Vision tends to worsen over a couple of weeks and slowly stabilises. Recovery of vision is variable, but around 70% of people do not experience improvement in their vision.
What has previous research shown?
A previous study from 2024 found participants prescribed semaglutide for diabetes were four times more likely to develop NAION. For those taking it for weight loss, the risk was almost eight times higher.
In June, the European Medicines Agency concluded NAION represented a “very rare” side effect of semaglutide medications: a one in 10,000 chance. In a first for medicines regulators, the agency now requires product labels to include NAION as a documented risk.
However the recent studies suggest the risks may be lower than we first thought.
In addition to NAION, there is also evidence to suggest GLP-1 drugs can worsen diabetic eye disease, also known as diabetic retinopathy. This occurs when high blood sugar levels damage the small blood vessels in the retina, which can lead to vision loss.
It may sound counter-intuitive, but rapid blood sugar reductions can also destabilise the fragile blood vessels in the retina and lead to bleeding.
What do the new studies say?
Two newly published studies investigated people with type 2 diabetes living in the United States over two years. The studies looked at the medical records of 159,000 to 185,000 people.
One study found semaglutide or tirzepatide was associated with a more modest risk of developing NAION than previously thought. Of 159,000 people with type 2 diabetes who were taking these drugs, 35 people (0.04%) developed NAION, compared with 19 patients (0.02%) in the comparison group.
The researchers also found an increased risk of developing “other optic nerve disorders”. However, it’s unclear what kind of optic nerve disorders this includes, as the medical record codes used didn’t specify.
Counter to this, the second study did not find an increased risk of NAION among those taking GLP-1 drugs.
However, the researchers found a small increase in the number of people developing diabetic retinopathy in those prescribed GLP-1 drugs.
But overall, participants on GLP-1 drugs experienced fewer sight-threatening complications related to their diabetic retinopathy and required less invasive eye treatments compared to the group taking other diabetes medications.
Further studies are still needed to understand how GLP-1 drugs can lead to eye complications. A current, five-year clinical trial is studying the long-term effects of semaglutides and diabetic eye disease in 1,500 people, which should tell us more about the ocular risks in the future.
What does this mean for people taking GLP-1 drugs?
NAION is a serious condition. But we need to strike a balance between these (and other) risks and the benefits of GLP-1 medications in diabetes care, obesity treatment, reducing heart attack risks and extending lives.
The key lies in informed decision-making and identifying different levels of risk.
People with multiple NAION risk factors – such as sleep apnoea, high blood pressure and diabetes – should undergo careful consideration with their treating doctor before starting these medications.
“Crowded” optic nerve heads are also a risk factor for NAION. This is an anatomical feature where blood vessels at the optic nerve head are tightly packed together. People with crowded optic nerve heads should also undergo careful consideration before starting GLP-1 medications.
Although NAION can strike without warning, regular comprehensive eye examinations with your optometrist or ophthalmologist still serve important purposes. They can detect other drug-related eye problems, including worsening diabetic retinopathy, and can identify patients with crowded optic nerve heads. It’s also important to tell them if you are taking GLP-1 medications so they can keep a close watch on your eye health.
Emerging research also suggests that improving your heart health might help reduce risks of developing NAION. This includes proper management of high blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol – all conditions that compromise the small blood vessels feeding the optic nerve.
Studies also show patients with heart conditions who better adhere to their medication prescriptions have lower risks of NAION than those who don’t.
Doctors should discuss NAION risks during prescribing decisions and work with eye care providers to monitor regularly for diabetic eye disease. Patients need clear instructions to seek immediate medical attention for sudden vision loss and the need for regular eye examinations.
Aggressive treatment of sleep apnoea and other heart conditions may also help reduce NAION risks. But for now, there remains an ongoing need for more research to understand how GLP-1 medications can affect the eye.
Agencies across the government, including in the White House, are planning for, procuring, building, or attempting to scale impact and improve performance through integrating data and using data analytics. I am an advocate for the proposition that government reform starts with data and evidence. However, large investments that underpin even larger transformation ambitions are at risk of failure without primary focus on the human, organizational, and cultural barriers to success.
Primacy of federated data governance
The Foundations of Evidence-based Policymaking Act established a network of chief data officers across agencies. These individuals are responsible for much of the successful deployment of agency operational decision support and policy analysis systems across the federal government, work done under the Federal Data Strategy. As the inaugural CDO at the Department of Veterans Affairs I led deployment of a common operating picture into initial operations spanning over a thousand datasets, approximately 18,000 transformations, and about 5,000 data pipelines. After my departure, the VA COP was used to expand veteran access to services through personalized outreach and save $90million in six months through better acquisition.
This success was enabled by many with the twin pillars of advancing enterprise data management and literacy via data governance aligned under the department’s data strategy, and use of an integrated software as a service technical solution. The two were symbiotic. The critical path for enterprise impact was through maturing mostly federated data governance. I also heard this dynamic from my peers across government as the chair of the Large Agency Committee of the Federal CDO Council.
Planning for integrated data systems must include requirements for interoperable data management, analytic model management and automation of federated governance and data management workflows. These requirements would come from establishing, iterating and maturing federated data governance. Further, the scope of data governance must cause synchronization between information resource management policies and processes anchored with agency CDOs, and those anchored with chief information officers, chief technology officers and chief artificial intelligence officers.
Federated governance and semantic interoperability
A useful federated governance model that has stood the test of time is that used by the NIEMOpen, the leading public sector semantic interoperability framework. NIEMOpen usefully sets common minimum standards for public sector domains that align with federal diversity, and has existing federal sponsorship over many of its domains.
NIEM also offers alignment on open standards to improve data readiness for AI-based transformation. NIEMOpen 6.0, combined with entity resolution technology, supports faster cross boundary data integration for creating open standards-based ontologies and knowledge graphs that are ready for techniques such as GraphRAG.
Trusted policy enforcement and data stewardship
Modern technical solutions offer strong capability for “come as you are” data integration and curation. But technical capabilities don’t eliminate the need for integration of data stewards into business processes that enable required data integration. Indeed, overseeing data management activities that identify and address data quality and metadata management is a key data governance function. Improving data quality is always and everywhere a central consideration with data analytics efforts because of the focus on secondary use beyond transactional workflows. Data stewards are key to ensuring use — and reuse — of data is policy compliant, aligned with use and reuse ready.
The best way to integrate data stewards into required federated data management is to lead with data governance as a first rank consideration to enabling solution delivery. The tone from the top and accompanying guidance must be set in a way that encourages the chain of command to task key individuals to participate, and for them to see and buy into the purpose. This only works if the chain of command and data stewards believe that their legitimate concerns will be authentically considered, and they have some ownership over or appreciation of targeted analytic requirements.
Shaping and strengthening key analytic questions to be addressed
Many data analytics practitioners have evolved the concept of learning agendas and key analytic questions to be central in addressing enterprise policy analysis and operational decision support requirements. KAQs articulate the targeted insight and how it might be used to improve agency operations, and what agency datasets and analytical models — including AI techniques — are targeted to be used to produce this result. Refining KAQs is an iterative process innovating based on the art of the possible.
A critical aspect with vetting KAQs is data governance that includes agency information policy and analytic leaders. These individuals, engaged up front, have the expertise to ensure appropriate use of data while managing privacy, security, and other risks. Proper vetting allows for better consideration of reuse and a “data as a product” sensibility. With an articulated and prioritized mission requirement there is in most cases a way to address issues that arise. And if not, there are valid, clear and compelling reasons.
Using appropriate transparency to align stakeholder incentives
Many integrated data systems aim to support policy analysis and operational decisions based on understanding performance gaps and risk assessments. In Moving federal enterprise risk management beyond compliance theatre, I highlighted that federal agencies mostly don’t manage risk in a repeatable way. Critical to the success of targeted use cases tackling cultural barriers based on use of a single source of truth. Appropriate transparency, ensuring decision support is responsibly synchronized across all levels of the agency, creating an immutable log of past decisions and enforcing accountability for learning and improvement over time can shift incentives.
Moving away from data calls
Too much data is maintained in spreadsheets, presentations or other documents and correlated via point in time data calls — for example, risk, program and agency performance data. In many cases, programs and agencies use such data to “grade their own homework” with limited immediate and even less temporal data integrity. Key to success is to normalize agencies towards use of authoritative data, including potential use of agency integrated data systems for this data.
Integrate and curate once, reuse many times
If the data governance function is robust and trusted, then integrated and curated data can be reused many times with straightforward data governance decisions. This dramatically lowers the cost of reuse, drives compounding value and strengthens trust in and effectiveness of data governance, setting a virtuous cycle.
Interoperability, vendor lock, and a model for depreciating legacy technology
With the VA COP, avoiding vendor lock, maintaining the ability to integrate with existing data stores and managing total cost of ownership were concerns. VA addressed these issues by demonstrating technology-agnostic, full-stack interoperability across data, metadata and data pipeline transformations. VA demonstrated export of those elements from the technology used for its COP: Palantir Foundry on Amazon Web Services. VA then imported and precisely recreated the curated data objects and meta-data in a second technology stack: Databricks and other technologies on Microsoft Azure. VA demonstrated this on person-centric data objects with about 100 datasets and 900 transformation points, using two distinct technology teams.
Key is establishing a data lake independent of a specific data integration or data analytics solution, and having the chosen solution read and write data, metadata and transformations to it. For example, once a pipeline is established and vetted, it might be substantially cheaper to run and maintain it on a commodity, open technology stack. This approach to data architecture requires close collaboration and alignment among agency data and information technology leaders. It also establishes technology- agnostic control over federal data and its quality and use, including with AI, enabling strategic deprecation of legacy and introduction of new technology. Demonstrating this capability will generate substantial leverage with the vendor community, lowering cost and risk for the government.
Kshemendra Paul is a seasoned leader, recognized for his pioneering results and solutions using data, architecture, and information sharing and safeguarding to improve government on behalf of the American people. He started his career in the private sector as technology leader and entrepreneur. In the second half of his career, he served in a variety of federal agencies and the White House in roles such as assistant inspector general, governmentwide lead for information sharing, federal chief architect, program manager, and chief data officer. His focus now is policy advocacy, including advising leaders and organizations, in his personal capacity.
This document is authored by Kshemendra Paul in his personal capacity. The views expressed are his and not those of the U.S. Government or any of its agencies. The mentions of specific products and vendors are not endorsements and provided for context.
TAMPA, Fla. — Belgian startup Edgx has raised seed funding to develop Sterna, an artificial intelligence computer designed to run complex algorithms onboard satellites to speed decisions and use limited bandwidth more efficiently.
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Jason Rainbow writes about satellite telecom, finance and commercial markets for SpaceNews. He has spent more than a decade covering the global space industry as a business journalist. Previously, he was Group Editor-in-Chief for Finance Information Group,…
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