Posted by
Cost Estimating NewsBrief: August 30, 2024
How Human-Informed AI Leads to More Accurate Digital Twins
(MIT Sloan Management Review) “OK, Houston, we’ve had a problem here,” said astronaut John Swigert in 1970, after an explosion disabled the Apollo 13 spacecraft on its way to the moon, 200,000 miles from Earth. Those iconic words triggered a heroic effort that eventually succeeded in bringing the astronauts home safely. To do so, NASA scientists and engineers needed to develop and test innovative solutions on the fly. A critical tool they used was an Earth-based “twin” of the spacecraft — then, mostly physical — upon which they could experiment swiftly and safely without endangering the astronauts. Read More
Special operators hope AI can reduce civilian deaths in combat
(NextGov/FCW) While much has been said about the danger of allowing AI into military operations in a way that would allow AI to kill people, there has been far less discussion about using AI to make war safer for civilians. But that’s what U.S. special operations are starting to look at now, Christopher Maier, the assistant defense secretary for special operations and low-intensity conflict, told reporters Friday. Part of the reason for this, Maier said, is that preventing civilian harm in a large-scale conflict—such as a potential war with China—would be far more difficult than in the counter-terrorism missions that special forces are engaged in around the globe. Read More
‘AI gold mine’: NGA aims to exploit archive of satellite images, expert analysis
(Breaking Defense) The director of data and digital innovation at the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency said the NGA has started training artificial intelligence algorithms on its unique trove of visual and textual data. This data is “an AI gold mine,” said Mark Munsell. That’s not just because it consists of large amounts of well-labeled, well-organized, and carefully vetted data, accumulated over decades by the intelligence agency tasked with compiling and analyzing geospatial data for policymakers from the president on down. It’s also because this data is what experts call multi-modal, combining images with text descriptions. Read More
US intelligence agencies eye closer partnerships with private sector
(NextGov/FCW) U.S. spy agencies are broadening their efforts to collaborate with the private sector via a slew of new initiatives to better enhance government-industry partnerships that have frequently armed analysts with tools needed to study data, track terrorists and thwart cyberattacks. Among several new projects, the intelligence community will soon update its workforce performance objectives to include engagement goals with the private sector, and is working to improve access to industry and academia-provided data for use in day-to-day work, National Intelligence Director Avril Haines said Tuesday. Read More
GAO Says Recommendations Led to DHS IT Management, Disaster Response & Recovery Improvements
(ExecutiveGov) The Government Accountability Office identified 42 open priority recommendations for the Department of Homeland Security in June 2023 and found that DHS implemented 16 of them, which resulted in improvements across several areas. In a report publicly released Monday, GAO said the implemented priority recommendations led to improvements in cybersecurity and information technology management, disaster response and recovery, the National Flood Insurance Program, the Transportation Security Administration’s assessment of pipeline risks, noncitizen processing at the southwest border and the strategy to counter violent extremism, among other areas. Read More
Another Report Estimates $1 Billion Annual Cost for Ineligible Persons in FEHB
(Fedweek) Another report to Congress has estimated an annual $1 billion cost to the FEHB program from ineligible persons being covered as family members, a cost that is passed on to both enrollees and the government in the form of higher premiums. The Congressional Budget Office estimate—agreeing with one last year from the GAO—was done in an analysis of S-4035, which is pending a vote in the full Senate after Congress reconvenes September 9. A counterpart bill, HR-7868, has cleared the House committee level, as well. Read More
James Webb Space Telescope finds 6 wandering ‘rogue’ planets that formed just like stars
(Space.com) “The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has identified half a dozen free-floating planets wandering alone in the Perseus Molecular Cloud. The planets, ranging between five and 10 times the mass of Jupiter, don’t orbit a star themselves. Instead, they are all thought to have formed like stars, condensing directly out of interstellar gas. In an added twist, one of the rogue planets is encircled by a disk of gas and dust that is forming moons or, perhaps,
“”mini-planets.””” Read More
ICEAA’s NewsBrief is a collection of articles relevant to the cost estimating and analysis community that is delivered weekly to current ICEAA members. To advertise in NewsBrief, contact iceaa@iceaaonline.org.