This week in Technically News: NIST Releases New Security Controls; State & Local Governments Collecting Data, Not Analyzing; Zero-Day Explorer Hack Targets Nuclear Weapons Researchers; Officials Preparing for More Mobile Government; DLT Solutions Named North American Partner of the Year for Google Maps for Business

In this edition: Big Data Saves Money & Lives; FEMA Aims to Bring Geospatial Data into Cloud Environment; Symantec Finds Stuxnet Worm Traces from 2005; Connecticut Increases Power Grid’s Cybersecurity; Seven Actions for Governors on Cybersecurity.

Technically News scans thousands of industry articles to present you with a weekly source of IT news, information, and ideas that impact the public sector. In this edition: Using GIS Technology to Develop Government Apps; 20 State and Local Government Technology Infographics; Big Data: What to Consider Before Releasing Information to the Public; Virtualization Will Drive the Storage Market; Cloud Computing Adoption Grows, Bandwidth Isn't

Technically News scans thousands of industry articles to present you with a weekly source of IT news, information, and ideas that impact the public sector. This edition's articles include: Veterans Affairs Department Launches $3M Open Source Contest; Technology’s Real Value for Government; Trusted Geolocation in the Cloud; Nations Prepare for Cyber War; The Pentagon's Cybersecurity Big Data Analyzer.

The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) recently published the latest in a series of issue briefs on analytics titled "Is Big Data a Big Deal for State Governments?" The objective of this first issue brief on Big Data is to put a foundation for future briefs and discussion forums in place. All aspects of Big Data technologies are examined while also exploring its potential relevance to state IT operations. The document is an excellent starting point for both technical and non-technical decision makers in state governments who are considering expanding the use of technology to deliver new citizen services and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of existing services and IT operations.

Big data is just two words and yet these two words are driving hysteria throughout the known world at a level not seen since Y2K. We supposedly create 2.5 quintillion bytes of data every day now and at this rate we can conclude that 90% of the data in the world today has been created in the last two years alone. This does sound apocalyptic as it suggests that we could drown in data far before global warming floods our coastal cities into oblivion. Are we being rational? I think not and this calls for an explanation.

A little over a month ago, I highlighted the differences between Big Data and data from ten years ago. I also covered how Big Data solutions unlock new approaches to turning data into information and information into knowledge that can be acted upon. Now, let’s take a closer look at some ways that Big Data might be exploited in the public sector (and in some cases is already being exploited). These examples may help to trigger specific ideas for leveraging Big Data to address your agency’s mission.