The U.S. Army has developed a self-test kit that analyzes biological samples to warn troops of exposure to pathogens in the field.

The Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center developed SmartCAR in an effort to allow medics in the field to gather data to inform possible treatment needs, the Army reported Feb 26.

The product, which uses a colorimetric assay, also works to transmit information on the warfighter’s status to commanders through a dismounted situational awareness system called Nett Warrior that can be viewed on a smartphone, the report said.

“[It] is a real innovation because it is a handheld field-ready device that not only determines exposure but provides its own data management and distribution,” said Patricia Buckley, an ECBC research scientist who is part of the SmartCAR development team.

“With more time and funding, SmartCAR will be used in more and more settings, such as relief missions and even hospitals.”

The report also noted other possible uses of the developed technology, including environmental sampling for field reconnaissance activities, testing drinking wells for water quality and Ebola presence awareness that could potentially prevent an outbreak.

The Army said ECBC developed SmartCAR in support of the service branch’s Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center, which is looking into potential interest across other military organizations.

Buckley noted the research team also aims to integrate the technology with the VOCkit chemical agent detector.

The Transportation Department‘s fiscal 2017 budget proposal includes about $10 billion for programs that seek to help state and local governments adopt smart transportation systems, according to Deltek research analyst Alex Rossino.

He wrote in a blog entry posted Tuesday the majority of that money would go to large-scale  innovation grant programs under DOT’s 21st Century Regions Initiative.

Rossino believes the initiative presents an opportunity for companies who offer Internet of Things-based sensor technology, big data tools and cloud services.

“A >$10 billion per year USDOT investment related to the 21CRI will flow to vendors on the state and local level through local contracts funded by grants,” he noted.

“Those vendors will build the IoT infrastructure that sends data back to DOT agencies.”

He added the Federal Highway Administration issued a request for information on commercial cloud computing technology that works to analyze big data.

The Department of Homeland Security has notified U.S. critical infrastructure operators and owners of an alert on the Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team website about a cyber attack against Ukraine’s power companies in December 2015.

A DHS blog post published Monday says the alert seeks to share information on malicious tactics used in the cyber attack and encourage asset owners to adopt mitigation measures against cyber threats.

Andy Ozment, DHS assistant secretary for cybersecurity and communications, co-wrote the post with Gregory Touhill, deputy assistant secretary for cybersecurity operations and programs at DHS.

The cyber attack in Ukraine led to a power failure that lasted for nearly six hours and affected at least 200,000 electricity users, according to the post.

In addition to the electric sector, DHS will also conduct briefings on the incident with the transportation, water, chemical, natural gas and nuclear industries through information sharing and analysis centers and sector coordination councils.

Ozment and Touhill also noted that the department intends to expand its outreach efforts to help raise awareness of cyber intrusions in Ukraine among owners and operators of critical infrastructure assets.

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson has highlighted a person’s affection for the U.S. as a factor the government should consider in the hiring process for cyber talent, Federal Times reported Tuesday.

Carten Cordell writes Johnson discussed the issue of cyber talent recruitment in conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security budget for fiscal year 2017 before the Senate Homeland Security Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

Johnson also noted the effort of Suzanne Spalding, undersecretary for DHS’ National Protection and Programs Directorate, to implement the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2014 and to speed up the hiring process, Cordell reports.

Johnson told the committee DHS currently works with critical infrastructure to share threat intelligence and protect the network from cyber attacks, Federal Times reports.