Jeff Johnson, vice chair of the First Responder Network Authority board, wrote in a blog entry posted Thursday the agency has implemented initiatives during 2015 to prepare for the construction and implementation of a nationwide public-safety broadband network.

He said FirstNet consulted with federal, state, local and tribal government organizations to gather ideas on how firefighters and emergency medical services personnel coordinate, communicate and gain situational awareness during a critical situation.

The agency also launched efforts to examine the potential use of indoor location technology for emergency response missions and develop a cybersecurity framework for the U.S.’ future public safety communications infrastructure, according to Johnson.

FirstNet’s board approved the project’s final solicitation document in late 2014 and has called on the public and private sectors to collaborate to build and manage the network.

“Collectively, these and other developments from the past year have helped foster an inclusive, transparent and productive dialogue between FirstNet and the public-safety community at all levels of government,” Johnson noted

“As we look ahead to 2016 and beyond, I’m confident we’re on the right path toward building a broadband network that will serve America’s firefighters, EMS providers and other emergency responders,” he added.

The Treasury Department‘s inspector general for tax administration calls for the Internal Revenue Service to reform its processes for tax return filing and tax account access authentication to mitigate potential data breaches.

TIGTA said in a report issued Nov. 19 that the deputy commissioner for services and enforcement should implement an oversight strategy to monitor authentication needs and risk levels.

The processes should also comply with government information security standards to protect tax information and prevent identity theft, the report added.

TIGTA noted that its recommendations work to address challenges as taxpayers increasingly use electronic products and services to file their tax returns and access their tax accounts.

Gina Loften, a vice president and chief innovation officer at IBM‘s federal arm has said government agencies should adopt cognitive computing systems in order to facilitate the analysis of data derived from Internet-of-Things-based systems and devices.

Loften wrote in a Federal Times article published Monday the three ways on how agencies can improve service delivery through the implementation of cognitive systems.

One of these ways is the use of cognitive platforms to provide citizens with customized suggestions and insights about government services, she noted.

Loften also cited that such systems have the potential to uncover connections in large volumes of data and assist individuals in their decision-making processes.

“As solutions become even more sophisticated, governments will be able to use data generated from the Internet of Things to encourage citizens to be more proactive about their personal needs and help the government continually improve how it serves the public,” she added.

NASA researchers have collaborated with industry to research, develop and demonstrate eight technology platforms designed to reduce aviation’s environmental impact through a six-year project.

The space agency said Tuesday it launched the Environmentally Responsible Aviation project in 2009 to develop new platforms that focus on vehicle systems integration, propulsion and airframe technologies.

ERA researchers at NASA teamed up with General Electric to improve the turbine engine’s aerodynamic efficiency through enhancements to the compressor stage’s design.

Pratt & Whitney also collaborated with NASA on the development of a jet engine combustor design in an effort to achieve a 75 percent reduction in aviation-related pollution.

Another project in which NASA worked with FlexSys and the Air Force Research Laboratory focused on the development of a morphing wing system designed to extend an aircraft’s flaps, minimize drag and reduce noise impacts.

“If these technologies start finding their way into the airline fleet, our computer models show the economic impact could amount to $255 billion in operational savings between 2025 and 2050,” said Jaiwon Shin, associate administrator for aeronautics research at NASA.

The Treasury Department has published an abbreviated form of its policy to punish foreign organizations or individuals that hack U.S.’ cyber-dependent critical infrastructure, Federal Times reported Monday.

Aaron Boyd writes the regulation came after President Barack Obama ordered the department to protect U.S. assets and citizens against large-scale intrusions by international threat actors through a sanctions program.

“The executive order allows us to put a name to those who go to great lengths to mask their identities and to expose our adversaries behind these attacks for the world and, of course, financial institutions to see,” John Smith, acting director of the Treasury’s foreign assets control office, was quoted as saying.

The federal cyber sanctions program calls for authorities to restrict entry of suspected overseas hackers to the U.S. , freeze their accounts and ban them from doing business with local companies.