Government Information Infrastructure (GII

1. Develop government's information infrastructure to effectively use
government information resources and support electronic government
applications.

The Government Information Technology Services (GITS) Working Group
should coordinate the development of the government's information
infrustructure in order to help implement the strategic vision and
policy directions of the Information Infrastructure Task Force.[6] This
infrastructure should be developed as a joint partnership between
government, national laboratories, and universities on the one hand, and
the nation's information technology industry on the other; and in
coordination with the nation's broader research and development
initiatives (e.g., the NII initiative and the federal High Performance
Computing and Communications Program).

The Interagency Management Council--chaired by the Associate
Administrator of the GSA for FTS2000 with membership including senior
information resources managers of various government agencies--is
currently planning for the future replacement of the FTS2000 contracts.
This planning effort should include the transport requirements for the
government's information infrastructure and ensure the replacement to
FTS2000 supports the development of the NII.

A key role that government can play is to require greater
interoperability among government systems. This can be facilitated by
focusing the FTS2000 replacement and individual agency procurement
requirements on systems that can interoperate, by working with industry
to explore partnering opportunities, by promoting standards, and by
identifying and removing regulatory barriers that may hinder development
of the NII.

Endnotes

6. See IT01: Provide Clear, Strong Leadership to Integrate Information
Technology Into the Business of Government.