Sabre88 welcomes eFast into our portfolio of contract vehicles

/in /by

eFast or Accelerated and Simplified Tasks is a contract vehicle under the Federal Aviation Administration which deals with Air Transportation Support, Business Administration & Management, Research & Development Computer/ Information Systems Development, Computer Systems Support, Documentation & Training, Engineering Serves and Maintenance & Repair. Our strong history in these fields of performance have not only granted Sabre88 a seat at the table but will help us provide stellar completion of the contracts awarded. eFast was created in 2010 and since has awarded over $1.5 Billion dollars in opportunities to multiple vying small businesses. eFast offers Firm-Fized Price, Cost Reimbursable, Time and Materials, Labor Hour contracts among others. eFast offers contracts in several different locations throughout the U.S.

The contract vehicle streamlines the procurement process online through a web-based acquisition tool in accordance with Federal Aviation Administration standards. We look forward to working through this contract vehicle and the opportunities it presents us.


Editor’s note: Original Sources

https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/afn/offices/acquisitions/efast/

https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/afn/offices/acquisitions/efast/business/media/efast-moa-holder-locations.png

https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/afn/offices/acquisitions/efast/media/efast-banner.png

5G the deliverer of a Safer, Faster, More Reliable Internet

/in /by

We care about our WiFi(Wireless Fidelity). WiFi has in the past decade evolved with the rest of our technology as humans. WiFi keeps us connected to loved ones, co-workers and information among its list of many uses, and now it is proposed to get faster. 5G is the next proposed super connectivity, speeds of over 1 gigabyte per second will be commonplace making room for not only faster searches but also clearer video resolution 4K and 8K possibilities, higher quality audio and less wait time online.

5G technology has been built on the support system of 4G LTE, as it focuses on improving 4G rather than replacing it altogether. 5G connectivity will run on a higher frequency. Higher frequency waves will mean that we will have quicker data, however with great power comes great cost, with the massive increase in connectivity speeds the cost of that Data too will rise. 5G will require less distance between antennae meaning with the introduction of 5G, consumers will start to see possibly multiple antennae in phones, tablets and computers. On the corporate side business owners will have to deploy small receiver cells closer to routers, and must also expect to pay higher data rates.

On the non-consumer market of 5G there is the possibility of pushing technology faster into the future. Faster connectivity allows inventors the possibility of new applications being supported in the areas of robotics, machine control and factory floor automation. 5G will help push forward self-driving cars that can respond and prevent possible accidents within a millisecond. 5G will help automate processes completed by software and hardware. 5G will allow medical devices to transmit split second reports from patients bodies to observing medical professionals, overall it will speed up discussions between corporations and individuals. Sprint’s CTO John Saw recently said in an online blog post “These include technologies you might not think of right off the bat, such as health care devices that continuously send information wirelessly to a control center. It isn’t just about the demands of smartphones, but rather the millions upon millions of smaller connections that will add up to a much greater whole”.

5G is the future, it is projected to be made available in 2020.

Editor’s note: Original Sources

http://www.fiercewireless.com/wireless/cca-reiterates-opposition-to-verizon-s-straight-path-5g-spectrum-buy-fcc-petition

Machine Learning: Can Machines have Brains?

/in /by

A brain is a complex organ of human body. It took a lot of time to study Brain and its functionalities. But as soon as we understood Brain the next thing we focused on is to create one. This process involves imparting intelligence to the Machines, a more popular name for this is Machine Learning. Machine Learning gives “computers the ability to learn without being explicitly programmed.” It explores the study and construction of algorithms that can learn from and make predictions on the data. Nowadays, Machine Learning has become a hot topic because of its widespread applications.

Machine Learning has made significant contributions to various organizations. It can reduce the human-factors burden for the government across national security and public safety, policy making, financial services, entitlements and benefits or infrastructure by:

  • Automating detection, tipping and cueing of patterns and anomalies and determining whether they are threats or opportunities.
  • Classifying, labeling and/or tagging entities and events as well as discovering the non-obvious relationships between them.
  • Aiding in decision-making and operations.

Also, Machine Learning and AI represent incredible opportunities to enrich the operational data on which government runs. This transformation signals a number of implications for government:

  • They will be at the center of initiatives to modernize agency systems and business processes, driving the need to break down data silos.
  • The human-computer interaction will drive enhanced feedback, more-granular data access controls and greater security, creating a closed loop for continuous improvement of algorithms and techniques.
  • Design, development, testing and application of algorithms must be done in a ‘fail fast’ and iterative experimental environment while not triggering complete ‘rip and replace’ of legacy systems.
  • Agencies will need a database management system, such as an enterprise data hub, that can take advantage of new technologies. Systems should reduce data wrangling time and complexity so the insights derived from AI and machine learning can be easily operationalized.

Other Applications of Machine Learning in Government Agencies:

Cybersecurity: Identify abnormal activity, correlated nefarious patterns across multiple data types and inputs, and prescribe actions based on all the factors. Examples include insider threat, network design/operations, threat detection/alerting and software defined networking.

Situational Profiling: Based on the information at hand, identify what is important and where to look. Customized view of complex data. Examples include risk heat map, identity intelligence, activity based intelligence (ABI)/object based production (OBP) and event/activity prediction.

The pattern of Life: Identify trends and correlations among different groups to detect various subtle and complex patterns. Gain a deep customization of response, based on a thorough understanding of the players involved.

Machine Learning is mature enough to start accurately predicting medical events—such as whether patients will be hospitalized, how long they will stay, and whether their health is deteriorating despite treatment for conditions such as urinary tract infections, pneumonia, or heart failure. Advanced machine learning can discover patterns in de-identified medical records (that is, stripped of any personally identifiable information) to predict what is likely to happen next, and thus, anticipate the needs of the patients before they arise.

Editor’s note: Original Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machine_learning

Billy Sokol. (Jul 11, 2017). How AI and machine learning can drive government efficiency. Retrieved from https://gcn.com/articles/2017/07/11/ai-machine-learning.aspx

Katherine Chou. (MAY 17, 2017). Partnering on machine learning in healthcare. Retrieved from https://www.blog.google/topics/machine-learning/partnering-machine-learning-healthcare/

Virtual Reality: Welcome to the Artificial World

/in /by

Technology has taken a big leap in the past two decades and now it has entered in to a completely new world called The Virtual Reality where the impossible becomes possible. Virtual Reality (VR) can take you to the grassy fields of Scotland while you’re at home. VR can give you the experience of a roller coaster ride while you are sitting on your sofa. All this can be done in the world of Virtual Reality without any physical interventions. Although Virtual Reality was introduced in 20th century, due to limited technology VR was not very popular. With the recent advancements in the technology, VR is now taking over the world by storm. This has led to the advent of many products like the Oculus, Google glass and Samsung Gear VR.

Technically, Virtual reality is a computer technology that replicates an environment, real or imaginary, and simulates a user’s physical presence and environment in a way that allows the user to interact with it. VR is a big step ahead of 3-D modelling that allows you to see things or places around you that don’t really exist but looks so real, it almost (if not actually) makes you feel like you are right there in the action. It is an emerging trend which is now gaining more public attention.

The growing popularity of Virtual Reality Technology had diversified its application. It has been implemented by many Healthcare and Military organizations:

Healthcare and clinical therapies

Healthcare methodology has been greatly affected by VR technology. Many VR devices are being used in clinical therapy, and the results are significant. One of the example is, Anxiety disorder treatment. Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) is a form of exposure therapy for treating anxiety disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and phobias. It is believed that when VRET is combined with other forms of behavioral therapy, patients experience a reduction of symptoms. In some cases, patients no longer meet the mental disorder criteria for PTSD after a series of treatments with VRET.  Also, Immersive VR has been studied for acute pain management, on the theory that it may distract people, reducing their experience of pain and flooding sensories with a positive experience.

Education and training

VR is used to provide learners with a virtual environment where they can develop their skills without the real-world consequences of failing, for example U.S. Navy personnel using a VR parachute training simulator.

Military Use

United States was one of the first to develop the use of VR for military training. Later the United States military announced the Dismounted Soldier Training System in 2012. It was cited as the first fully immersive military VR training system.

Space training

NASA has used VR technology for twenty years. Most notable is their use of immersive VR to train astronauts while they are still on Earth. Such applications of VR simulations include exposure to zero-gravity work environments and training on how to spacewalk. Astronauts can even simulate what it is like to work with tools in space while using low cost 3D printed mock up tools.

Flight and vehicular applications

usaf

Flight simulators are a form of VR pilot training. The aim is for the pilot to experience a sense of immersion and to feel as if they are flying a real aircraft with real controls and under real life conditions. They can range from a fully enclosed module to a series of computer monitors providing the pilot’s point of view. U.S. Air Force has been using VR training from a long time. By the same token, virtual driving simulations are used to train tank drivers on the basics before allowing them to operate the real vehicle. As these drivers often have less opportunity for real-world experience, VR training provides additional training time.

Editor’s note: Original Sources

  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_reality
  • https://www.completegate.com/2016070154/blog/virtual-reality-explained/research-challenges
  • http://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/131904/going-virtual-flight-training-takes-shape-in-cyberspace/

Speech Recognition: Difficult then, Common now

/in /by

Speech recognition is almost as natural as breathing for us, but for a computer, it has taken more than half a century to solve this ‘problem’. Previously, the fundamental drawbacks to Speech Recognition were its poor accuracy, sensitivity to noise, over dependence on training to a particular voice and similar problems meant it worked in principle, but not in practice. This has been hugely improved now, it is often reaching the high nineties in percentage terms for several reasons: the general increase in the availability of affordable computing power, the advent of the cloud and the vast numbers of people now using it. Last year, IBM announced a major milestone in conversational speech recognition by building a system that achieved a 6.9 percent word error rate. Since then, it has continued to push the boundaries of speech recognition. Today, it reached a new industry record of 5.5 percent where these are measured on a very difficult speech recognition task: recorded conversations between humans discussing day-to-day topics like “buying a car.” This recorded corpus, known as the “SWITCHBOARD” corpus and has been used for over two decades to benchmark speech recognition systems.

The 21st century has seen many improvements in this field. In the 2000s DARPA sponsored two speech recognition programs: Effective Affordable Reusable Speech-to-Text (EARS) in 2002 and Global Autonomous Language Exploitation (GALE). The National Security Agency has made use of a type of speech recognition for keyword spotting since 2006. This technology allows analysts to search through large volumes of recorded conversations and isolate mentions of keywords. Google‘s first effort at Speech Recognition came in 2007 when its first product “GOOG-411” a telephone based directory service was released. Now, Google voice search is supported in over 30 languages and particularly in 2015, Google’s speech recognition reportedly experienced a dramatic performance jump of 49% through new techniques involving deep learning.

These advancements in Speech Recognition Technology had diversified its application. It has been implemented by many Healthcare and Military organizations:

Health care

Medical documentation

In the health care sector, Speech Recognition is implemented in front-end or back-end of the medical documentation process. In Front-end speech recognition, the provider dictates into a speech-recognition engine, the recognized words are displayed as they are spoken, and the dictator is responsible for editing and signing off on the document. Whereas, in Back-end or deferred speech recognition the provider dictates into a digital dictation system, the voice is recognized and a draft document is made out of it which is routed along with the original voice file to the editor, where the draft is edited and finalized. Deferred speech recognition is widely used in the industry currently.

Therapeutic use

Particularly in short-term-memory re-strengthening of brain AVM patients, the use of speech recognition software in conjunction with word processors has shown significant benefits. Further research needs to be conducted to determine cognitive benefits for individuals whose AVMs have been treated using radiologic techniques.

Military

High-performance fighter aircraft

Significant progress in the test and evaluation of Speech Recognition in fighter aircraft has taken place in the last decade. Of particular note have been the US program in speech recognition for the Advanced Fighter Technology Integration (AFTI)/F-16 aircraft (F-16 VISTA). In this program, speech recognizers have been operated successfully in fighter aircraft, with applications including setting radio frequencies, commanding an autopilot system, setting steer-point coordinates and weapons release parameters, and controlling flight display.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley announced Lightning II as the F-35 name during a Joint Strike Fighter inauguration ceremony July 7 at the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. at Fort Worth, Texas. The F-35 Lightning II is the next generation strike fighter bringing cutting-edge technologies to the battlespace of the future. The Lightning II features an advanced airframe, autonomic logistics, avionics, propulsion systems, stealth and firepower. (U.S. Navy photo/Chief Petty Officer Eric A. Clement)

Also, speaker-independent systems are being developed and are under test for the F35 Lightning II (JSF). This system has produced word accuracy scores in excess of 98%.

Training air traffic controllers

Training for air traffic controllers (ATC) represents an excellent application for speech recognition systems. In the current scenario, many ATC training systems need a person to act as a “pseudo-pilot”, engaging in a voice dialog with the trainee controller, which simulates the dialog that the controller would have to conduct with pilots in a real ATC situation. Speech recognition techniques can eliminate the need for a person to act as pseudo-pilot, thus reducing training and support personnel. The USAF, USMC, US Army, US Navy, and FAA as well as a number of international ATC training organizations are currently using ATC simulators with speech recognition from different vendors.

 

Editor’s note: Original Sources

 

How to create Cloud Security

/in /by

The cloud is not a physical thing, it is a series of servers designed to connect companies, families, and individuals and the cloud is growing. A recent survey consisting of over a thousand IT companies, 48% of which having employee populations over 1,000, reported remarkable statistics regarding cloud usage and cloud growth. 95% percent of the surveyed companies reported cloud usage a 2% increase since 2015. This use is separated into two overarching categories, Public and Private. Public clouds are accessible to all, you only need a computer and an internet connection, an example of such is the newly released Adobe Creative Cloud, which has transformed applications such as adobe acrobat from a box set into a monthly subscription service. Public clouds connect us with strangers and acquaintances alike. Private clouds are more internal, such as the servers that allow employees to share and receive documents without having to even send an email. Private Cloud and Public Clouds are on the rise, 72%, and 89% respectively with regards to use in the surveyed companies. On average respondents of the recent survey also stated that 32% of their data is within public clouds and 43% of their data is held within a private cloud.

Read more

The New Wave of Identification is Finally Here

/in /by

Biometrics has a wide array of potential usages, which is why different agencies and governments are developing the software in order to provide more efficient and secure identification processes.

US Military

The United States military is in the beginning phases of utilizing behavioral biometric software in order for soldiers and other military personnel to access technology. What used to be the territory of a common access key card or passcode is now being modified to be individualized, greatly reducing the risk of threat. This behavioral technology goes further than a thumbprint or an iris scan. It analyzes the way a soldier walks, or the way a technician types on a keyboard and uses a mouse. The same systems somebody is using is constantly collecting data on them. This continuous proof of presence will deliver a cyber security solution that promptly recognizes breaches, can assist in forensic investigations, and guarantees regulatory compliance.

Airport Security

Biometrics have started to become the long-awaited answer for numerous security dilemmas in the United States. U.S. Customs and Border Protection has begun implementing biometric software at airports nationwide. Following a long overdue mandate (15 years), new biometrics will solve the difficulty of scanning the identity of thousands of departing foreign visitors every day. The combination of cloud computing and the latest facial recognition technology will turn a process from about two minutes into only a couple of seconds, countering the rise in foreign travel into the US.

Border Security

The State Department is also developing biometric technology to enhance coordination on border security and migration activities on the US-Mexico border. According to a January report out of the Congressional Research Service, The U.S. and Mexican governments in 2015 actually approved a $75 million Mérida program to help Mexico “develop an automated biometrics system to help agencies collect and share information on criminals and migrants.” This is perhaps an alternative to the estimated $12 billion dollars it would take to build a border wall, according to Senate leader Mitch McConnell.

Editor’s note: Original Source ‘Fedscoop’, ‘Defenseone’

Patrick Tucker. “The Future of Military IT: Gait Biometrics, Software Nets, and Photon Communicators”

Defenseone. N.p.15 June. 2017, Web. 18 July. 2017

FedScoop. “Military testing behavioral ID technology that would replace CAC card”

FedScoop. N.p. 6 July. 2017, Web. 18 July. 2017.

Sabre88 Awarded Contract with GSA’s 8(a) STARS II contract vehicle

/in /by

Newark, NJ:

Sabre88 Awarded Contract with General Services Administration’s 8(a) STARS II contract vehicle.

Sabre88 is pleased to announce that it has been named as an industry partner on the GSA 8(a) STARS II government-wide acquisition contract (GWAC). STARS II is a small business set-aside contract vehicle that allows government agencies access to unique IT solutions from a varied pool of 8(a) experienced associates. STARS II offers fixed price, time and materials, labor hour, and blended task order types; provides greater flexibility in procuring IT service solutions to meet federal mission requirements. It also offers a shortened procurement lead time, and a $10 billion program ceiling. The scope of the 8(a) STARS GWAC contracts includes all the technology services and associated products required to meet the requesting activity’s necessities derived from the applicable NAICS definition.

s

As a result of Sabre88’s competitive pricing and technical proficiency, it will have access to four functional areas within the vehicle.

“We are extremely pleased to be named as an industry partner with on the STARS II” said Sabre88 CEO Robert Cottingham.

Sabre88 has been providing the federal government with technical services at an incredibly high standard and competitive rate for years.  This STARS II award will allow Sabre88 to continue this standard of excellence and expands the reach of government clientele that can benefit from the resources we provide.

To learn more about how to utilize GSA 8(a) STARS II click HERE

Sabre88’s Ben Bratton wins National Championship

/in /by
Read more

How an Evolving perception of Net Neutrality will benefit Small Businesses.

/in /by

An Open Internet means users are not limited to guidelines on what to search or when to search, on the contrary an Open Internet, or Net Neutrality, allows for free range of the internet. It fosters growth, as developers are able to create on their whims[1]. Net Neutrality sees consumers pursue faster broadband, as with its regulations, implemented by the Federal Communications Commission, FCC, broadband providers are not allowed to create special “fast lanes” depending on the content[2].

During the previous administration the FCC implemented Open Internet rules, some of which protect free expression and innovation on the internet, while also promoting broadband networks. The FCC’s Open Internet rules link themselves to Title II of the Communications Act of 1934, and Section 706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996[3]. In particular, Section 202 of Title II of the Communications Act, Discrimination and Preferences, makes it “unlawful for any common carrier to make any unjust or unreasonable discrimination in charges, practices, classifications, regulations, facilities, or services… to make or give any undue or unreasonable preference or advantage to any particular person, class of persons, or locality”[4]. This is all done in attempts to regulate against paid prioritization, which would give financially dominant companies priority of broadband speed, fast lanes, and leave smaller companies with slower un-prioritized lanes[5]. Paid prioritization would make it so streaming giants Netflix and Hulu could block any possible entry, as their broadband would remain at a constant fast speed, allowing one to browse and binge watch shows without the fear of buffering. On the other hand smaller streaming services would find themselves in a viewer decline as their inability to pay for a fast lane would leave their services loading and lagging. Viewers would switch from the small businesses unable to afford a fast lane, to the larger businesses able to maintain a fast, reliable web speed.

By June 12, 2015, the FCC’s Open Internet rules were cemented, ensuring consumers and businesses fair, fast internet[6]. Chairman of the FCC, Thomas Wheeler described the Open Internet Rules as “a referee on the field to protect consumers and innovators on line” Wheeler later says “After a decade of debate these rules finally provide strong safeguards for free expression and innovation on the internet”[7].

To ensure Net Neutrality continued beyond 2015, the Open Internet rules implemented a legal standard for other broadband provider practices, to ensure the rules do not unjustly interfere with small businesses[8].     

Now, in 2017, under a new administration, and under a new FCC chairman, Ajit Pai, the question again is brought up, How will we improve our Net Neutrality laws even more so? Pai has history serving the FCC; he was previously the Federal Communications Commission’s Republican commissioner and while his current views on Net Neutrality are not as voiced as previously where he was stated against it, a recent statement of his is as follows, “I look forward to working with the new Administration, my colleagues at the Commission, members of Congress and the American public to bring the benefits of the digital age to all Americans”[9].

Pai comes into the Administration not too different from how former commissioner Thomas Wheeler entered. Wheeler was a former lobbyist for large cable and wireless companies as well as the president of the National Cable and Telecommunications Association. Many feared Wheeler’s views on Net Neutrality. However, he turned out to be very pro-neutrality throughout his term as FCC Commissioner.

As the internet evolves, so too will Net Neutrality. The unpopular idea of paid prioritization, fast lanes and big businesses vying for web speed against small businesses will be discussed frequently within the coming four years. The best way to be prepared is to be knowledgeable.

Works Cited

[1] (“Open Internet” 2016)

[2] (Green “How Changes to Net Neutrality Laws Could Affect Small Businesses” 2017)

[3] (“Open Internet” 2016)

[4] (“Communications Act” 1934)

[5] (“Why net neutrality activists are pushing for Title II classification for ISPs” 2014)

[6] (“Open Internet” 2016)

[7] (“Open Internet” 2016)

[8] (Green “How Changes to Net Neutrality Laws Could Affect Small Businesses” 2017)

[9] (Albanesius “Trump Picks Net Neutrality Foe as New FCC Chairman” 2017)

Albanesius, Chloe. “Trump Picks Net Neutrality Foe as New FCC Chairman.” Entrepreneur. N.p., 24 Jan. 2017. Web. 28 Feb. 2017.

Communications Act 1934, 36 §§ Title II-202 (a)-202 (c) (1934). Print.

Green, Keegan. “How Changes to Net Neutrality Laws Could Affect Small Businesses.” Entrepreneur. N.p., 22 Feb. 2017. Web. 28 Feb. 2017.

Telecommunications Act , 119 § Title VII-706 (1996). Print.

Dailydot. “Why net neutrality activists are pushing for Title II classification for ISPs.” The Daily Dot. N.p., 20 May 2014. Web. 28 Feb. 2017.

“Open Internet.” Federal Communications Commission. N.p., 25 Aug. 2016. Web. 28 Feb. 2017.