“a single platform that pulls that data into one view. Instead of searching for info, they [will] have immediate access to everything they need to make split-second decisions,”

So taring down “data siloes” and centralizing all to an interconnected data treasure trove… I’ve read numerous case stories from Genetec at airports, which is a provider of surveillance tech (both software and hardware), and the integration of air control systems into (relatively) modern surveillance platforms is a recurring priority. This typically allows data from various systems to be used as context, for human operators, but increasingly automated systems (generating reports and triggering alerts).

Airport operators might not even be to blame for these “operational efficiencies”, but rather the government imposing extremely stringent legislation, which must be complied with (the PATRIOT act being an example). And the following line suggests this is yet another political push:

“The greatest nation in the world deserves a state-of-the-art air traffic control system, and under President Trump, we’re delivering just that,”

Based in Princeton since it launched in 2022, PolyGone Systems developed “a floating filter” that can capture most of the invisible tons of microplastics that stream into the world’s waterways every year. […] Liu outlines how PolyGone’s filter works: Made of thousands of silicone fibers, it traps small particles due to their hydrophobic properties, meaning the microplastics stick to the bristly brush-like filter. […] Banks goes on to say that the filter allows wastewater systems to recover the collected plastics, separating them from the bristles. Since most plastic is either buoyant or lighter than water, they are usually found on the surface or in the first 30 centimeters of the water column, where PolyGone’s filter operates.

So a brush-like filter floating on the water, with the microplastics sticking to the silicon fibers penetrating the surface?

If the worker has a “choice” between a familiar application with guaranteed compatibility, there’s a slim chance a switch is going to take place. It requires standardizing document exchange on open format types (instead of continued use of Microsoft’s proprietary ones) and familiarization to the substituting software suite. This doesn’t mean these applications and formats should be dropped entirely (at least not short-term), but that FOSS applications and open standards should be defaulted to. Otherwise this should be regarded as gesture politics.