• Read more about Mobomo redesigns and re-launches website for Pandemic Response on Drupal 9 in an incredible 5 weeks

2020 has been a year full of unexpected surprises and challenges. In March, the coronavirus had reached the United States and had begun spreading quickly causing federal and state governments to take action to ensure public safety, including the development and passing of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). As the pandemic spread, many more eyes turned to the government to watch how they were navigating this new unmarked territory. 

The Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) created PandemicOversight.gov to display the details of the $2.6 trillion coronavirus relief spending provided by the CARES Act. The website allows the public interactive tools for understanding who received coronavirus funding, how much they’ve received, and how the funds are being spent. The website also provides tools for the public to report fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement of coronavirus relief funding, as well as helpful information to protect yourself against fraudulent activity. 

Mobomo was brought in to perform the redesign and development of the website, which had initially launched as pandemic.oversight.gov earlier this year. The Mobomo team was able to do a complete overhaul of the legacy platform and re-launch the system in just over five weeks’ time with the new website having been officially launched to the public on September 10th. Since the launch, the website has received thousands of visitors interested in learning more about who, where, and how coronavirus relief funding is being spent. 

“Transparency in government is critical in these uncertain times and the mission of the PRAC strives to provide that public service. I’m very proud of what our team has developed and hope the website helps people see how relief funding is being distributed.” – Brian Lacey, CEO.

Not Your Average Government Website

The Mobomo team redesigned PandemicOversight.gov with the goal of incorporating modern theming and a clean design that many of your traditional government information sites lack, but did so while incorporating 18F and US Web Design Standards best practices.  Mobomo’s User Experience team worked with the PRAC to develop mobile-first, responsive design templates that mesh the innovative branding and theming with the high-fidelity interactive visualizations that are key to communicating coronavirus funding activity. 

Let’s Get Technical

The legacy pandemic.oversight.gov was developed in Drupal 8 and hosted in Amazon Web Services (AWS). For the redesign and re-launch of the site, the Mobomo team decided to rebuild the content management system leveraging the latest version of Drupal 9 and deployed the solution within the Microsoft Azure Websites platform-as-a-service (PaaS) environment. Mobomo developed a number of custom feature integrations with visualization partners Domo and Woolpert, enhanced search indexing for browsing various oversight reports and investigations, and optimized process for users to communicate instances of fraud, waste, and abuse through secure channels. 

In order to meet the tight five-week window for design, development, and deploying the new website – the Mobomo team leveraged containerization and Lando for streamlining local development and hooking into the continuous integration, continuous development (CI/CD) pipeline. Mobomo also worked with the Smartronix Azure Cloud team to architect a zero-downtime deployment procedure to allow seamless promotion of new code the public environment. 

“This is a great team on both sides of the table. For such an expedited delivery schedule, it is critical for all the contract partners and government stakeholders to stay Agile and collaborate effectively to succeed.” – Austin White, VP of Federal Services.

For more information on Mobomo’s work with the Federal Government click here.

About the PRAC

The Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) was established by the CARES Act as part of the committee of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE). The PRAC has developed a Strategic Plan for the next five years that details how PRAC will serve the public by promoting transparency of funds and by preventing and detecting fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement of said funds. The committee will work closely with the Federal Inspectors General to support all affected by the pandemic. 

Our Partners
Pandemic Response and Accountability Committee (PRAC)
Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE)
Smartronix
Domo
Woolpert
Grant Thornton

• Read more about Usability and UX Can Make Space Cool for Everyone

Back in 2013, when I first joined Mobomo, we migrated NASA.gov from a proprietary content management system (CMS) to Amazon Cloud and Drupal 7. It goes without saying, but there was a lot riding on getting it right. The NASA site had to handle high traffic and page views each day, without service interruptions, and the new content management system had to accommodate a high volume of content updates each day. In addition to having no room for compromise on performance and availability, the site also had to have a high level of security. 

Maybe the biggest challenge, though, was laying the groundwork to achieve NASA’s vision for a website with greater usability and enhanced user experiences. If NASA’s audience all fell into the same demographic, that goal probably wouldn’t have seemed so intimidating, but NASA’s audience includes space fans who range from scientists to elementary school kids. 

Our mission was to create a mobile-first site that stayed true to NASA’s brand and spoke to all of the diverse members of its audience. A few years later, we relaunched a user-centric site that directed visitors from a dynamic home page to microsites designed specifically for them.

Making Space Seem Not So Far Away

NASA.gov includes data on its missions, past and present. To make this massive amount of data more user-friendly, we worked with NASA to design a site that’s easily searchable, navigable, and enhanced through audio, video, social media feeds, and calendars. Users can find updates on events via features such as the countdown clock to the International Space Station’s 20th anniversary. NASA.gov users can also easily find what they need if they want to research space technology, stream NASA TV, or explore image galleries. 

The NASA.gov site directs its younger visitors to a STEM engagement microsite where students can find activities appropriate for their grade level. The site also includes the NASA Kids’ Club where students can have some fun while they’re learning about exploration. For example, they can try their hands at virtually driving a rover on Mars, play games, and download activities. 

Older students with space-related aspirations can learn about internship and career opportunities, and teachers can access lesson plans and STEM resources.

How to Make it Happen

To successfully achieve NASA’s goals and manage a project this complex, we had to choose the right approach. Some website projects are tailor-made for a simple development plan that moves from a concept to design, construction, testing, and implementation in a structured, linear way. The NASA.gov project, however, wasn’t one of them.

For this website and the vast majority of the sites we develop, our team follows DevOps methodology. With DevOps, you don’t silo development from operations. Our DevOps culture brings together all stakeholders to collaborate throughout the process to achieve:

Faster Deployment

If we had to build the entire site then take it live, it would have taken much longer for NASA and its users to have a new resource. We built the site in stages, validating at every stage. By developing in iterations, and involving the entire team, we also have the ability to address small issues rather than waiting until they create major ones. It also gives us more agility to address changes and keep everyone informed. This prevents errors that could put the brakes on the entire project.

Optimized Design

NASA.gov has several Webby Awards, and award-winning web design takes a team that works together and collaborates with the organization to define the audience (or audiences), optimize the site’s navigation and usability, and strike a balance between the site’s primary purpose and its appeal. 

Mobile-First

Because NASA.gov users may be accessing the site from a PC, laptop, tablet, smartphone, or other device, it was also pivotal to use mobile-first design. Mobile-first starts by designing for the smallest screens first, and then work your way up to larger screens. This approach forces you to build a strong foundation first, then enhance it as screen sizes increase. It basically allows you to ensure user experiences are optimized for any size device. 

Scalability

NASA.gov wasn’t only a goliath website when we migrated it to Amazon Cloud and Drupal. We knew it would continue to grow. Designing the site with microsites that organize content, help visitors find the content that is most relevant to their interests, and enhance usability and UX informed a plan for future growth. 

Efficient Development Processes

DevOps Methodology breaks down barriers between developers and other stakeholders, automates processes, makes coding and review processes more efficient, and enables continuous testing. Even though we work in iterations, our team maintains a big-picture view of projects, such as addressing integrations, during the development process. 

Planned Post-Production

DevOps also helps us cover all the bases to prepare for launch and to build in management tools for ongoing site maintenance. 

What Your Business Can Learn from NASA

You probably never thought about it, but your business or organization has a lot in common with NASA, at least when it comes to your website. Just like NASA, you need a website that gives you the ability to handle a growing digital audience, reliably and securely. You’re probably also looking for the best CMS for your website, one that’s cost-effective and gives you the features you need.

Your website should also be designed to be usable and to provide the user experiences your audience wants. And, with the number of mobile phone users in the world topping 5 billion, you want to make sure their UX is optimized with mobile-first design. 

NASA’s project is also an illustration of how building your website in stages, getting input from all stakeholders, and validating and testing each step of the way can lead to great results. You also need a plan for launching the site with minimal disruption and tools that will make ongoing management and maintenance easier. 

You probably want to know you are doing everything you can to make your content appealing, engaging, and interactive. You may think NASA has an advantage in that department since NASA’s content is inherently exciting to its audience.

But so is yours. Create a website that showcases it. Not sure where to begin? Click here and we’ll point you in the right direction.

• Read more about Lessons from Building Mission-Critical Government Apps

The headlines were unanimous: The mobile app used for tallying results during the Iowa Democratic Caucus was an unmitigated failure. Not only did it delay the outcome of the vote count, it cast a shadow on the integrity of the voting process.

What went wrong? Could it be, as opined by Vox, that “using an app to tally election results wasn’t such a good idea”?

Or was this simply a case of great idea, poor execution?

In this piece, we’ll examine what went wrong with the Iowa Democratic Party’s app, what a good app would have looked like, and how government agencies, political bodies, and other high-pressure groups can avoid the same mistakes.

How Not to Develop and Deploy an App

The problem surfaced hours after the caucuses ended. The Iowa Democratic Party had not reported results, citing inconsistencies in the reporting data. Officials were quick to say the delay was not caused by a hack or intrusion.

Still, speculation surfaced about possible security problems with technology. On Twitter, stories raising concerns about the caucus app’s vulnerabilities resurfaced. One of the top concerns cited in those pieces centered on the plan for caucus volunteers to download the app directly to their phones, which made it difficult to ensure the safety of the devices.

As the hours ticked by, chaos ensued, with the campaigns of two candidates claiming victory as the field headed east for the New Hampshire Democratic Primary on February 11.

What went wrong? As it turns out, quite a lot:

• Caucus field staff claimed the app wasn’t working properly. Some could not download the app. Others couldn’t sign into it, and still others complained that the backup method, reporting by phone, wasn’t letting their calls through.
• Cybersecurity experts and academics said the app was not tested at statewide scale or vetted by the Department of Homeland Security’s cybersecurity agency.
• And even if the app was working, reports suggest, the roll out of the tool was so badly botched that those responsible for reporting via the app weren’t trained on how to use it.
• The app was not deployed through traditional app stores or even sideloaded using an enterprise certificate. Instead, it was distributed through mobile testing platforms, including Apple’s TestFlight and a similar platform that services both iOS and Android called TestFairy. App developers and large software makers typically use testing platforms for mobile apps that are still in beta (i.e., not quite finalized). Developers can use the testing platforms to distribute the beta version of the software without having to go through the rigorous App Store and Play Store review processes.
• The app was distributed using the TestFairy platform’s free tier and not its enterprise one. Developers didn’t even pay for the TestFairy plan that comes with single sign-on authentication, unlimited data retention, and end-to-end encryption. Instead, they used the version of TestFairy anyone can try for free. It deletes any app data after 30 days and limits the number of test users that can access the app to 200.

In short, it appears that the app was rushed into use long before the necessary testing, training, and due diligence had taken place.

Rules of the App Development Road

Hindsight being what it is, it’s easy for observers to shake their heads and say, “We would never do that.”

But, how can they make sure? The key is to know what is required to develop an app the right way:

1. A rigorous, formal authorization process
2. A formal risk model
3. A formal threat model for the application

For example, developers working on federal websites must go through the security authority within their respective agency. That person confirms the application has gone through the FedRAMP certification process for cloud-hosted environments. The process confirms whether apps meet a standard set of 350-450 controls.

Some would argue there ought to be a similar formal process in place when software designed for government or public use is developed by external vendors. Unfortunately, the added work involved in meeting such standards would also add considerable cost to every project.

Fortunately, many developers still use those federal standards to establish clear frameworks while designing and testing their project. Working from the outside in, these developers consider such questions as “What boundary protections does this software need?” and “How does this software interface with other systems?”

Ready to Launch

State primaries and caucuses call for an app that is both secure and able to withstand rigorous load testing (i.e., the process of putting demands on a system and measuring its response). The app may work beautifully during standard testing but collapse completely once thousands of people start to use it.

As an example, Mobomo’s own load-testing procedures proved invaluable during the NASA.gov webcast of the “Great American Eclipse” in 2017. The NASA site typically has 10,000 - 50,000 simultaneous viewers. But on the day of the eclipse, NASA streamed the all-day event, which generated five to six times the streaming traffic of that year’s Super Bowl.

The NASA site performed superbly even under these conditions in part because it was designed to meet the FedRAMP continuity operation planning controls. These controls ensure that if one aspect of the software goes down, backup systems bypass the problem and the software continues to function with minimal interruption to the user.

And that’s the whole point of developing an app for a high-volume, high-pressure task like reporting data from caucus sites or primary voting stations: Using the best technology, the best processes, and the highest levels of expertise to make an app that works so smoothly and accurately, one would never realize the level of complexity and rigor that goes into developing it.

Mobomo develops and deploys secure, high-performance apps and websites for a broad range of civilian federal entities. Want to learn more about our work? Give us a call or contact us today.

• Read more about NASA Wins People’s Voice Webby for Government & Civil Innovation

NASA.gov, the agency’s primary website, has been awarded the 2019 People’s Voice Award in the Government & Civil Innovation category!

NASA.gov, led by Brian Dunbar, NASA’s Internet Services Manager, continues to incorporate cutting-edge technology solutions to communicate the excitement of exploration to the global online public. NASA’s commitment to innovation has been the foundation for NASA.gov’s continued success and solidifies its position as one of the most visited website in the federal government.

NASA’s Office of Communications has managed NASA.gov, the agency’s primary home on the web since 1994, setting a high standard for government online communications. This is the 5^th time NASA.gov has won the Government & Civil Innovation Webby award in the last 6 years, winning each time it has been nominated!

The site receives an average of more than 300,000 visits a day, and surges with major announcements, such as the discovery of the first known system of seven Earth-size planets around a single star, which brought in 6.7 million visits in a week.

Mobomo has been thrilled to be part of an award winning team at NASA – we are excited to see what’s in store for the future.

• Read more about DOI's Drupal Developer Support Services BPA awarded to Mobomo, LLC

Vienna, VA March 19, 2019—Mobomo,

Mobomo, LLC is pleased to announce our award as a prime contractor on the $25M Department of Interior (DOI) Drupal Developer Support Services BPA . Mobomo brings an experienced and extensive Drupal Federal practice team to DOI.  Our team has launched a large number of award winning federal websites in both Drupal 7 and Drupal 8, to include www.nasa.gov, www.usgs.gov, and www.fisheries.noaa.gov.,These sites have won industry recognition and awards including the 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018 Webby Award; two 2017 Innovate IT awards; and the 2018 MUSE Creative Award and the Acquia 2018 Public Sector Engage award.

DOI has been shifting its websites from an array of Content Management System (CMS) and non-CMS-based solutions to a set of single-architecture, cloud-hosted Drupal solutions. In doing so, DOI requires Drupal support for hundreds of websites that are viewed by hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, including its parent website, www.doi.gov, managed by the Office of the Secretary. Other properties include websites and resources provided by its bureaus  (Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, National Park Service, Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey) and many field offices.

This BPA provides that support. The period of performance for this BPA is five years and it’s available agency-wide and to all bureaus as a vehicle for obtaining Drupal development, migration, information architecture, digital strategy, and support services. Work under this BPA will be hosted in DOI’s OpenCloud infrastructure, which was designed for supporting the Drupal platform.

• Read more about Mobomo Presents Drupal Con Summit on NASA Eclipse Partnership

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