Management

NASCIO 2011: Projects Win Recognition

NASCIO honors state IT programs with best practices awards.

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Amy has worked on StateTech since May 2007. As managing editor, she shapes editorial content for print and online. Before that, she spent 10 years at Network World as senior managing editor of features and managing editor of features. Amy began her IT publishing career at PC Week. While out of the office, she enjoys traveling and rooting for the Red Sox.

Several state IT departments recently won recognition for successful IT projects that promote innovation, foster better government and engage citizens.

For the 23rd year, NASCIO honored IT programs that represent the best practices of state IT initiatives across the nation.

"Congratulations to this year’s award finalists that provide a showcase of innovative projects across multiple states delivering on efficiency, proven results and positive changes for citizens,” says Brenda Decker, Nebraska CIO and co-chair of the NASCIO awards committee.

North Carolina CIO Jerry Fralick joined Decker in presenting awards in 10 categories:

Cross Boundary Collaboration and Partnerships:
State of California — Routing on Empirical Data (RED) Project

Of California’s 11.6 million wireless enhanced 9-1-1 calls, 4.9 million received a busy signal in 2011. The California Highway Patrol couldn’t keep up with the exponential growth in the number of calls, so the 9-1-1 division worked with the private wireless industry and state, county and city governments to improve cell phone routing. By rerouting calls to the local Public Safety Answering Point, the California Technology Agency sped emergency response. The project reduced wireless E9-1-1 busy signals to 2.02 percent in July 2011.

Data, Information and Knowledge Management:
State of Michigan — Department of Human Services Decision Support System

The Department of Human Services launched the Bridges Information Management Mart (BRIMM) to extract caseload information from the DHS Bridges benefits system. Data dashboards help the DHS county managers move to a localized decision support system that helps the state improve citizen well-being.

Digital Government: Government to Business:
State of Michigan — USAHerds Cattle Tracking, Protecting Our Food Supply

Bovine tuberculosis poses a significant risk to livestock, wildlife, pets and humans. The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development worked with a cross-boundary team of experts to develop its animal disease traceability solution, USAHerds. The RFID system tracks cattle movement from the farm through to slaughter. Disease tracking and response time increased by 80 percent, and reporting times of outbreaks dropped from weeks to hours.

Digital Government: Government to Citizen:
Commonwealth of Virginia — ARRA Energy Rebate Systems

The Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy received more than $100 million in RRA Funding to help the state become more energy efficient. The agency launched a user-friendly web solution for the energy rebate program that automated complex submission requirements while streamlining administration.

Enterprise IT Management Initiatives:
State of Michigan — Optimizing Government Technology Value: Establishing Enterprise Metrics to Ensure Operational Readiness and Business Availability

Michigan’s service management and monitoring system strategies monitors and manages essential services with service level agreement information to clients. The system is based on the information technology infrastructure library and has led to dramatic improvements in service delivery.

Fast Track Solutions:
State of Michigan — MiCloud Automated Hosting Service

Michigan’s MiCloud Automated Hosting reinvents core services by providing web-based provisioning of virtual machines in 30 minutes. The cloud computing solution costs 75 percent less to operate and supports legacy application modernization, consolidation and infrastructure optimization.

Improving State Operations:
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania — Pennsylvania Child Support Enforcement Data Exchanges

The Pennsylvania Child Support Enforcement Program establishes data exchanges between state and federal agencies, employers, financial institutions and licensing agencies. Having access to reliable, relevant and current data allows case managers to quickly determine the most effective way to collect child support or provide medical insurance to children.

Information Communications Technology Innovations:
State of Michigan — Michigan Building Intelligence System

The Michigan Building Intelligence System consolidates and enables remote monitoring and management of all HVAC, lighting, elevators and energy metering into one smart system. The building automation integration system allows the state to save money on maintenance and energy costs.

Open Government Initiatives:
State of Oregon — Data.Oregon.gov “The First Citizen Social Interactive Data Portal”

Oregon shares state government data sets with citizens and enables them to view the data in their own way, share that data with social media and develop custom applications. The system improves government transparency and fosters collaboration.

Risk Management Initiatives:
State of West Virginia — West Virginia Office of Technology Cyber Security Program

The state created an information security program to engage and reach all 19,000 computer users in the state. Tapping open-source technologies such as intrusion detection and operational controls along with training and monitoring, the system offers a set of services to reduce risk and boost West Virginia’s security posture.

For more information on the winning projects and finalists, go to www.nascio.org/awards.