IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

Since IN.gov launched its first iPhone application with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) back in March 2011, the iPhone application has been downloaded more than 11,000 times and received several honors as a 2011 Silver Award Winner from W3 and The International Davey Awards in the categories of Sports and Recreation and Travel. The Indiana DNR app is a first-of-its-kind that is provided and endorsed by the DNR and is available for free download at itunes.apple.com/us/app/indiana-dnr/id395591679?mt=8.

This year’s recipients applied innovative Web technology in order to provide citizens with an overview of local programs and businesses within the community. Hartford.gov is one of several top notch Local Government portals providing easy access to usable information in order to strengthen the local community.

A city-led initiative to smash the digital divide in Covington by expanding access to free, public Wi-Fi has been named one of the 50 most transformative “smart” projects in the world.

To date, almost half of Covington residents have signed up for public Wi-Fi through what’s called “Covington Connect,” and it already has hosted more than 780,000 online sessions with an average duration of over an hour.

This week, the collaborative project unveiled during the start of the pandemic was recognized by Smart Cities Connect at the 5th Annual Smart 50 Award Gala in Columbus, Ohio.

“The internet has become a primary source of news and communication for many individuals with access,” said Governor Paul R. LePage. “It is good policy to ensure Mainers have easily accessible information about their government. Maine citizens can be proud that their state Web site is consistently recognized as one of the best.”

The My Maine Connection online service has moved several processes related to state assistance programs into an electronic format, resulting in reduced paperwork and significant efficiencies for the state. The service has been well received by the public, providing an online option for benefits pre-screening and a secure and efficient way to remain compliant with program rules.

Howell had the county's most "citizen-centric" website, according to a panel of graduate students and their professors at Monmouth University, who presented the township with an award at an April 28 ceremony.

Awards were given out to several municipalities – Colts Neck took the top honors for best overall municipal site – at a presentation organized by Monmouth's Public Policy graduate program.

Providing health care from a distance is gaining traction in the north country, thanks to a pair of nonprofits that formed a strong bond to ensure cutting-edge telemedicine services are available to patients.

In recognition of their efforts to help build an expansive telemedicine network across the north country, the Development Authority of the North Country and the Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization were honored with a Collaboration Award on Tuesday during the 2015 Nonprofit Awards ceremony held at the SRC Arena at Onondaga Community College. The Watertown-based organizations were among four partnerships in Central and Northern New York that received the award during the seventh annual event hosted by M&T Bank. The other partnership from the north country that received an award was River Hospital, Alexandria Bay, and the Antique Boat Museum, Clayton.

The Cherokee Nation’s Gadugi Portal, which empowers tribal citizens to stay engaged and connected in an easy-to-use online platform, recently won the 2024 Smart Cities awardee for the Civic Engagement category.

The Smart Cities awards recognize the progress North American municipalities and other governments have made and provide a forum for sharing best practices to help accelerate Smart City development in the region.

Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ official website receives Web Marketing Association Award for outstanding Web design

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ (ADCNR) official website, www.outdooralabama.com, was recently honored for its sleek, user-friendly design, receiving a 2015 Outstanding Website Award in the government website category by the Web Marketing Association. The WebAward program is the longest running annual website award competition dedicated to honoring the best websites in 96 industries while setting a high standard for all website development and marketing.

RI.gov, www.ri.gov, the official State website for the State of Rhode Island, has received its third accolade in 2012, a Best of Class nod from the Interactive Media Awards (IMA.) This is the Site's fourth consecutive year IMA win. In 2012, the Site received its highest scoring to date in the competition, 482 overall points out of a possible 500, solidifying the title Best in Class in the Government category. The judging criteria included: design, 97 points, content, 100 points, feature functionality, 99 points, usability, 96 points, and standards compliance and cross-browser compatibility, with a respectable, 90 points.

Rhode Island’s official state web portal, www.RI.gov, was recently honored for dynamic design, receiving a Silver Communicator Award of Distinction by the International Academy of the Visual Arts. The Communicator Awards program is one of the largest and most competitive awards program in the nation for creative professionals. Judging is based on a site conveying standards of excellence in marketing and communications. This is the third consecutive year that RI.gov has been recognized in the Communicator Awards Competition.

UCC Online allows businesses and citizens to file, search and retrieve UCC documents electronically at https://web.sc.gov/UCCFiling/. This Web-based application was built through a partnership between the Secretary of State’s Office and South Carolina Interactive, a Columbia-based subsidiary of eGovernment firm NIC, allows users to file, correct, amend, terminate, search and retrieve UCC financing statements.

“It is an honor to receive this national Digital Government Achievement Award for UCC Online,” said South Carolina Secretary of State Mark Hammond. “This recognition will greatly benefit the state and sends a clear message that we are business-friendly. I thank everyone who worked to make this electronic filing and retrieval system a reality.”

This year, Texas.gov, the official website for the state of Texas, has been recognized repeatedly for providing Texans with a positive, successful user experience when they access government services anytime, anywhere. Recent accolades include:

• Best of Web – Texas.gov was named a top 10 finalist by the Center for Digital Government for the third straight year. Noteworthy accomplishments for Texas.gov in 2012 included the launch of a mobile site, m.texas.gov; significant enhancements to the industry-pioneering Search functionality; the development of specialized landing pages for popular topics: Driver, Work, Pay and Records; and geo-location improvements for Information Near You.
• Interactive Media Awards (IMA) – Texas.gov/Driver, a specialized landing page that serves as a convenient, user-centered resource for Texans to access driver-related information and online services, was awarded an Outstanding Achievement Award by IMA.

Texas.gov, the official website of the State of Texas, proudly celebrates its first anniversary as the recipient of five awards from institutions honoring superior efforts by government. Texas.gov received accolades from the eGovernment industry for its use of plain language, search-centric design, action-based navigation, Web 2.0 technologies, and outstanding marketing campaign.

Utah.Gov, the official website of the state of Utah, and the Utah Connect Portal were selected as a winner of the Excellence.Gov Award for Excellence in Innovation: Social Media. The American Council for Technology-Industry Advisory Council (ACT-IAC) recognizes outstanding government programs that use information technology in an innovative manner to improve the ability of government to service citizens more effectively.

The Utah Connect Portal, http://utah.gov/connect, aggregates all federal, state, and local government social media feeds in the state of Utah to make it easier for citizens to discover new information and interact with state and local government agencies. The Connect Portal has social media content in Utah from Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, blogs, Slideshare, Flickr, and YouTube.

“Utah.Gov is repeatedly recognized as the leading state e-government solution in the nation, including its unprecedented haul of 16 awards in 2011,” said Herbert. “Utah.Gov is known not only for its aesthetics, but for its functionality, providing Utahns easy access to nearly 1,000 state services. I appreciate the efforts of DTS and Utah Interactive in making state government more efficient and more responsive to citizen needs, and I congratulate them for their well-deserved recognition.”

"Utah.Gov is repeatedly recognized as the leading state e-government solution in the nation, including its unprecedented haul of 16 awards in 2011,” said Governor Herbert. “Utah.Gov is known not only for its aesthetics, but for its functionality, providing Utahns easy access to nearly 1,000 state services.  I appreciate the efforts of DTS and Utah Interactive in making state government more efficient and more responsive to citizen needs, and I congratulate them for their well-deserved recognition.”

“Utah.Gov is repeatedly recognized as the leading state e-government solution in the nation,” said Mark VanOrden, Utah Chief Information Officer. “Utah.Gov is known for its award winning design, functionality, and providing access to citizens and businesses through 1,000 state services. Utah.Gov continually responds to citizens needs while simultaneously improving government and agency efficiencies.”

The official Web site of the State of Arkansas (www.Arkansas.gov) has again been named one of the best state government sites in the nation. Arkansas.gov received third-place ranking by the Center for Digital Government in its annual national competition, Best of the Web. Government Web sites are evaluated based on their innovation, Web-based delivery of public services, efficiency, economy and functionality.

A featured service in the new portal is Arkansas Works, a one-stop workforce portal designed to help Arkansans find jobs or education and training opportunities in the State.