IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

He added that the Human Resources System "Mawrid," which obtained the Sultan Qaboos Award for Excellence in e-governmental service as the best 1358859507389632200 e-governmental project from governmental institution to governmental institution, is considered as one of the successful projects as it also obtained two awards from the United Nations (UN) and one gulf award.

The symposium on 'Excellence in eGovernment' begins tomorrow at the Shangri-La's Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa. The meet is part of the initiative of the Sultan Qaboos Award for Excellence in eGovernment 2014.

The UN e-Government Survey, which publishes every two years, serves as a tool for decision-makers to identify their areas of strength and challenges. This year’s winners embody the vision and commitment necessary to transform public administration to ensure efficacy, transparency, responsiveness, participation and inclusion in the delivery of public services.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has new mobile applications for smart phones. Through their mobile devices, people can find when the next bus arrives, where the closest restaurants are to their current location, the latest data on air and water quality, and where traffic congestion is at its worst.

Various UAE government entities also bagged most of the GCC eGovernment Awards by achieving the first place in three out of the six categories of the Award.

Other top achievers include Dubai Health Authority (DHA) which achieved first place for Best eContent and Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) which achieved first place in the Best eService category (G2C). Appreciation Awards were presented to Zakat Fund for Best public eService and the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) for Best Portal in the Development Sector for its portal www.gcaa.gov.ae.

Commenting on the award, Ahmad Al Humaidan, Director-General, Dubai eGovernment said: “I congratulate the Infrastructure Management team for this award which is a result of continuous efforts that have been exerted in the field of network security projects. Dubai eGovernment has built a robust and secure Government Information Network, which has become the cornerstone of the electronic infrastructure of Dubai Government and the spinal column for connecting government and semi-government bodies at a high speed that ensures safe and cost-effective exchange of information and smooth integration for these bodies. It has also provided synergistic and shared services to the government bodies, these being the basic systems for effectively managing their internal resources, thereby enabling them to focus on discharging their direct tasks for the public and concentrate more on providing eServices to them.”

The Dubai Department of Economic Development (DED) website (www.dubaided.gov.ae) has been adjudged as the 'Best Government Website' by Dubai E-Government.

The DED website was selected for its ease of navigation, customer-friendly initiatives and regularly updated information from 27 websites of government entities in Dubai.

United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Sha Zukang and incumbent UN General Assembly President Incumbent Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser co-patronised the ceremony. Over 500 representatives countries vying for the award, ministers and officials in charge of e-Government programmes attended.

The 2012 Best of the Web recognizes the most innovative state Web portals. Sites are judged on overall efficiency, economy, functionality and design. The review is conducted by the Center for Digital Government, a national research and advisory institute on information technology policies.

But those savings can be realized only if agencies commit to reforming the way they manage data and processes, not simply the technology that houses that data, said Karen Evans, who ran the Office of Managements and Budget's information technology shop during the Bush administration and was often called the nation's unofficial chief information officer.

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.

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.

But students at the University of Utah want to make sure those high standards are upheld by local governments in Utah too. Focusing specifically on open government practices, the Honors College Think Tank on Transparency and Privacy recently evaluated 16 local governments, discovering a wide variety of policies now in use.

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.”