New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) Commissioner John A. Johnson today announced that the Kids' Well-Being Indicator Clearinghouse (KWIC) website (www.nyskwic.org) received the NYS Forum for Information Resource Management's 2004 New York State Best of the Web Award. KWIC, launched last fall by the NYS Council on Children and Families, is an interactive, web-based tool used to gather, plot and monitor NYS children's health, education and well-being data as a means to improve outcomes for children and families. Data are presented for New York State, New York City, "Rest of State," and each of New York's 62 counties.
"Under Governor George E. Pataki's government-without-walls initiative, state agencies have been expanding use of Internet technology so that citizens can access information and conduct business transactions 24 hours a day," said Commissioner Johnson. "KWIC is a valuable resource for individuals, organizations and local municipalities working to improve outcomes for the state's children and families."
Until now, the multi-agency collection of data available in KWIC had only been available in the New York State Touchstones/Kids Count data books, produced by the Council with funding from the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Kids Count Initiative.
Council on Children and Families Chief Executive Officer Alana M. Sweeny said, "Governor Pataki's e-Commerce/e-Government initiatives, like KWIC, are breaking down barriers for people doing business with state government. There has always been a tremendous demand for data that highlights the status of New York's children and families. With KWIC's state-of-the-art technology, data users have expanded access to New York State children's health, education and well-being data; more current data; an expanded number of indicators; access to other data resources; the ability to chart, graph and map data; and the ability to tailor data to fit their needs."
The criteria for the Best of the Web Award were that the website utilized an innovative use of technology in unique and creative ways to achieve its purpose; provided identifiable value to its users; was efficient both to the developer and to the users targeted; and met New York State's accessibility guidelines.
The award was presented at the Forum's 18th annual meeting Sept. 10 at the Desmond Hotel and Conference Center in Albany. Part of the Rockefeller Institute of Government, the Forum is a network of public officials and state government organizations concerned with information management, policy and technology. Since the Forum's inception in 1987, its voluntary membership has grown to more than 2,000 state officials and 65 state government organizations, including virtually all the executive agencies and statewide public authorities, the court system, the state university, and both houses of the Legislature.
Quelle: Empire Information Services, 14.09.2004
