2006 NASCIO Recognition Awards

Successful state information technology initiatives deserve to be highlighted and shared in order to recognize outstanding accomplishments in the public sector. For the eighteenth consecutive year, NASCIO honors outstanding achievements in the field of information technology through its Recognition Awards for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Information Technology. Emphasis is placed on recognizing those information technology initiatives which exemplify best practices, support the public policy goals of state leaders, assist government officials to innovatively execute their duties, and provide cost-effective service to citizens.

Award recipients were announced in press releases and letters to governors and other elected officials. In the past, the NASCIO Recognition Awards have been featured in several national publications and award recipients have gone on to win in other prestigious competitions. The award recipients were also honored at the 2006 NASCIO annual conference in Miami, Florida.

2006 Compendium of Recognition Awards for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Information Technology

This compendium highlights the most innovative initiatives and best practices identified from this year’s record number of Recognition Award submissions. Included are the complete nomination materials from the twelve award-winning initiatives as well as the projects commended with honorable mentions.

Download Best Practices Compendium

Download Best Practices Booklet

Award Recipients

The executive summaries of all 2006 nominations are posted below to share these best practices with other states. Click on the category title to access the nominees for each category.

Business Continuity
This category addresses IT initiatives related to continuity of operations which make states better prepared for major incidents such as natural or man-made disasters, pandemic flu and major infrastructure failures. Whether through planning methodologies, management information systems, infrastructure protection, security systems or recovery mechanisms, IT initiatives may enable government business to recover from security attacks, disasters, equipment failures or acts of terrorism. Business continuity initiatives may relate to contingency planning, disaster recovery, homeland security, health alerts and business resumption.
RECIPIENT: Kentucky Mutual Aid and Interoperability

Cross-Boundary Collaboration and Partnerships
This category addresses coordinating, sharing, integrating or joining up of IT related goals and strategies, governance and management, policies, architecture and standards, business processes, data and information, systems and applications, services, technologies and infrastructure. Collaboration or partnerships must involve a public entity and may include collaboration with other public groups, higher education institutions, private or not-for-profit sectors. Examples of functional and service areas may include criminal justice, emergency management, taxation and revenues, human services, health, education, and workforce training.
RECIPIENTS: California Statewide Information System for Prenatal and Newborn Screening Program
District of Columbia Safe Passages Information System

Data, Information and Knowledge Management
This category addresses strategies, processes, applications and solutions, initiatives or programs using, processing or creating data, information, knowledge and intellectual value, property or capital. Examples may include data and information architecture, data warehouses / data marts, data mining, repositories, analytics, business intelligence, data and information integration, metadata and master data management, knowledge management, information life-cycle management, data quality and supporting and developing the knowledge worker and workplace. Outcomes and benefits may include the provision of information related content and services, as well as support for development of policies, performance assessments, decision-making and making government more transparent.
RECIPIENT: Pennsylvania Global XML 3.0 Document Creation Process

Digital Government: Government to Business (G to B)
For innovative applications that foster less cost to business for regulatory compliance; setting up and growing a business; and day-to-day government-to-business interactions. Examples include innovative portal services, one-stop solutions, provisions for transparent transactions, registering, compliance tracking, notifications, automating licensing, permitting, reporting, payment, procurement, and similar services.
RECIPIENT: Michigan Business Portal

Digital Government: Government to Citizen (G to C)
For governmental applications that provide innovative service to citizens or increase government's efficiency with citizen interaction. Acceptable submissions include any type of electronic interface and may demonstrate self-service portal applications, personalization, subscription or notification features. Examples of digital government applications include unemployment compensation, welfare benefits, licensing, vehicle registration, justice/safety programs, insurance, retirement programs, environmental service, or tax collection. Efficiency improvements such as e-voting, on-line permitting, and on-line bill payment will also be considered. Include details about the longevity of the service, target audience and the current adoption rate. Reference any performance measures and citizen satisfaction data. Include any development and/or training initiatives that ensure expanded access to, and independent use of these services by people with disabilities or others who would not normally have easy access to digital government initiatives.
RECIPIENTS: Arizona 2-1-1
e-TAP: New York State’s Comprehensive Online Student Financial Aid Gateway

Digital Government: Government to Government (G to G)
For digital government initiatives aimed at enhancing intergovernmental collaboration, cross-jurisdictional services and intergovernmental transaction processing. Examples include state government-wide information systems, integrated justice systems, health information systems, multi-state systems sharing, information sharing, geographic information systems and similar services that leverage a common solution across two or more federal, state, local and / or tribal governments.
RECIPIENT: Michigan E-Mail Consolidation

Enterprise Architecture
To design, develop or implement a solution-based enterprise architecture framework, consisting of technical, business, information and service-oriented architectures. A holistic Enterprise Architecture framework will enable integration, shared services, interoperability and sharing of information with other entities across boundaries. This effort should help improve efficiency, deliver exceptional service and reduce costs to citizens, business, and other governmental entities.
RECIPIENT: District of Columbia Enterprise Integration Stack

Enterprise IT Management Initiatives
This category represents state initiatives to completely plan, organize and execute enterprise-wide initiatives. Recognizing the continued fiscal pressures within state governments, please describe the enterprise innovations that have helped states more effectively address or manage their budgetary constraints. Focus areas should be on solutions that employ policies, best practices and processes for enterprise change management, workforce development, governance or transformation. This category may include statewide efforts in the areas of policy-setting, public/private partnerships, and outsourcing, and may include implementation of best practice management structures such as CoBIT, ITIL and the ISO/IEC 20000 standards to improve service delivery and accountability.
RECIPIENT: Michigan Human Resources Optimization

Information Communications Technology (ICT) Innovations
This award category covers initiatives or services to promote economic development, interoperability and improve quality of life. This may be accomplished by facilitating or providing communications capabilities that enable state government to operate more efficiently and effectively or offer more innovative, responsive, and personalized services to citizens. Initiatives or services could be unique uses of current technology or the application of leading-edge technology. Examples include specialized customer information delivery systems, multi-media learning applications, technologies enabling rehabilitation, geographic information systems, artificial intelligence (AI) systems, media delivery independent systems, such as wireless applications (i.e. PDA, mobile, or remote computing). Other examples include interface improvements that encourage broader use of technologies by citizens. Emerging challenges are low-cost broadband connectivity to all citizens, regardless of geographic location or economic status, solutions to regulatory compliance such as broadband spectrum and the FCC.
RECIPIENT: Michigan Innovative Fraud Detection

IT Project and Portfolio Management
For state initiatives which have developed appropriate policies, governance processes and systems for the efficient management of IT investments from concept, funding, implementation, operation to retirement. This category can include activities designed to improve the investment evaluation and selection process for IT projects; improving the project management discipline through training, mentoring, and career-path efforts; strengthening the management of individual projects to ensure that funds are being expended properly and that projects are within scope, schedule, and quality; or projects to improve the management of the state’s existing IT project portfolio. Individual projects may also be submitted based on the merits of the project management of the project, rather than the product of the project.
RECIPIENT: Michigan Project Management and Governance Model