Wednesday, September 24, 2003

Utah wins Best of the Web The Center for Digital Government announced today that Utah.gov is the winner of the 2003 Best of the Web competition!  I'm heading over for the Governor's announcement right now. Cathilea Robinett, executive director of the Center, had this to say about Utah's site: "Utah has a beautiful Web site that is easy to navigate and offers a variety of online services.  It has a live 24/7 customer-service help function, the most advanced common look-and-feel features in the nation, dynamic content, and a large amount of online services. Utah has historically been a leader in digital government. Capturing first-place in the Best of the Web contest reflects its true commitment to the citizens and businesses of the state." Dennis McKenna commented on Governor Leavitt's exemplary leadership in the area of e-government.  I recorded the speeches from the Governor, Mr. McKenna, and Val Oveson and will make them available online.  Val commended the Utah Interactive and the Product Management Council for their work.  For me, that means we just have a lot more to do.  Workforce Services has done an excellent job in elevating the use of jobs.utah.gov to where it is now the primary venue for job referrals, significantly surpassing over-the-counter operations.  We need to have similar goals and plans for the rest of our online services and market them accordingly. Deseret News coverage of the award Brown University released its City eGov Scorecard.  Denver topped the list this year with Salt Lake City coming in 7th. The Utah Navajo Trust Fund has a new website. 12:49:23 PM    comment []

News and Notes for September 24th Georgia is considering joining Matrix while some states are having privacy concerns. Directions Magazine writes about the merits of the National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC). The Indian state of Kerala offered a bid to outsource the management of its online lottery, but got no takers.  I guess they're all too busy with outsourced projects from U.S. companies. Some Chinese local governments are working to become more responsive.  For example, the City of Shanghai is soliciting public input on municipal construction projects through its portal (here's the English version).  They have some nice online maps. Eight states are meeting in Dakota Dunes this morning to coordinate management of the Missouri River.  The USGS maintains an excellent clearinghouse of information on the river.  Indian tribes and federal officials will also be attending. VOA News reports on the current status of the H1B visa debate. CLASS, a primary information source for State Department counter-terrorism efforts was knocked offline yesterday by a virus. California is joining other states in banning spam. The GAO released a report yesterday on technologies to support wildland fire management.  Also,l a report on Border and Transportation Security, including information on the US Visit system.  The federal government is spending $380 million this year on US-Visit (through 2014, the estimated cost is over $7 billion).  It will include information that is needed by the states to support their homeland security efforts.  The GAO is calling for a governing board that will be accountable for the implementation of the system that includes stakeholders. The Utah Departments of Health and Transportation will be announcing a new website this afternoon, part of a yearlong campaign focused on the benefits of walking. And, a couple of blogs worth reading: The Web Standards Project Simon Incutio Ideas in Technology and Publishing 8:12:23 AM    comment []

© Copyright 2003 David Fletcher.