California Wins Five National State Technology Awards.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The State of California today won national recognition for outstanding achievement and leadership in five categories for technology projects and large project management. The National Association of Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) announced one first-place award and four finalists (within the top three) respectively to the California Highway Patrol and Caltrans, CAL FIRE, Department of Finance, Department of Insurance and the Office of Systems Integration within California Health and Human Services Agency (CHHS). There were more than 114 submissions to this year's competition in 10 categories by 30 states.

The awards include:

1(st) Place

CHP and Caltrans - Los Angeles Regional Traffic Management Center

Category: Cross-Boundary Collaboration

Finalists (within the top three)

CALFIRE - Computer Aided Dispatch

Category: Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery

Department of Finance - eBudget

Category: Data, Information and Knowledge Management

Department of Insurance - Voice over IP Implementation

Category: Information Communications Technology Innovations

CHHS, Office of Systems Integration - Large Project Management

Category: Enterprise IT Management Initiatives

"California is proudly leading the way in improving the efficiency of state operations and providing access to government information and services to better serve our constituents through the use of technology," said Teri Takai, California's Chief Information Officer. "I would like to congratulate all of the dedicated and hard-working technology professionals that have contributed to this tremendous achievement, the Golden State being nationally recognized for outstanding accomplishments in information technology."

"The technology solutions required to meet the health and human services needs of a state with 38 million people are large and complex, involving multiple layers of government and numerous stakeholder groups," said California Health and Human Services Secretary Kim Belshe. "Through our Office of Systems Integration, we have developed an effective, structured way to manage these complex IT projects which support the delivery of essential health and human services for millions of Californians."

"The California Department of Insurance is working hard to infuse innovation into California state government," said Commissioner Poizner, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur before entering public service. "I applaud the Department's information technology experts, who have exemplified a nationally-recognized level of skill and commitment to serving the best interests of California consumers. The Department of Insurance will continue to harness new technology as a way to provide the best possible service for consumers."

"This award reflects the partnership between CHP and Caltrans and our combined commitment to utilize cutting-edge technology in traffic management," said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow. "Congratulations to our friends at Caltrans for their vision on this project."

"A world-class partnership and collaboration such as that between Caltrans, the California Highway Patrol and the Los Angeles County Transportation Authority (Metro), allows for a world-class statewide transportation system to increase safety, reduce congestion and provide for the safe and efficient movement of goods, services, people and information," said Will Kempton, Director, California Department of Transportation.

"Often, the first contact the public has in an emergency is with our 9-1-1 command centers," stated CAL FIRE Director Ruben Grijalva. "Through innovation and teamwork, our information technology staff has greatly enhanced CAL FIRE's ability to deliver life saving emergency response with this computer aided dispatch system. I am very proud of their achievement and the recognition they've received from NASCIO. Their hard work, long hours and dedication clearly demonstrate the best qualities of the State of California's workforce."

NASCIO's Recognition Awards Program features categories reflecting the wide range of Information Technology projects currently under development within state governments. Emphasis was placed on recognizing programs that exemplify best practices, support the public policy goals of state leaders, represent an innovative use of existing technology or a use of new technology, assist government officials to efficiently execute their duties, provide cost-effective service to citizens and are transferable to other agencies or units of government.

Last week, the Center for Digital Government ranked California fifth out of 50 states in its biennial Digital State Survey, a prestigious competition is a comprehensive study that examines best practices, policies, and progress made by state governments in their use of digital technologies to better serve their citizens and streamline operations.

In August, California won third place in the Center for Digital Government's national "Best of the Web" competition. California's Office of Systems Integration (OSI) also won the Digital Government Achievement Award for its management of large IT projects.

Last month, the Brookings Institution's annual State and Federal Electronic Government in the United States report ranked California fourth overall out of 50 states. In this study, the State climbed the ranks for the past several years, rising from 47 in 2005.