Efforts to get Hoosiers online instead of standing in line to interact with state government -- a priority of the late Governor Frank O'Bannon -- continue to gain national recognition. Last month, the state's Web portal (www.IN.gov) was ranked third in the Taubman Center for Public Policy at Brown University's fourth annual survey of state eGovernment performance. Indiana's official eGovernment portal was also awarded third place in the Best of the Web contest sponsored by the Center for Digital Government, an international research and advisory institute on information technology use in government. Indiana was the only state to receive a top five ranking in both studies.
Frank O'Bannon had urged state government to focus on putting more information and services online as a way to help Hoosiers and people all around the world do business with the state, said spokeswoman Mary Dieter.
"Governor O'Bannon would be so pleased to hear that the state's official Web portal, accessIndiana, has won third place in the Brown University survey and Best of the Web contest," said Dieter. "He was an absolute believer in making government open and accessible to the people it serves, and he thought that Web-based services were the best way to accomplish that."
O'Bannon died on September 13 after serving seven years as governor. He had 15 months left in his term.
In Brown University's study of state eGovernment Web sites, accessIndiana ranked high in readability, disability access, privacy and security policies, as well as a number of online services. Brown University's complete findings are available at www.insidepolitics.org.
Indiana's services from the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, departments of Revenue and Labor, Legislative Services and the Health Professions Bureau caught the attention of the Best of the Web judges. They also praised the portal's common look and feel, branding strategies, new Web-based GIS, and digitally certified records pilot. Full details on the results are available at the Center's Web site, at www.centerdigitalgov.com.
"The governor regularly said that he wanted to take more people out of line and put them online to do business with the state. Our excellent Web site is making this happen, and he would be very happy about that," Dieter explained.
"For years, Indiana has led the nation in providing better service to its citizens through the use of innovative technology," said Laura Larimer, Indiana's chief information officer. "This recognition is a tribute to the support and vision of Governor O'Bannon and is a legacy that we plan to build upon."
About accessIndiana
accessIndiana is the official Web portal for the state of Indiana (www.IN.gov). accessIndiana's services are developed and maintained by Indiana Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of eGovernment firm NIC (Nasdaq:EGOV).
Quelle: Business Wire
