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| Wednesday, 21 May 2008, 19:26 HKT/SGT | |
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Source: WITSA | |
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KUALA LUMPUR, May 21, 2008 - (ACN Newswire) - On third day of its World Congress on Information Technology, the World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA), announced that seven public and private sector organizations representing six countries were selected to receive 2008 Global ICT Excellence Awards. The awards were presented at the World Congress' World Gala Dinner in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Every two years, the WITSA Global ICT Excellence Awards recognize select organizations whose use of information technology has exhibited exceptional achievement within three broad categories: Public Sector Excellence, Private Sector Excellence, and Digital Opportunity. In addition, a special Chairman's Award is presented to a nominee from the entire pool of candidates from all three categories.
"It is remarkable to witness the power of ICT in transforming societies, businesses, and government enterprises," observed WITSA chairman George Newstrom. "This year's award winners clearly demonstrate the boundless potential to create new social and economic opportunities, for the smallest communities and the largest corporations."
The winners of the seven 2008 Global ICT Excellence Awards follow:
I. The Chairman's Award
The Smile of the Child
Throughout Greece, The Smile of the Child runs eight community homes that provide shelter to physically or sexually abused, abandoned, or neglected children. Serving 220 children in 2007, the organization uses information technology to reach out to children and adults in remote areas that are inaccessible in most areas. The organization also educates the public on how to use technology safely to ensure the protection of children. The organization operates a national "SOS" or help telephone line that received more than 300,000 calls last year. The help line is powered by a database that enables calls to be recorded, tracked, and followed up on, while additional components facilitate direct communication with police, social services, and medical resources. The Smile of the Child also uses IT in issuing missing children alerts and operating a bank of food, clothing, furniture, medicine, books, and toys.
II. Public Sector Award
MyGovernment Portal
MyGovernment is a public service portal designed to enhance the delivery of government services to Malaysian citizens. The portal leverages ICT and multimedia to deliver efficient and quality services electronically and facilitate the sharing of resources among government agencies. Architects of the system created an ICT framework focused on a single gateway with multiple delivery channels for providing integrated services to citizens, businesses, government, and non-citizens. Development of the portal is also enabling the government enterprise to increase its e-government maturity capability.
Castilla la Mancha Health Service
Citizens in Castilla la Mancha, a remotely situated region in Spain, have historically suffered from insufficient access to quality health services and facilities. Castilla la Mancha Health Service is an electronic healthcare initiative designed to facilitate the sharing of health test information among hospitals and medical practitioners throughout Spain. The electronic sharing of this test information, such as radiological images and reports, significantly reduces waiting times, second opinion visits, hospital stays, and, ultimately, costs, while improving quality of care. Multiple physicians can examine a single patient test result and, therefore, assess a wider range of clinical cases. The application of computer assisted diagnosis over a widespread network has improved the capacity of the health system, while improving diagnostic accuracy. The system has been chosen as the model to be implemented on a national scope.
III. Private Sector Award
JFE Steel Corporation
Now the world's fourth largest steel company, JFE Steel Corporation is the product of a large merger. The merger left the company with sizeable challenges as it sought to integrate the data and business processes of two extremely large enterprises. With the goal of integrating work systems in the new company within three years, the company created the JFE Strategic Modernization and Innovation Leading system, known as J-Smile. Not only did J-smile accomplish its goal within the three-year timeframe, it also aided in the fusion of two corporate cultures, while creating an annual benefit of US$130 million from a $300 million investment. The overarching goal of the integration effort was innovation - in improving all business functions ranging from supply chain management to production to development and sales, as well as in the flexible operation of its steel mills. J-Smile provided the process to integrate some 90,000 data items, and streamline business processes, giving JFE greater flexibility and agility.
INTRALOT S.A.
A leading provider of state-of-the-art integrated gaming systems to lottery organizations worldwide, INTRALOT delivers game content, network integration, transaction processing, and other services to clients in 19 countries. The company has been widely recognized for its technological innovation, both in support of public lottery systems and online multi-user gaming platforms. The company's principal platform, known as LOTOS, performs management, control, administration, and support of online wagering operations. The platform was developed using open architecture technologies that can be deployed on a variety of hardware and software platforms. Central to the company's innovative delivery strategy have been the development of new terminal devices, new telecommunications access networks, and optimization of security systems and applications according to international standards. INTRALOT's research and development approach is focused on its model for software development.
IV. Digital Opportunity
Hole-in-the-Wall Education Limited
Hole-in-the-Wall Education Limited has created an innovative learning methodology that fosters collaborative learning among children in underserved regions. The centerpiece involves unconditional access to an outdoor playground computer used in training mentally and developmentally disabled persons through sound effect, voice, photo, and video programs. Established as a joint venture of NIIT Ltd. and the International Finance Corporation, the program is aimed at bridging the socio-economic digital divide by installing learning stations in remote locations, even in extreme weather conditions. Using proprietary hardware and software, all computer equipment is designed to be sturdy, weather-proof, and tamper-proof, and can be used in an unsupervised setting. Learning stations can be remotely monitored using a proprietary Remote Monitoring System.
Association for Engineering and Medical Volunteer Services
The Association for Engineering and Medical Volunteer Services established the Computer Rehabilitation Resource Station, known as C-Rehab, to provide materials and resources for use in training and educating mentally handicapped persons and those with learning difficulties. C-Rehab is a comprehensive Web site serving more than 250 educational institutions and rehabilitation agencies and 500 professional workers. Parents also use the site to render daily training to their mentally handicapped children. Nearly 16,000 mentally handicapped persons have benefited from the service since its inception in 2005. The training programs are incorporated with realistic sound effect, voice, photo and video, which are interactive and stimulating so as to enhance mentally disabled users' interest and motivation to access the computer and achieve learning objectives. All training materials are designed by occupational therapists who understand the abilities and learning needs of mentally handicapped persons.
Candidates for the awards were nominated and selected by WITSA's member associations, with the exception of the WITSA Chairman's Award. The Center for Digital Government, a national research and advisory institute, worked with WITSA to oversee the awards selection process.
Contact:
Anders Halvorsen
E: ahalvorsen@witsa.org
Kuala Lumpur: +6012 932 7154 (during WCIT2008)
USA: +1 703 284-5333
Topic: Corporate Announcement
Source: WITSA
https://www.acnnewswire.com
From the Asia Corporate News Network
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