GovExec.Com: Real World Results
The 19 programs selected for Government Executive's 1998 Government Technology Leadership Award are effective for government, consumers, industry, and taxpayers. Access America Online Magazine salutes the winners.

President Calls for Internet-based Registry of 100,000 Children in Foster Care Waiting for Adoption
On November 24, President Clinton called for an Internet-based registry of 100,000 children in foster care who are waiting for adoption. He directed Donna Shalaha, Secretary of Health and Human Services, to work with the states, the courts, and private agencies to deliver a plan to him within 60 days. "To give those children the permanent homes they need, to give our families the opportunity to give them those homes, we must make technology a partner and propel the public welfare system into the 21st century," the President said.

Phoenix at Your Fingertips

"Hmmm, do I call the Education Programs Office or the Human Services Department?" Phoenix citizens looking for job training opportunities no longer have to flip a coin to answer that kind of question, or bounce from phone extension to phone extension. Using "Phoenix at Your Fingertips," a Web site organized with the end user, not the service provider, in mind, they can get the information they want fast. Plus, Phoenix's Geographic Information System combines geographic, census, infrastructure and zoning data in a common database. It replaces thousands of physical maps, covering 460 square miles of parcels, streets, sewer lines and other data, with a desktop application that can overlay one map with one or many others. Departments use the system for spatial analysis, as well as planning and decision support. The city is a leader in tailoring information to the needs of the end user. It is also linking technologies to provide both internal and external customers with better ways to measure performance and solve problems.

Using the expertise of the Cartographic Applications Lab at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the National Geographic Society now possesses a digital satellite image map of the world that can be used in numerous ways to support stunning and exciting visualizations for television, and regional and global maps for the National Geographic Society's Mapping Division.

"Geospatial information and associated technologies are integrating information in exciting, new ways and creating an information revolution," said Sally Matthews, Program Director at the General Services Administration's Office of Intergovernmental Solutions. "Today's applications provide maps in minutes, monitor crime in neighborhoods, aid communities in recovering from disasters, integrate land records, and help states maintain roads and bridges. "At the Federal level, more than 40 agencies are significantly involved in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) activities. When you link to Matthews' article, you'll find links to GIS developments over the globe. Just be sure to come back to Access America Online Magazine.