TranStar Press Release

Houston TranStar Wins National Honors at FOSE 2005

Apr 5th, 2005

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 5, 2005

Contact: Artee T. Jones – Executive Public Information Officer
713-881-3244 or email: ajones3@houstontranstar.org

HOUSTON TRANSTAR WINS NATIONAL HONORS DURING THE 6TH ANNUAL DIGITAL GOVERNMENT AWARDS AT FOSE 2005 FOR ITS INNOVATIVE USES OF TECHNOLOGY TO TRANSFORM GOVERNMENT AND DELIVER CRITICAL CITIZEN SERVICES

“Real-Time Website Has Won Numerous Awards and Accolades”

(Houston, Texas) ---- Today, Houston TranStar, the Transportation and Emergency Management Center for the Greater Houston Region, was named the winner in the category of ‘State and Local Government Innovator’ for its ‘Real-Time Situation Status Website’ during the 6th Annual Digital Government Awards at FOSE 2005, the largest government trade show in the world.

Taking place in Washington, DC, the nation’s capitol, and presented by Accenture (NYSE:ACN) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) School of Architecture and Planning, the 6th Annual Digital Government Awards at FOSE 2005 recognizes the best examples of how governments are using technology to transform the delivery of citizen services and showcases high performers in government innovation. The awards are presented for achievements in federal, state and local government categories, as well as for the most innovative pilot or prototype solutions category.

The Real-Time website located at www.houstontranstar.org works cooperatively with multiple local, state and federal agencies to provide effective transportation and emergency management services across jurisdictional boundaries and helps address transportation and emergency management issues by providing a seamless, real-time situation database that exports partner-provided information to other government agencies and the general public.

According to Jack Whaley, Director of Houston TranStar, “The members of the Houston TranStar partnership are excited about the website being recognized as being innovative and one of the best in the nation. With Houston TranStar serving as a model for other Transportation Management Center’s (TMC’s) worldwide, it is incumbent upon us to be a leader in the industry, but, more importantly to provide an unprecedented level of service to the citizens of this region.”

“At MIT, we seek innovative solutions of tomorrow applied to the problems of today and each of the winners demonstrated excellence on that mark,” said Daniel J. Greenwood, Director of the MIT E-Commerce Architecture Program and Lecturer at the Media Lab of MIT. Winners used information technologies in creative ways to support and enhance all manner of government functions, from soldiers in the field, to helping commuters assure safer, faster drives home.”

In preparation for the 6th Annual Digital Government Awards at FOSE 2005, Accenture and MIT assembled a world-class panel of leaders in academia, government and other organizations to view and judge the submitted nominations. Awards for each category were based on the degree of creative thinking and innovative use of technology used to create or enhance service delivery; the extent to which the nomination successfully addressed a significant problem faced by the users or the organization; and the level of transformation and demonstrated effectiveness and tangible results achieved in the delivery of the program or service.

For more information on the 6th Annual Digital Government Awards at FOSE 2005, please visit www.fose.com or contact Peg Hosky, Hosky, Inc. at 202-23700300 or email: peg@hosky.com. For more information on Houston TranStar winning the ‘State and Local Government Innovator” award, please feel free to contact Artee T. Jones, Executive Public Information Officer for Houston TranStar at 713-881-3244 or email: ajones3@houstontranstar.org.

-30-

About Houston TranStar
Recognized nationally and internationally as a model for agencies combining resources across modal and political jurisdictional boundaries, Houston TranStar is a unique multi-agency partnership comprised of the City of Houston, Harris County, the State of Texas Department of Transportation and the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County. Together this unique partnership is responsible for coordinating the planning, design, operations and maintenance of transportation and emergency management functions in the greater Houston region and is part of an effort to establish Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) throughout the nation. The website is located at www.houstontranstar.org.
Powered by NewsRouter.com