State CIO Shawnzia Thomas named NASCIO director

Georgia's chief information officer (CIO) and GTA's executive director, Shawnzia Thomas, was selected to serve as a director on the Executive Committee of the National Association of State CIOs (NASCIO).

"NASCIO is a go-to resource for state IT leaders and a valuable forum for exchanging ideas about the use of technology," Ms. Thomas said. "Our constituents are well served by NASCIO's promotion of best practices and strategic alignment of IT investments and state business needs. I am honored to contribute to that work as a member of the Executive Committee."

Georgia boasts recognition in TAG awards

Georgia's broadband service expansion efforts earned recognition from the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG). The state's ongoing work to bring high-speed internet access to Georgia's unserved communities won the 2023 TAG Tech for Good Award. The category honors projects that capitalize on technology to promote inclusiveness and equity of opportunity in Georgia.

Georgia placed two contenders among the finalists for the awards. Ms. Thomas, Tech Leader of the Year category, and GTA's broadband initiatives director, Josh Hildebrandt, Emerging Leader of the Year category, were finalists. The list also included entries from the Georgia Department of Revenue, Technical College System of Georgia, and several Georgia universities.

Technology Innovation Showcase

This year, GTA held its 12th annual Technology Innovation Showcase. Each showcase project is a testament to the public sector's high-caliber efforts to use technology to improve the way government operates and better serve constituents. Here are the 2023 showcase honorees:

Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities

IMAGE

The Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) sought a solution for its aging incident management process, which relied on two legacy systems more than 11 years old. DBHDD found the answer with IMAGE, a multi-year effort by the DBHDD Office of Incident Management and Compliance along with hospital and community providers. The project modernized and combined the legacy community and hospital incident tracking systems. IMAGE was developed to manage incident reporting, investigation, and corrective action to provide safety for some of Georgia's most vulnerable constituents and support DBHDD's accountability providers. With IMAGE, the agency has comprehensive workflows, responsive data collection, and improved user experience.

Department of Labor

MyUI Claimant Portal (Phase One)

The Georgia Department of Labor (DOL) developed the MyUI Claimant Portal to better serve Georgians accessing unemployment insurance (UI) benefits. The portal streamlines the application process, enabling one stop access to all of a user's personal and benefit-related information. In addition, the MyUI Claimant Portal offers enhanced security, dashboard views, and a more user-friendly experience.

Governor's Office of Planning and Budget

Georgia Data Analytics Center

Accountability and transparency were primary drivers in the launch of the Georgia Data Analytics Center (GDAC), a central warehouse of information powered by aggregate data from across state government. The easy-to-consume format makes data and analytics accessible to lawmakers, state agencies, academic institutions, and public and private researchers. More than 10 dashboards are featured, including state property inventory, revenue collections, education funding, and state agency revenues and expenditures. The GDAC data governance committee regularly reviews data access and retention, along with publication policies and procedures. Among planned enhancements are expanding the data inventory and building data catalogs, dictionaries, and glossaries.

State Road and Tollway Authority and Atlanta-region Transit Link Authority

I-285 Top End Express Lane Transit Virtual Reality Experience

Aiming to enhance conceptualization of transit possibilities for the top-end express lanes of Interstate 285 (I-285), the Georgia State Road and Tollway Authority (SRTA) and the Atlanta-region Transit Link Authority (ATL) created a virtual reality experience for stakeholders. The immersive, three-dimensional view allows for visualizing a bus rapid transit (BRT) system with the planned expansion of the express lanes. With this model, stakeholders have the experience of riding the transit system as well as seeing how it will integrate with the existing structure.

Technical College System of Georgia

HOPE High School Equivalency Examination Grant Program

The Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) developed an automated process to assist the hundreds of Georgians who register to take the High School Equivalency Examination (HSE) each year. With the passage of Georgia Senate Bill 397, eligible test takers can use grant funds in the form of vouchers to pay their exam fees which can be as much as $200. TCSG created a single application to integrate and automate the processes for collecting grant applications, determining eligibility, issuing vouchers, and transferring funds to pay for the exams.