Digital States Survey

Georgia earned an A grade – the highest possible – in the 2022 Digital States Survey. That follows the state’s A in 2020 and 2018 and an A- in the two surveys before that. Georgia also received a first-place award in the 2022 survey’s Constituent Centric category. It recognizes the state’s mobile and digital services strategy and efforts to engage constituents via improved service delivery.

The survey is conducted every two years by the Center for Digital Government, a national research and advisory institute focused on information technology policies and best practices in state and local governments. Each state is assigned a letter grade based on quantifiable results. Only five other states earned an A this year: Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, and Utah.

Georgia Earns National Procurement Honor

The GTA Procurement Management Office received the 2022 Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award from the National Procurement Institute. This year marks the 11th time GTA has earned the annual award. The prestigious honor recognizes organizational excellence in procurement based on standardized criteria measuring innovation, professionalism, e-procurement, productivity, and leadership. The application process is rigorous, requiring extensive documentation of practices and performance. Evaluation focuses not only on practical work, but also on contributions that further advance the public procurement profession.

Georgia Tax System Project Wins National Award

The Georgia Department of Revenue's (DOR) tax system cloud migration was recognized at the National Association of State CIOs (NASCIO) annual conference in October. DOR's ambitious project involved migrating its mission-critical Integrated Tax System (ITS) from on-premise server services to the Amazon Web Services (AWS) commercial cloud. The tax system now operates in a modern, reliable, and flexible cloud environment, and DOR has achieved a 40 percent savings in maintenance costs. ITS is used to process tax returns and taxes as well as enforcing tax regulations for the state of Georgia.

StateScoop 50 Awards Go to Georgia

Georgia received several awards from StateScoop, a leading public sector tech media brand in the state and local government market. The annual StateScoop 50 Awards honor the leaders and initiatives that make state government more efficient and effective. In her first year as state CIO, Shawnzia Thomas received a GoldenGov Award (State Executive of the Year) on the strength of her advancement of a cloud-first approach and continued broadband expansion in Georgia. Chief Digital Officer Nikhil Deshpande received the State Leadership of the Year Award in recognition of his commitment to building digital services created with the citizen in mind. The Georgia Data Analytics Center, a new online data depository administered by the Governor's Office of Planning and Budget, was honored in the category of IT Innovation of the Year.

Technology Innovation Showcase

This year, GTA held its 11th 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 to better serve constituents. Here are the 2022 showcase honorees.

Driver Record and Integrated Vehicle Enterprise System (DRIVES)

Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS)

The DDS sought a solution for the driver’s licensing system used since the 1990s. DDS found a solution with the DRIVES, a multi-year effort between DDS and the Georgia Department of Revenue. The project modernized and combined two of Georgia’s largest and most complex legacy software systems. DRIVES was developed and implemented using the FAST Enterprises commercial off-the-shelf application configured and tailored to both agencies’ business requirements. With DRIVES, agencies have an application that can be supported by internal staff and makes the licensing process easier for Georgians.

Virtual Road Testing (VRT)

Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS)

Out of a recent partnership with the Georgia Institute of Technology, DDS developed the groundbreaking VRT program. The program streamlines the road-testing portion of the Georgia driver’s license exam, enabling driver examiners to view live footage from a dashboard camera within the applicant’s vehicle. In addition, VRT offers distracted driving detection, reporting, data analytics, and two-way communication.

School Bus Safety System: Driver Portal

Georgia Department of Public Safety (DPS)

The DPS School Bus Safety System is a comprehensive enterprise application that offers DPS and its partners greater visibility into the school bus safety inspection workflow. The application features a custom-built portal for use by state officers performing the safety inspections and county and municipal school bus operation partners, bringing greater transparency to the inspection process. The portal contains workflow management tools, inspection tracking and visibility, and more. Ultimately, it allows DPS to better manage the network of school buses and drivers who serve Georgia students.

Student Access Loan (SAL) Lifecycle Transition to Paperless

Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC)

The GSFC sought a way to ensure that more SAL applications are complete and ready for evaluation, while also easing the workload for staff members. While the first part of the loan application was already online for students and the institutions to which they were applying, the second part of the application, completed by borrowers and GSFC, was a labor-intensive, paper-driven process. The SAL Lifecycle Transition to Paperless project placed the full process online, increasing efficiency for the more than 5,600 student applicants and the staff who handle the applications. The Commission now has the state’s first fully paperless, legally binding promissory note process for state student aid.

Peach Pass Plus Atlanta Airport Parking

Georgia State Road and Tollway Authority (SRTA)

Aiming to decrease wait times and lines at parking deck entrances and exits at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport West Deck, the SRTA instituted the Peach Pass Plus payment alternative. Peach Pass Plus Atlanta Airport Parking addresses community health concerns with touch-free decal scanning and improves compliance with an immediate payment solution. With these improved business processes, no parking ticket or physical credit card is needed – just a Peach Pass Plus.

eCampus Platform: Transforming Technical Education through Shared Instructional Services

Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG)

Every year, thousands of students register for courses at the 22 TCSG institutions. Typically, students could register only for courses offered by the institution where they were enrolled. With the recent launch of a platform known as eCampus, students can register for online courses offered by any TCSG institution. The initiative gives students access to programs and courses that may not be available at their home technical college, while still giving them the personalized experience and support of on-campus enrollment.

Note: For more information about the Technology Innovation Showcase and projects recognized in 2022, visit the 2022 showcase projects page.