September 09, 2009

Alabama’s Web Portal Among the Nation’s “Best of the Web” for Sixth Consecutive Year

MONTGOMERY - Alabama’s official state web portal, Alabama.gov, has earned a top ranking from the Center for Digital Government (CDG) for the sixth consecutive year. CDG issued its 2009 Digital Government Achievement Best of the Web Awards and Alabama’s site was recognized for its cost-savings, accessibility and ease of use.

“As citizens come to rely more and more on the web for all types of information, we are proud that Alabama’s work to meet those needs is being recognized once again,” said Governor Bob Riley. “Our goal is to maintain a site that is transparent, useful and citizen-friendly.”

The Center for Digital Government is an international research and advisory institute focused on the use of information technology in government. The Best of the Web annual competition evaluates government web sites based on their innovation, web-based delivery of public services, efficiency, economy and functionality.

Alabama.gov was recently redesigned to feature a tabbed layout, allowing more information to be at the users’ fingertips on the home page. There is also an enhanced search tool powered by Google, a series of interactive mapping features, a dedicated wireless site with live help, and access to the state’s YouTube and other media sites. These enhancements are designed to help citizens and businesses access information more efficiently and introduce them to new and innovative tools.

“Alabama is pleased to be recognized for the sixth year in a row as one of the nation’s e-government leaders,” said Alabama Chief Information Officer Jim Burns. “We offer Alabama.gov visitors access to new and exciting features, and we plan to offer even more service options in the future.”

More information on the CDG’s Digital Government Achievement Best of the Web Awards is available online at http://www.centerdigitalgov.com/survey/88.

This is the second time in recent months that Alabama’s web portal has been recognized by a national survey. The Brookings Institution’s 2009 report on state and federal government web sites ranked Alabama in its top ten this summer.