The Computerworld Honors Program, now in its 24th year, recognizes organizations that use information technology to promote and advance the public welfare, benefit society and change the world for the better. This year's 200 Laureates are a heartening reminder of the great things that can be accomplished when determined people put their minds to a task and harness the full potential of technology.
All Laureates were selected after a rigorous application and review process. A panel of judges, made up of IT executives and Computerworld editors, chose the five finalists in each category, and from those, one 21st Century Achievement Award winner in each group. Each Laureate case study is briefly profiled below, and the projects of the 21st Century Achievement Award winners are described in more detail, based on their case studies. More detailed Laureate case studies become part of the Honors Program's Global Archives, available to researchers, students and scholars through the Computerworld Honors website and through records housed in national archives in over 350 universities, museums and research institutions throughout the world.
Also, read how dozens of the 2012 Computerworld Honors laureates are leveraging low-cost, consumer-oriented technologies to create and deploy systems and applications designed to benefit society, especially in the areas of education and healthcare.
Categories:
Collaboration
| Organization | Project Name | Project Achievements |
|---|---|---|
| DataDyne | Winner: EpiSurveyor | This application of web and mobile tools makes real-time electronic data collection with smartphones affordable, and often free, to international development sector workers. Read more... |
| Colorado Governor's Office of Information Technology | Finalist: Colorado Program Eligibility and Application Kit (PEAK) | A web-based portal that lets residents apply for public assistance programs and manage existing benefits better enables social service workers to assist clients in receiving the benefits to which they're entitled |
| City of Bryan, Texas | Finalist: Collaborative Technology Support for the Brazos Valley Child Abduction Response Team | Initiative creates and supports comprehensive computerized system to rapidly collect, track and distribute information throughout the multiple agencies responding to child abduction cases |
| CURE International | Finalist: CUREkids | Open-source platform integrated with social media services enables people to learn about and donate to individual children's surgeries, creating more awareness of the organization's mission among donors |
| Microsoft Corp. | Finalist: Microsoft Disaster Response Portal | Use of cloud service on a global data center infrastructure enables availability, traffic capacity and performance of the portal, which can be deployed in less than an hour to disseminate critical information during a disaster |
| Atlassian | Atlassian Foundation | A focus on giving nonprofits and open-source projects access to the company's collaboration and project management tools, along with a commitment to donating 1% of annual revenue, employee time and company equity, helps organizations address various global issues |
| Continuum Health Partners | Caregiver Collaboration using DNA | Desktop Notification Alert (DNA) system informs caregivers about system outages so they can plan accordingly to maintain high levels of patient care; initiatives to use the system to communicate other types of information are under way |
| HIV Online Provider Education (HOPE) Program, Massachusetts General Hospital | Harvard University Center for AIDS Research HIV Online Provider Education (HOPE) Program | Web-enabled connections and videoconferencing allow U.S. medical professionals to share latest research on combating HIV/AIDS and discuss related health issues with their counterparts in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean |
| Indiana University Health | The Best Minds in Pediatric Care Know No Bounds | File-sharing and telemedicine initiative enables physicians across the IU Health network to instantly, easily and securely share test results, improving patient care while reducing the time required for accurate diagnosis |
| International Justice Mission | Casework Tracking and Management System | System pulls together data to provide an end-to-end picture of all cases, enabling workers to better analyze data, aid victims and ultimately help reduce human rights abuses |
| ITKAN | ITKAN, Information Technology Knowledge Abilities Network | Organization fulfills its mission by developing disabled professionals' technology skills, engaging with other organizations and employers, and working with a Microsoft Technology Center to explore how developing technologies can improve the lives of disabled users |
| JPMorgan Chase & Co. | The King Center Imaging Project an Initiative of JPMorgan Chase | Effort by the company's Technology for Social Good group involved digitizing 1 million-plus historical documents related to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and making them accessible to the public via the Internet |
| Mekorot Israel National Water Co. | Project "Maslul" | Development of a single, strategic platform for all current and future mobile solutions creates a consistent, highly adaptable and secure platform that connects business data to mobile workers on any device, at any time |
| Sinclair Knight Merz | Virtual Teaming and Worksharing | Initiative allowing 7,100 workers around the globe to easily connect, communicate and work with one another via videoconferencing increases collaboration, productivity and morale while reducing travel demands and carbon emissions |
| The Millennium Project | The Millennium Project | Innovative uses of information and communications technology facilitates the exchange of ideas and collection of data from individuals and sources globally, and helps create reports and predictions of future trends based on that collaboration |
| Thrupoint Inc. | Enterprise Mobility Suite | Company's unified communications collaboration suite simplifies and accelerates the deployment of applications supporting telework by providing interoperability among the various vendors and communication modes in many organizations |
| U.S. Army Analytics Group | Arlington National Cemetery Gravesite Accountability Research Tool | Integration of 1.2 million records and multiple databases into a research tool allows for a full, accurate account of all gravesites and memorials, establishing a system for maintaining accurate records and the foundation for public-facing applications |
| Virginia Tech Transportation Institute | Driving Road Safety with HPC Technology | High-performance computing (HPC) technology enables the collection and analysis of data for the Strategic Highway Research Program naturalistic driving study, allowing VTTI to deliver information needed to address critical road infrastructure and safety issues |
| Vodafone Group Plc | Vodafone Circle | Implementation of a corporate social networking tool that includes mobile capabilities connects 90,000 employees across the globe and enables improved communication and collaboration without workers having to travel |
| Welfare Client Data Systems Consortium | CalWIN Strategy to Health Care Reform Coverage Initiative | Deployment of applications allowing healthcare agencies to interface with a state-sanctioned automated welfare eligibility system (CalWIN) to verify patients' identity and citizenship, ensuring healthcare agencies receive reimbursements for care provided |
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