(Dover) – As the last days of the General Assembly’s 2013 session wind down, Delawareans can follow the groups engaged on various bills with the Delaware Public Integrity Commission’s online Public Integrity Reporting System.

Legislation in 2012 (Senate Bill 185) mandated creation of a new online Public Integrity Reporting System and required additional functionality, including the ability to report lobbying activity tied to specific legislation and state initiatives. The new website, created by Delaware Interactive, LLC as part of the state’s eGovernment initiative, is available at depic.delaware.gov. It features a public search and explore feature that helps meet Governor Jack Markell’s goal of providing greater transparency and accessible data to the public. Anyone can see which lobbyists are engaged on each piece of legislation, as well as being able to view lobbyist client lists and financial disclosures.

“Citizens deserve to know who is lobbying and what they are lobbying for. This puts information in the public domain for online consumption,” said Governor Markell. “The new system is providing access to information that ensures ongoing transparency and accountability.”

“We’re committed to creating new and convenient eGovernment tools for Delaware,” said Greg Hughes, Director of the Delaware Government Information Center (GIC), which leads eGovernment efforts in the First State. “Governor Markell has directed us to look for ways to make government more efficient, effective and open; mobile apps and eGovernment tools like this one will help us meet that goal.”

The system includes tools to allow lobbyists and public officials to log-in and maintain their own reports and profiles. Public Integrity Staff oversee those reports using an administrative back-end management system. The application was developed with a ‘mobile-first’ approach in order to optimize viewing on cell phones and tablet devices.

About Delaware Interactive
Delaware Interactive is part of the eGovernment firm NIC’s (NASDAQ: EGOV) family of companies. Its focus is on accelerating the number of online services available to Delaware citizens and businesses through the state’s official portal, Delaware.gov. Additional information is available at www.egov.com/Partners/Pages/Delaware.aspx.

About NIC
NIC Inc. (NASDAQ: EGOV) is the nation’s leading provider of official government portals, online services, and secure payment processing solutions. The company’s innovative eGovernment services help reduce costs and increase efficiencies for government agencies, citizens, and businesses across the country. NIC provides eGovernment solutions for more than 3,500 federal, state, and local agencies in the United States. Additional information is available at http://www.egov.com.

DOVER – Delaware’s eGovernment initiative, which complements Governor Jack Markell’s goal of efficient and effective government, has recently received two awards from national groups. The eGovernment initiative, in particular Delaware’s new online Public Meeting Calendar, has been awarded an Outstanding Achievement Award from the Interactive Media Council, Inc. (IMC). The new Calendar system was a key component in Delaware receiving a 2012 Public Technology Institute (PTI) Award.

“Keeping the public informed is vital to government transparency,” said Governor Markell. “We are striving to improve how we provide information so we make it easier for Delawareans to access it and have the option to participate in the public processes.”

The Outstanding Achievement Award given to Delaware’s Public Meeting Calendar is the second highest honor bestowed as part of the IMC’s Interactive Media Awards. Entries are judged on five different criteria: design; content; functionality; usability; and standards compliance and cross-browser compatibility. Since 2006, the IMC has recognized the highest standards of excellence in website design and development throughout the world. The IMC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to elevating the standards of excellence on the Internet.

Delaware’s overall eGovernment effort was recognized as a 2012 Public Technology Institute (PTI) Award winner. According to its website, PTI “identifies best practices and excellence in the field of Web 2.0 and civic/social networking and citizen engagement in local and state government.” The selection criteria for the award focus on a specific application or tool and analyze participation rates, interoperability, system integration, data access and performance metrics. The Government Information Center (GIC), which manages the eGovernment initiative, showcased the newly-revamped Public Meeting Calendar in its award application.

The Public Meeting Calendar update was developed by the GIC in partnership with Delaware Interactive (DI), a subsidiary of NIC USA. It features a streamlined, high usability interface consistent with the look and feel of the state’s new delaware.gov web portal. Each meeting listing features detailed information about the meeting, a meeting change history to alert users to any updates, a map to the meeting location, and the ability to scan a meeting-specific QR code to download meeting information directly to their personal calendars.

The Delaware eGovernment initiative is led by the Government Information Center, in the Department of State, and includes partners in various state and local government agencies, as well as Delaware Interactive, a private sector partner that brings years of experience in building eGovernment applications to Delaware. The eGovernment team is continuously looking for opportunities to improve the connection between citizens and their government using online tools ranging from web sites to mobile apps.

Delaware’s main internet portal – Delaware.gov – has been redesigned to improve citizen access to state government information and services. The portal is updated and refreshed every two to three years by the Delaware Government Information Center (GIC) to adapt to the changing web environment and to improve upon important aspects such as accessibility and ease of navigation. As the portal to state services for Delaware’s citizens, Delaware.gov reflects the forward thinking, efficient and effective approach to government championed by Delaware Governor Jack Markell.

“The state’s new web portal was designed to be welcoming and easy to use, better connecting citizens to their government,” said Governor Markell. “When people want to find something, we think, through this redesign, they will more readily be able to locate it. Delaware.gov will direct citizens to the most useful services and information available to meet their needs at that moment and clearly indicate to them the priorities and initiatives of Delaware government.”

The latest portal refresh cleans up and refocuses the portal on the key services and information offered by state agencies. It takes advantage of and combines a number of proven, effective web technologies to provide a rich mix of graphic and informational content that bring people closer to their government.

The new portal includes more graphics and less text and is designed to simplify access to information for visitors to the site. Through continuous innovation, Delaware has put its emphasis on taking government information to the users where they are, as evidenced by the integration of social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube into delaware.gov.

The portal uses prominent, graphic spotlights to attract visitors’ attention on a series of topical issues. For instance, with the upcoming state income tax filing deadline on April 30, the portal provides quick access to tax resources. Visitors to the portal are also directed to information on the April 28 Drug Take-Back events, along with state parks, Delaware tourism and incorporation resources. A series of focused information tabs direct visitors to information about government services, services for businesses, employment assistance, the latest state government news and more.

Governor.Delaware.Gov Takes on a Fresh New Look

Governor Promotes Delaware on Pinterest

Governor Jack Markell today unveiled a newly redesigned website for the Governor’s office at governor.delaware.gov.

“As we seek to attract employers to start and grow their businesses in Delaware, we need to keep our state web resources up-to-date, easy-to-use and professional,” said Markell.  “We need to ensure that Delaware citizens have the information they need at their fingertips.”

The website links to resources designed to facilitate government transparency, as well as other state sites relevant to jobs, education, responsible government, quality of life and public safety.

The redesign was led by the Government Information Center (GIC), which works to make government more accessible – anytime, anywhere.  They have recently release mobile applications, which include Delaware Fresh (to find locally grown food) and a Driver’s License Practice Test are available at apps.delaware.gov.  Other eGovernment applications from state agencies include a mobile Delaware Library Catalog and the Delaware State Parks Guide.

Several weeks ago, Markell was also the first governor to join Pinterest – one of the nation’s fastest growing social networks, estimated to be the third most popular.  His page, which features boards designed to highlight Delawareans and promote Delaware’s historic, cultural, and natural resources, is available at pinterest.com/govjackmarkell.

“It’s important that Delaware has a strong presence on the Internet through social media.  We need to get the word out about the great things that are happening in our community,” added Markell.  “Social media is an effective channel through which government, employers, nonprofits and individuals can work together to promote Delaware.  We are a small state, but we have a big voice online.”

Governor Markell’s social media resources:

• New: Governor Markell’s office posts photos for use by journalists on Flickr.com.  Photo sets are now organized into convenient, thematic collections: http://www.flickr.com/photos/delawaregovernor/collections/
• New: Pinterest: pinterest.com/govjackmarkell
• Facebook: facebook.com/GovernorMarkell
• Twitter: @GovernorMarkell
• YouTube: www.youtube.com/governormarkell

DOVER, Del. (February 29, 2012) – The Delaware Government Information Center (GIC) has released an innovative new phone directory search tool designed to help citizens find the right state office to answer their questions or provide them with desired services. The new search tool, phonedirectory.delaware.gov, is part of the state’s award-winning web portal and is designed to work equally well on desktop computers, laptops, pad-style devices and smartphone browsers.

“We strive each day to make government more accessible to the public and to provide exceptional service in all that we do,” said Governor Jack Markell. “A critical part of accessibility is making sure people can easily find the contact information they need.”

The system pulls information from a database created and maintained by staff in the GIC, working with state agency leaders. The database is based on internal state agency phone listings but has been updated with new types of information and carefully edited and augmented in order to guide users to the most helpful contact points within state government.

The new directory allows users to search by individual, agency or thing. A person seeking recreational opportunities might search for “Parks and Recreation,” or simply “trails” and find not only phone numbers to call, but maps of office locations, website links and links to any social media that agencies use, as well.

Each listing also includes a Quick Response (QR) Code that links to a virtual business card listing, designed for ease of use on smartphone and mobile screens and which can be saved to a user’s personal contacts list.

“We are working to make government more efficient and effective by creating easy-to-use eGovernment tools for Delawareans,” said GIC Director Greg Hughes. “This is part of a larger eGovernment effort, led by GIC and involving partners from agencies throughout state government.”

The GIC is part of the Delaware Department of State and is charged with ensuring that the public has free and equal access to state, local, and federal government information and resources or, as the GIC staff like to put it: “connecting citizens to government.”

The GIC manages the delaware.gov web portal; advises state agencies on website design, eGovernment, and social media policy; and assists local governments with their web sites.