FREDERICTON (GNB) – An initiative to equip Department of Natural Resources field staff with mobile technology has been nominated for a national award for innovation and excellence.
"I am proud of the work that department staff did in designing and implementing the mobile technology initiative, and I congratulate the team members for the well-deserved recognition they have received from their peers,'' Natural Resources Minister Bruce Northrup said today.
The initiative has been nominated under the Government Technology Exhibition and Conference (GTEC) Distinction Awards Program. It recognizes projects and individuals who have demonstrated leadership and excellence in the innovative management and application of information and information technologies in the public sector.
The awards will be presented Oct. 7 at the annual Government Technology Exhibition and Conference event in Ottawa. The conference brings together government professionals in the information technology sector, and it plays an important role in the exchange of ideas and best practices that lead to high government performance.
The department’s mobile technology initiative was designed to increase operational efficiency by making it possible for staff to spend more time in the field and less in an office.
A pilot project involving conservation officers found equipping their vehicles with mobile work stations resulted in an 18-per-cent increase in the time spent in the field. Staff used vehicle-based laptops to perform data entry and other work in the field that previously was done from an office. About 200 of the department’s conservation and resource staff will be equipped with mobile devices by the end of the fiscal year.
The Government Technology Exhibition and Conference nomination recognizes the work of the team that developed, designed and implemented the mobile technology initiative. The team members are Serge Bernier, Danny Crain, Art Cronin, Greg Darrah, Mike Garvie, Ryan Graves, Stanley Hallihan, Neil Jacobson, Clark Langridge, Andrew Sorensen, Saili Tang and Julius Tarjan.
23-08-13