Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT) Commissioner Paul J. Cosgrave today congratulated NYC.gov, the official website of the City of New York, on its selection as a 2009 Municipal Web Portal Excellence Award recipient.  The award recognizes cities across the country that have innovative and sophisticated government websites based upon a survey instrument developed by the E-Governance Institute within the School of Public Affairs and Administration at Rutgers University-Newark.

"The breadth and scope of information and services available on NYC.gov, while staggering, are consistent with Mayor Bloomberg's vision of a City government more accessible and transparent to its customers than ever," said Commissioner Cosgrave.  "We're pleased to be recognized by Rutgers University as being among the best municipal websites in the country, not only for the content NYC.gov delivers but for the usability of the site - making it easy for New Yorkers to find what they're looking for."

"NYC.gov is envisioned as a single online destination for accessing City information and services, and we pride ourselves on providing instant access to nearly 70,000 New Yorkers and visitors daily" said Chris Long, the City's Director of Web Strategy and Operations.  "From public safety to health and human services; from education to economic development to Federal Stimulus funding information - NYC.gov is always open.  The work of our staff - and web teams at agencies across the City - in their daily delivery of government to New Yorkers cannot be overstated."

The research conducted focused on the largest and the second largest cities in each of the 50 states, along with Washington, D.C.  Websites were evaluated by classifying 98 measures into five categories: privacy, usability, service, content, and citizen participation.  Evaluating each municipality's website to examine how users interact with their government online, the survey highlights the strengths and weaknesses of each municipality in terms of the five areas and then ranks the municipalities within each category and on an overall basis.  Based on its findings, the U.S. Municipalities E-Governance Survey determined that New York City was among the country's top three ranked cities in 2008.  More information about the survey can be found here: http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~egovinst.

DoITT transforms the way New York City interacts with its residents, businesses, visitors and employees by leveraging technology to improve services and increase transparency, accountability and accessibility across all agencies.  DoITT maintains the City's official website, NYC.gov, home to the sites of 90 City agencies, offices, boards and authorities, with more than 500 online forms and services available to the public.  The largest municipal portal in the United States, NYC.gov receives nearly two million unique visitors per month and complements the City's 311 Customer Service Center in providing 24x7 access to City information and services.