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Arkansas Website Ranks First in the Nation for the Second TimeArkansas.gov has been named the best state website in the country for the second time in the annual "Best of the Web" competition sponsored by the Center for Digital Government. The awards program is the original and most respected state and local government digital technology competition in the United States, recognizing the best government digital innovations across the country. The Center for Digital Government (News - Alert) has recognized Arkansas as having one of the best state websites in the country placing third in 2009 and 2014, second in 2010, and first in 2011 and now, 2015. Arkansas.gov offers a new approach to delivering government services through Gov2Go - a first-of-its-kind, personalized way for citizens to interact with government. Gov2Go is a proactive digital assistant that learns about it's users and then carefully curates and brings relevant government services and information to them on their computers, mobile devices and Apple (News - Alert) Watches. "This national honor reinforces Arkansas' long-standing position as a leader in government technology," Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson said. "Not only are we expanding the reach of online services for our citizens, but we are redefining how citizens engage with government - through the ease and convenience of a mobile phone. I'm proud to see Arkansas setting this trend with a unique 'digital assistant' approach that puts people at the center of government." With Gov2Go, Arkansans can more easily access relevant services. Users simply need to share some information about themselves, and ov2Go brings those services to them, at the right time, on their favorite devices. For example, drivers can share their license plate numbers and Gov2Go will look up the expiration date, remind users when their vehicle registration is about to expire and make it easy to renew within the app. In the future, Gov2Go will understand enough about its users to recommend government services, similar to private sector apps like Amazon. "This award highlights the synergy and innovation that is made possible through the state's partnership with the Information Network of Arkansas (INA)," INA Board Chair Secretary Mark Martin said. "We are focused on using technology to create the best experience of government for our citizens. Gov2Go is the natural result of listening to Arkansans and understanding what they need. We are proud to be the first state to develop a truly citizen-centered platform and to be honored on a national scale for transforming the relationship between government and citizens." This year, Arkansas also won two CDG Digital Government Achievement Awards in the Government Internal category for the Auditor of State's ClaimItAR.com, which helped the office process 354 percent more property claims; and in the Driving Digital State Government category for the Department of Finance & Administration's iPad Kiosks in state revenue offices, which have dramatically reduced wait times for drivers renewing their vehicle registration. The Information Network of Arkansas (INA) developed and soft-launched Gov2Go in April with a small set of core government services. The next Gov2Go release will be announced in October 2015 with additional services and features. About Information Network of Arkansas The Information Network of Arkansas (INA) is a public-private partnership between the state of Arkansas and the Arkansas Information Consortium (AIC) that helps state government entities Web-enable their information services. Little Rock-based AIC is part of e-Government firm NIC's (News - Alert) (EGOV) family of companies. INA operates Arkansas.gov, the official website of the state of Arkansas, which offers more than 1,100 state and local online services. About NIC Founded in 1992, NIC (NASDAQ: EGOV) is the nation's leading provider of official government websites, online services, and secure payment processing solutions. The company's innovative eGovernment services help make government more accessible to everyone through technology. The family of NIC companies provides eGovernment solutions for more than 3,500 federal, state, and local agencies in the United States. Forbes has named NIC as one of the "100 Best Small Companies in America" six times, most recently ranked at No. 36 (2014), and the company has been included four times on the Barron's 400 Index. Additional information is available at http://www.egov.com.
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