2021 Virtual WITSA Global ICT Excellence Awards
Σας ενημερώνουμε ότι ο WITSA (World Information Technology and Services Alliance/Παγκόσμιος Σύνδεσμος Πληροφορικής και Υπηρεσιών), στο πλαίσιο των εργασιών του, έχει θεσμοθετήσει τα “WITSA Global ICT Excellence Awards”. Τα βραβεία απονέμονται με στόχο να αναδειχθούν οι καλύτερες επιχειρήσεις και οι καλύτεροι χρήστες του κλάδου Τεχνολογιών Πληροφορικής και Επικοινωνιών, οι οποίοι ξεχωρίζουν για τα επιτεύγματα τους σε ό,τι αφορά τις εφαρμογές ΤΠΕ για το Δημόσιο Τομέα, τον Ιδιωτικό Τομέα, τη Δημιουργία Ψηφιακών Ευκαιριών και την Αειφόρο Ανάπτυξη.
Ο ΣΕΠΕ, ως μέλος του WITSA (από το 1996), έχει προσκληθεί να υποβάλει την πρόταση του για ελληνικές υποψηφιότητες στο πλαίσιο των “2021 Virtual WITSA Global ICT Excellence Awards”, τα οποία φέτος θα πραγματοποιηθούν σε συνδυασμό με το Παγκόσμιο Συνέδριο Πληροφορικής (World Congress on IT-WCIT) στη Ντάκα στο Μπαγκλαντές, το διάστημα 11-14 Νοεμβρίου 2021 (https://wcit2021.org.bd/).
Τα WITSA Global ICT Excellence Awards απονέμονται με στόχο να αναδειχθούν οι επιχειρήσεις και οι φορείς, οι οποίοι έχουν επιδείξει εξαιρετικά επιτεύγματα στη χρήση των Τεχνολογιών Πληροφορικής και Επικοινωνιών σε παγκόσμιο επίπεδο. Οι βραβευθέντες ξεχωρίζουν για τα επιτεύγματά τους σε ό,τι αφορά στις εφαρμογές ΤΠΕ για το Δημόσιο και Ιδιωτικό Τομέα, στη Δημιουργία Ψηφιακών Ευκαιριών και στην Αειφόρο Ανάπτυξη.
Οι κατηγορίες των 2021 Virtual WITSA Global ICT Excellence Awards είναι οι εξής:
Ως εκ τούτου, καλούνται οι επιχειρήσεις - μέλη του ΣΕΠΕ, που ενδιαφέρονται να υποβάλουν υποψηφιότητα, σύμφωνα με τις κατηγορίες και τα δεδομένα που θέτει ο WITSA, να στείλουν την πρόταση τους μέχρι την Τετάρτη 30 Ιουνίου 2021.
Με δεδομένο ότι μπορούν να υποβληθούν μέχρι και 3 υποψηφιότητες/ανά κατηγορία από κάθε μέλος του WITSA, οι προτάσεις που θα υποβληθούν στον ΣΕΠΕ, θα αξιολογηθούν, προκειμένου να γίνει η τελική επιλογή και υποβολή των ελληνικών υποψηφιοτήτων προς τον WITSA.
ΚΑΤΗΓΟΡΙΕΣ ΒΡΑΒΕΙΩΝ
Digital Opportunity/Inclusion Award
Award #1: Individuals, academic institutions, corporations, or NGOs
Award #2: Government authorities
Award Criteria - Individuals, corporations, academic institutions, corporations, NGOs or government authorities that have made a remarkable and successful effort at providing digital opportunities to those in need are eligible for this award. In order for the Digital Age to fulfill its promise, it must consider the unique challenges faced by diverse populations. Examples could include deployment of ICTs and Internet access among inner city populations, or in towns, rural areas or cities in developing and least-developed countries. This award also includes programs and initiatives that aid people with disabilities and others who face longstanding barriers to social inclusion. Digital Inclusion is defined as the “ability of individuals and groups to access and use information and communication technologies (ICTs). Digital inclusion encompasses not only access to the Internet but also the availability of hardware and software; relevant content and services; and training for the digital literacy skills required for effective use of ICTs.”
This award recognizes solutions enabling accessibility for those individuals who have traditionally not benefited from ICT. This award also seeks innovative solutions that create meaningful employment through ICT for those who have traditionally been underrepresented in the labor force. Of particular interest to WITSA are applications that embed inclusion and accessibility in the original design as opposed to retrofitting existing applications.
Smart City Award
Award Criteria: A smart city is an urban area that uses different types of electronic methods and sensors to collect data. Insights gained from that data are used to manage assets, resources and services efficiently; in return, that data is used to improve the operations across the city (ref. Wikipedia). This includes data collected from citizens, devices, buildings and assets that is then processed and analyzed to monitor and manage traffic and transportation systems, power plants, utilities, water supply networks, waste, crime detection, information systems, schools, libraries, hospitals, and other community services. The smart city concept integrates information and communication technology (ICT), and various physical devices connected to the IoT (Internet of things) network to optimize the efficiency of city operations and services and connect to citizens.
Smart city technology allows city officials to interact directly with both community and city infrastructure and to monitor what is happening in the city and how the city is evolving. ICT is used to enhance quality, performance and interactivity of urban services, to reduce costs and resource consumption and to increase contact between citizens and government. Smart city applications are developed to manage urban flows and allow for real-time responses. A smart city may therefore be more prepared to respond to challenges than one with a simple "transactional" relationship with its citizens.
Award #1: Corporations: This award will recognize outstanding Smart City industry solutions, including in digital administration, best industry solutions in civic and community engagement and transparency, including Open Data, city portals, and emergency services, best industry initiatives in the area of digital equity and accessibility including technologies for disability compliance, innovations in accessibility services, public Wi-Fi, and other projects focused on underserved communities, automation and systems integration to measure, monitor, control, and optimize building operations and to use energy in the most efficient and cost-effective way, reducing challenges and costs related to water stress, systemic inefficiency, and water loss while improving asset management and customer services, industry initiatives in the field of transportation, including autonomous cars, connected vehicles, and smart public transit, smart parking, smart infrastructure, intelligent traffic management, multi-modal transport hubs, journey planning and ride-hailing/ride-sharing services.
Award #2: Government authorities This award will recognize outstanding Smart City government projects, including the best projects in digital administration, best projects in civic and community engagement and transparency, including Open Data, city portals, and emergency services, best initiatives in the area of digital equity and accessibility including technologies for disability compliance, innovations in accessibility services, public Wi-Fi, and other projects focused on underserved communities, automation and systems integration to measure, monitor, control, and optimize building operations and to use energy in the most efficient and cost-effective way, reducing challenges and costs related to water stress, systemic inefficiency, and water loss while improving asset management and customer services, initiatives in the field of transportation, including autonomous cars, connected vehicles, and smart public transit, smart parking, smart infrastructure, intelligent traffic management, multi-modal transport hubs, journey planning and ride-hailing/ride-sharing services.
Sustainable Growth/Circular Economy Award
Award #1: Individuals, academic institutions, corporations, or NGOs
Award #2: Government authorities
Award Criteria-There is an urgent need for transition to a more sustainable and circular socio-technical systems - now is the best time when we can witness how the health of the planet is connected to the human well-being and vice versa. The most accepted definition of the sustainability is defined by the Brundtland Commission in 1987; sustainability is seen as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. Circular Economy (CE) can be defined as a regenerative system in which resource input and waste, emission, and energy leakage are minimized by slowing, closing, and narrowing material and energy loops. This can be achieved through long-lasting design, maintenance, repair, reuse, remanufacturing, refurbishing, and recycling.
As the UN’s 2030 deadline for change fast approaches, we explore what role the circular economy has to play in mitigating the impacts of climate change and how the technology industry can learn from it. It is a popular idea as it places an emphasis on designing out waste and pollution, thus keeping products in use for longer and facilitating the regeneration of natural systems. Now, as the world faces an imminent climate crisis, the IT and technology industries are starting to sit up and notice. ICT systems have influenced every aspect of modern life and the CE is no exception. Cutting-edge technologies, such as big data, cloud computing, cyber-physical systems, internet of things, virtual and augmented reality, and blockchain, can play an integral role in the embracing of CE concepts and the rollout of CE programs by governments, organizations, and society as a whole. Many countries are advancing circular electronics initiatives to encourage longer product lifetimes, but legal, policy, and economic support must exist for an open repair environment to motivate consumers to opt for repair over replacement.
This award will recognize Individuals, academic institutions, corporations, NGOs or governments that adopt effective and innovative local, regional or global initiatives that promote local production and use, local renewable energy sources, and adoption of circular and participatory practices for circularity in digital devices, software, internet access and services.
Innovative eHealth Solutions Award
Award #1: Individuals, academic institutions, corporations, or NGOs
Award #2: Government authorities
Award Criteria- This Award recognizes Individuals, healthcare institutions, academic institutions, corporations, NGOs or governments that have made remarkable and successful efforts at utilizing ICTs as a tool to promote health and health care such as telehealth, mHealth (mobile health), eHealth or through eLearning, electronic health records, big data, legal frameworks, or social media. Solutions utilized may range from provision of information to keep citizens healthy, to support for public health in communities, care and support systems in health facilities, and from all the above the data needed to inform management and policymakers.
This award also recognizes any companies, individuals, NGOs or other entities who successfully develop or utilize information and communications technology, artificial intelligence, big data or other innovative technologies in the fight against COVID-19. Examples of solutions include vaccine distribution/logistics, vaccine digital certification or other telehealth apps, as well as technologies and solutions which enable productive and safe workspace in the “new normal”.
Public/Private Partnership Award
Award #1: Private sector/corporations
Award #2: Government authorities
Award Criteria: This award recognizes successful partnerships between government and private sector entities in ICT. Public-private partnerships (PPPs) are a mechanism for government to procure and implement public information infrastructure and/or services using the resources and expertise of the private sector. Where governments are facing ageing or lack of infrastructure and require more efficient services, a partnership with the private sector can help foster new solutions and bring finance. PPPs combine the skills and resources of both the public and private sectors through sharing of risks and responsibilities. This enables governments to benefit from the expertise of the private sector, and allows them to focus instead on policy, planning and regulation by delegating day-to-day operations.
PPPs can also help address longstanding barriers to the inclusion of persons with disabilities and the intersection with technological advancements, mitigate the negative effects from trade and technology change, as well as combatting cybercrime by leveraging multi-stakeholder partnerships to drive durable solutions and improve cooperation with industry and other stakeholders through information sharing initiatives, capacity-building programs, by employing responsible and equitable security vulnerability disclosure and remediation practices, and by jointly fostering technology innovations and investments that address global security challenges.
Other areas of private-public partnerships include new partnership opportunities with the ICT sector to deliver the technological transportation breakthroughs of tomorrow. PPPs can also help develop Local Innovation Ecosystems: The success of innovations often depends on the strength and development of the local innovation ecosystem, and public-private partnerships as government tools can effectively build ecosystems in a short period of time.
WITSA will grant one award to a government authority that has successfully procured and implemented public information infrastructure and/or services using the resources and expertise of the private sector. An award will also be given to a corporation that has successfully utilized information technology or solutions and innovation to help government carry out large-scale projects.
E-Education & Learning Award
Award #1: Individuals, academic institutions, corporations, or NGOs
Award #2: Government authorities
Award Criteria: The Digital Age is requiring new sets of skills, and adoption of new models of public education that emphasize coding, programming and computer science must be adopted. Contrary to popular belief, the digital gap is widening, putting pressure on countries to catch up. Public education must adopt new approaches to lifelong learning. This award will be given to the best electronic learning project. We seek any innovative new technological tool, or any project that uses existing electronic learning tools in an innovative way. Such projects should facilitate and support learning through the use of information and communications technology.
Emerging Digital Solutions Award
The Emerging Digital Solutions winner is selected for their proven and scalable innovative digital solutions capable of transforming the wellbeing, prosperity, connectivity or productivity of others around the world.
This award will take into consideration the successful application of ICT in such areas as humanitarianism, health, social awareness and justice, rule of law, sustainable growth, business and commerce, health care, education, as well as the effective delivery of public services and transparency.
The Emerging Digital Solutions program recognizes early-stage or veteran companies whose solutions are new, and scalable to other locations throughout the world. The Emerging Digital Solutions program is looking for solutions that can be presented to interested policy makers, investors, corporations and social stakeholders with the potential to boost its development and deployment, aiming to significantly impact individuals, groups and societies.
Startup Ecosystem Award
Governments often play in important role in countries that have a successful startup ecosystem. When we think of startups and a great startup culture, we only imagine the crucial role that entrepreneurs play. But governments in startup economies have progressively played a critical role in developing a startup culture by creating better policies, reducing tax burden, easing migration of talented workers, having developed infrastructure, etc. Governments have also encouraged a culture of innovation and research by creating programs and educational institutions to create talent and tech developments in an economy. Such governments that have adapted with the times and encouraged startup development have helped raise the standard of living and economies of their countries.
Also, governments must be aware that they need to provide more support locally not centrally. Hence, most state governments play an important role in executing policies and building a local startup ecosystem.
This award will recognize a government authority that has succeeded in making their startup ecosystems successful.