ICT DEPARTMENT CELEBRATES ANOTHER AWARD
ICT has been presented with the Innovation and Best Practice in Local Government award by the Association of Geographical Information (AGI).
The award recognises outstanding achievement in the field of geographical information and has been won for a project named Coalesce Community Explorer.
This uses a wide range of maps and geographical information to record, analyse and display information about incidents and risks in a user-friendly way and is available to all employees in the organisation.
The AGI judges said: "The innovative solution clearly demonstrates the combination of technical flair combined with some of the most forward-thinking minds in today's Fire Service."
The award was presented to Sue Longcroft, the service's ICT Systems Development Manager, at an AGI event at the Institute of Directors in London on Thursday, November 24. Assistant Chief Fire Officer Rob Hulland, Strategic Head of ICT Jason Danbury and team leader Tim Needham also attended the event.
In October Mr Needham was named IT Professional of the Year at the Computing Awards for Excellence 2006 for his work on the Coalesce project.
ACFO Hulland said: "I am very pleased that the excellent work of West Midlands Fire Service's ICT department has once again been recognised.
"The award is a deserved recognition of the work the department has done to support the Brigade in its aim to make the West Midlands safer for all of its communities."
Other organisations with entries in the Local Government category of the AGI awards included South Yorkshire Police, Pendle Borough Council, Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council, Nottingham City Council and London Borough of Brent.
Picture: Sue Longcroft, West Midlands Fire Service's ICT Systems Development Manager, receives the Association of Geographical Information's award for Innovation and Best Practice in Local Government from Mike Cattermole, Public Sector Sales Director for MapInfo.