EPA Selected as ACT-IAC Igniting Innovation 2015 Awards Top 30 Finalist

From EPA:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

January 21, 2015

EPA Selected as ACT-IAC Igniting Innovation 2015 Awards Top 30 Finalist

Government and industry leaders encouraged to attend February 5 Showcase and submit votes via social media to determine winner

Contact Information: Dawn Harris Young, EPA, (404) 562-8421 (Direct), (404) 562-8400 (Main), harris-young.dawn@epa.gov

ATLANTA – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced its Watershed Index Online (WSIO) tool has been selected as a Top 30 finalist for the 2015 Igniting Innovation Awards, presented by the American Council for Technology - Industry Advisory Council (ACT-IAC), the premier public-private partnership in the government IT community. The new awards program selected 30 finalists from a large pool of innovative government and industry solutions developed to address the government’s biggest IT challenges.  One overall Igniting Innovation winner will be selected on February 5th at the Igniting Innovation Showcase and Award event at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, DC.

"It is an honor for the Watershed Index Online tool to be considered in this select group of finalists competing for the 2015 Igniting Innovation Awards," said EPA Regional Administrator Heather McTeer Toney. "I am also proud that ACT-IAC recognizes the dedication and hard work of EPA employees in solving challenges facing our country.”

The WSIO tool was developed, because restoring the nation's tens of thousands of impaired waters is an immense workload. EPA developed the tool to assist federal, state, and local partners in prioritizing where to invest limited resources towards watershed restoration and protection. This tool allows the user to measure, for each watershed, several ecological, stressor, and social context indicators that are associated with the likelihood that a restoration effort may succeed.

“We are proud to recognize EPA for its dedication to advancing the mission of ACT-IAC by enabling government to improve efficiency and effectiveness through its Watershed Index Online tool,” said Chris Smith, Igniting Innovation Program Chair. “Each of this year’s finalists have developed innovative and collaborative ways to creatively address government IT issues, Our Showcase will highlight the best uses of these groundbreaking tools, services and solutions.”

The Top 30 finalists will exhibit their solutions at the Igniting Innovation Showcase and Award event on February 5, 2015 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, DC. The Top 8, selected via social media voting during the event, will deliver live presentations to a judging panel of government and industry professionals, as well as the entire showcase audience comprised of IT executives, influencers and media.

Following the Top 8’s presentations, the social media tool will again be used to vote for the overall “Igniting Innovation” winner.  Additional “Dynamite” awards will be given in the areas of: most disruptive; 3 Rs (reduce, recycle, reuse); high risk/high return; greatest citizen impact; and incubator.

If you are in the Washington, DC area, please come to the Reagan Center on February 5, 2015 to cast your vote for the EPA Watershed Index tool and learn more about some of the most creative IT solutions benefiting the government.

For more information and to register for the 2015 Igniting Innovation Showcase and Awards, seehttp://actiac.org/ignitinginnovation2015 or contact Sara DeCarlo at ACT-IAC via email (SDeCarlo@actiac.org) or call (703) 362-0410.

Join the discussion about Igniting Innovation on Twitter: @actiac #igniteinnovation.

Learn more about ACT-IAC and how to become a member at www.actiac.org or call 703-208-4800.
Connect with EPA Region 4 on Facebook: www.facebook.com/eparegion4

And on Twitter: @USEPASoutheast

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