The portal, with a new web address, www.ny.gov, is the gateway for citizens and businesses to more than 300 online transactions and nearly 500,000 pages of web content currently found on state agency web sites.
Web sites for Governor Pataki and Lieutenant Governor Mary Donohue have also been updated to increase usability and highlight current initiatives.
The state portal brings to the forefront many of the most commonly used services and sources of information. Visitors will find quick references to information on weather, transportation and traffic, Amber Alert, homeland security alerts, I Love NY travel, and the winning state lottery numbers.
Links to statewide initiatives and online information for programs such as STAR Property Tax Relief, Child Health Plus, EPIC Prescription Plan for Seniors, and the 100 Most Wanted List are also featured on the homepage and Governor's pages.
With NY.GOV as a starting point, visitors will find it easier to reserve a campsite in the state parks, get a hunting/fishing license, register in the New York State college savings plan, or find information about state laws and state agencies.
New York State Chief Information Officer James T. Dillon said, "Governor Pataki has long promoted the use of the Internet to increase organizational efficiencies and better serve citizens by delivering information through the Web. The enhanced state portal reflects industry best practices and will help further promote our state's e-government initiatives."
In addition, a new web banner will soon appear across the top of all state agency web sites. By clicking the banner, a user can immediately return home to the state portal.
An improved search engine powered by Google also has been added to the portal. Google factors in more than 100 variables for each inquiry, producing accurate results in less than one second. Google technology continually updates the search results to provide citizens with the most current available information from more than 90 state government entities.
Michael McCormack, Director of the Office for Technology said, "We are pleased to support Governor Pataki's 'government without walls' initiative by updating the state portal and providing the Google search engine. With the Google search, visitors will find it easier to navigate thousands of state web pages that are rich with valuable information."
The New York State portal was first introduced in March 2001 as part of Governor Pataki's "government without walls" initiative to provide citizens with 24x7 access to government services. New York State provides more than 300 state government services and transactions online, as well as a wealth of topical information. Today, more than 12,000 people visit the portal each day accounting for nearly one million hits to the web site.
The project was a joint effort between the State Office for Technology and Albany-based computer technology firm, D&D Consulting, Ltd.
