Patterson, AT&T Michigan announce OakGov Challenge winners

Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson and AT&T Michigan recently announced the winners of the OakGov Challenge. The winners are Tom Hoag of Oakland County, who garnered first place for his Parcel Viewer iPhone application; Godfrey Nolan of Oakland County, who won second place for his Food Violations iPhone application; and Sy Banerjee of Genesee County, who took third place for his OMG (Oh My God) Campus web application. Hoag, Nolan and Banerjee shared $10,000 in prize money donated by AT&T Michigan. During his 2010 State of the County address, Patterson encouraged those who live, work or go to school in the Economic Growth Alliance (EGA) region to take part in the OakGov Challenge to develop web or smartphone applications that enhance government services for residents. "The applications created by these three programmers highlight the outstanding technical skills and innovation in this region," said Patterson. "Thanks to our partnership with AT&T Michigan, three very talented individuals had the opportunity to win some prize money." "At AT&T Michigan, we strive each day to put innovation to work to keep Michiganians connected across every device and in every community, wherever they live and work," said Jim Murray, president of AT&T Michigan. "We are proud of our work bringing Michigan residents new ideas that make life simpler and are proud to partner with Oakland County in this effort." Hoag's Parcel Viewer application for the iPhone is designed for residents to view maps and county-provided information about properties, parks and other sites in Oakland County. By selecting specific points of interest, the user will be able to access additional information including driving directions and phone numbers. Nolan's Food Violations iPhone application is intended to enable residents to determine whether the restaurant they wish to visit has had any critical or non-critical health code violations by the Oakland County Health Department. This information is already available by calling the county. Banerjee's OMG Campus web application is planned to benefit the 8,000 students at the University of Michigan Flint. The plan is to create a mobile website for helping students, faculty and staff access real-time or crisis-related information such as exam deadlines, class cancellations, guest speakers, and daily discounts from local merchants. "These applications combined with county data not only spark innovation, but also create more opportunities for self-service and increase the transparency of government services," said Oakland County Deputy Executive and CIO Phil Bertolini. All three applications are in the prototype stage. The EGA is a partnership among Oakland, Livingston, Genesee, Lapeer and St. Clair counties that leverages infrastructure and skilled workforce assets to enhance economic opportunities throughout the five-county region. A sixth significant county is expected to join the EGA soon. No taxpayer dollars were used to fund the OakGov Challenge. Published: Mon, Oct 25, 2010

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