For the second year in a row, Prince George’s County has been named the #1 Digital County in the United States in the 20th annual Digital Counties Survey
The survey, conducted by the Center for Digital Government (CDG), is an intense competition that honors the top ten Counties nationwide using smart strategies for digital services to move toward the future. Prince George’s County competed in the 500,000-999,999 population category.
“We are Prince George’s Proud that our County was named the #1 Digital County this year, as it reflects the hard work we have done over the past few years to create a 21st-century government that can better serve our residents,” said Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks. “I want to thank our Office of Information Technology for their efforts to enhance our digital infrastructure and make our County a national leader. We are embracing a digital foundation which is a key foundation for new programs we are launching that will further improve the quality of life for our residents, and positions us for this new era of rising opportunity. We are excited that the best is truly yet to come for Prince George’s County.”
The County stood out from other jurisdictions based on its smart technology strategies to further countywide goals and operational efficiencies, connecting with the community with modern user experience and accessibility through several major and ongoing IT initiatives, including WEB portals, geospatial data, and apps accessible from anywhere. These include approaches underway to re-imagine broadband opportunities, safe technology infrastructure, and fast deployment of WEB apps. Among several apps, CDC highlighted PGCLitterTRAK which facilitates community involvement in the County’s beautification goals, and modernized the 311 system (PGC311) to include a mobile app, and web portal which offers status updates and enhanced transparency for residents on issues.
The Office of Information Technology made bold moves in reworking its structure and focus by creating a new Digital Government Division – charged with optimizing customer-facing digital services and looking for opportunities to bring new process efficiencies through automation, and an executive level Cyber Security Officer and division. Further recognizing the criticality of cyber in modern times, Prince George’s County aggressively expanded its cybersecurity profile, including use of federal grants from the American Rescue Plan to enhance cybersecurity and resiliency goals for safe virtual working and constituent engagement through expansion of dedicated cyber professionals, a virtual security operations center, and SEIM (security event and incident management) capabilities.
Other highlights include work in the Health Department with a novel approach to electronic health records and health informatics, and being the first in the state to migrate to Next-Gen 911 — a significant undertaking that now provides more accurate routing for emergency calls.
“I am proud of this award in recognition of the Office of Information Technology, our partner county agencies, and our amazing County Executive leadership for our ongoing efforts to deliver relevant and best practice technologies while expanding our digital footprint and virtual capabilities that serve agencies and the community,” said Prince George’s County CIO Wanda Gibson. “In the post-pandemic world, there have been many new challenges, but we have been able to pivot and continue providing essential services, and have made remarkable headway, never stopping to achieve new initiatives. We have seized the opportunity in the new virtual world, which catapulted us into the future. Our talented workforce fuels our drive and success in achieving our County’s Proud Priorities and taking advantage of these times of rising opportunity. This award again demonstrates that we are a leader in our region, state, and nation, and we are ready for the next generation challenge.”
