OnStar
by General Motors received the coveted 21st Century Achievement
Award by the Computerworld Honors Program for its visionary
use of information technology in the Transportation category.
Verizon
nominated OnStar's Advanced Automatic Crash Notification
(AACN) in recognition of its contributions to advancing
global information technology and its positive impact on
society. The AACN system automatically notifies specially-trained
emergency call center advisors of moderate to severe frontal,
rear or side-impact vehicle crashes. Sensors relay crash
severity information and metrics that are communicated to
911 dispatchers to assist in determining the appropriate
responses.
"We
are honored to have received the 21st Century Achievement
award," said Chet Huber, president of OnStar. "We
find ourselves in a unique category of being a three-time
winner, which is an accomplishment that no other company
has achieved and we are truly appreciative of this recognition."
OnStar
was selected as one of five finalists in the Transportation
category. This year's awards were presented last night at
a gala event held at the National Building Museum. The awards
ceremony was attended by over 250 guests, including leaders
of the information technology industry, former award recipients,
judges, scholars and diplomats representing many of the
54 countries from which the 18-year-old program's laureates
have come.
According
to Dan Morrow, a founding director and chief historian for
the Honors Program, "This year's award recipients exemplify
the very best in the creative use of IT in service to mankind.
Their work and their stories are outstanding contributions
to the history of the information technology revolution
in every sense of the word, and, for the archives we serve
all over the world, they are, truly priceless."
From
more than 250 nominations submitted this year by the industry
chairmen and CEO's who serve on the program's Chairman Committee,
162 were honored as laureates at ceremonies in San Francisco,
on April 3, 2005, when their case studies officially became
part of the Computerworld Honors 2005 Collection. Of these,
48 finalists were chosen by a panel of distinguished judges
to attend the gala event in Washington, D.C., at which 10
were announced recipients of the 21st Century Achievement
award.
Honorees
were celebrated for their significant achievements in the
use of IT to benefit mankind across the following 10 categories:
Business and Related Services; Education and Academia; Environment;
Energy and Agriculture; Finance; Insurance and Real Estate;
Government and Non-Profit Organizations; Manufacturing;
Media, Arts and Entertainment; Medicine; Science; and Transportation.
In
1996, OnStar won in the Transportation category for its
core safety and security services nominated by EDS. OnStar's
second award came in 2001, in the Transportation category
for its Virtual Advisor technology, nominated by General
Magic.
Additional
information about the 2005 Collection is available at www.cwheroes.org,
where the entire collection is available to scholars, researchers
and the general public.
About
OnStar
OnStar, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Motors, is
the nation's leading provider of in-vehicle safety, security
and communication services using wireless technology and
the Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite network. OnStar
is available on more than 50 GM models for 2005. By the
end of 2007, OnStar will be a standard feature for GM's
retail customers in the United States and Canada, covering
all segments and prices except for some commercial vehicles.
OnStar safety and security services include automatic notification
of air bag deployment, stolen vehicle location assistance,
emergency services, roadside assistance, remote door unlock,
and GM Goodwrench remote vehicle diagnostics. OnStar Hands-Free
Calling allows drivers to make and receive hands-free, voice-activated
calls from their vehicle. More information about OnStar
can be found at www.onstar.com.
About
the Computerworld Honors Program
Governed by the Computerworld Information Technology Awards
Foundation, a Massachusetts not-for-profit corporation founded
by International Data Group (IDG) in 1988, the Computerworld
Honors Program searches for and recognizes individuals and
organizations who have demonstrated vision and leadership
as they strive to use information technology in innovative
ways.
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