OnStar by GM Honored for Life-Saving Technology
09 Juni 2005 - 3:00PM
PR Newswire (US)
OnStar by GM Honored for Life-Saving Technology Third Computerworld
Honors Award for OnStar-Unmatched in Program's History DETROIT,
June 9 /PRNewswire/ -- 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 CEOs who serve on the program's Chairmen's 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 http://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
http://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 across 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. Each
year, the Computerworld Honors Chairmen's Committee nominates
organizations that are using information technology to improve
society for inclusion in the Computerworld Honors Online Archive
and the Collections of the Global Archives. The Global Archives
represents the 100-plus institutions from more than 30 countries
that include the Computerworld Honors Collection in their archives
and libraries. DATASOURCE: General Motors Corporation CONTACT: Anne
Mittelstaedt of OnStar Communications, +1-313-667-0874 (office),
+1-248-515-2512 (cell), or Web site: http://www.onstar.com/
http://www.cwheroes.org/ http://media.gm.com/ http://www.gm.com/
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