Geo.admin.ch, the geoportal of the Swiss Confederation won the second prize of the 2012 United Nations Public Service Awards in the category 'Advancing Knowledge Management in Government' for Europe and North America.

The federal geodata portal is a publicly accessible platform for geographical information, data and services. Geographical information consists of geographically and spatially referenced data. It describes the characteristics of a country or region in the form of coordinates and place names. The information is made available by public sector organisations.

Geo.admin.ch’s achievement has demonstrated excellence in serving the public interest and has made a significant contribution to the improvement of public administration in Switzerland. It thus serves, from now on, as an inspiration and encouragement for others working for public service.

The 2012 United Nations Public Service Day, Awards Ceremony and Forum took place in New York from 25 to 28 June 2012.

Background information

The United Nations Public Service Awards are the most prestigious international recognition of excellence in the public service. It rewards the creative achievements and contributions of public service institutions that lead to a more effective and responsive public administration in countries worldwide. Through an annual competition, the UN Public Service Awards promotes the role, professionalism and visibility of public service. The winners are selected each year by the United Nations Committee of Experts on Public Administration.

Further Information:

• Original news article - Swiss confederation
• Related news article - Competence Centre e-geo.ch (in French)
• Geo.admin.ch
• United Nations Public Service Awards
• List of UN Public Service Awards Winners