City receives three technology awards at Hawai‘i Government Summit
Kōkua Command Center and Honolulu Fire Department recognized for technology, collaboration, and innovation
Christine Sakuda, Andy Huynh, Stephen Courtney, Brian McKee, Nancy Vo
HONOLULU — The City and County of Honolulu received three awards at the Hawaiʻi Digital Government Summit 2026, recognizing City employees and departments for using technology to improve services, strengthen collaboration, and modernize government operations.
The Department of Community Services’ (DCS) Kōkua Command Center received the Best IT Collaboration among Organizations Award for the development of an innovative shelter-capacity platform designed to improve coordination and information sharing among agencies and service providers.
The Department of Community Services partnered with the Department of Information Technology, the City’s Chief Data Officer, and other partners to develop a centralized system that provides timely shelter-capacity information. The platform replaces a process that previously relied heavily on phone calls to determine bed availability.
Information Technology Specialist Andy Huynh serves as the IT lead for the Kōkua Command Center and led the Department of Information Technology team that developed the platform.
Designed for mobile use, the system provides real-time information and mapping capabilities, allowing teams in the field to identify available resources more quickly and coordinate services. Crisis Outreach Response and Engagement (CORE), the Honolulu Police Department, other City and State agencies, shelter providers, and community partners are part of the broader network sharing information through the Kōkua Command Center.
The award recognizes both the technology and the collaboration behind it, demonstrating how better information sharing can lead to more coordinated and responsive services for people experiencing homelessness.
Diane Shiraki, Christine Sakuda, Jonathan Sakamoto, Brian McKee, Stephen Courtney
The Honolulu Fire Department’s (HFD) preAlert app received the Best Application Serving the Public Award for using technology to give fire stations earlier notification of incoming emergency calls.
The application identifies and extracts information already available within the Computer-Aided Dispatch System and provides it to fire stations before the manual dispatch process is completed. This gives first responders earlier awareness of an incident and lets them begin preparing sooner.
The innovation demonstrates how existing data and technology can be used in new ways to improve emergency response without requiring an entirely new dispatch system. For firefighters responding to emergencies where seconds matter, that earlier notification can help improve response efficiency.
The Department of Information Technology (DIT) also received a Visionary Award recognizing Information Technology Specialist IV Jon Sakamoto for his work modernizing and improving the department’s information technology systems. Sakamoto has played an instrumental role in advancing technology that supports firefighters, department operations, and the community they serve.
Together, the three awards recognize the innovation taking place across City government and the work of employees using technology to improve coordination, modernize operations, and provide better services to the people of Oʻahu.
—PAU—
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