The �Platinum Mouse� prize was initiated by LIKTA with the aim of enhancing the sector�s prestige, attracting positive publicity, informing the public about the opportunities which ICT create, and focus on the most important projects which offer significant benefits to the public at large.  Nominees for the �Platinum Mouse 2007� award were considered by an independent and competent jury.  Its honorary chairwoman was minister Ina Gudele.
Award categories in 2007 included E-governance and Services, Business Development and E-commerce, and projects in the areas of education, culture, health care and sports.
In the E-governance and Services category, the �Platinum Mouse� went to the electronic tax declarations system of the State Revenue Service (Client: State Revenue Service; developer: AS Exigen Services DATI).
State Revenue Service director Dzintars Jak�ns:  �The people of Latvia and the country�s businesspeople feel that it is self-evident that they have the right to receive services from the national system of governance which are at the same level as services which are provided in the private sector.  The State Revenue Service, like tax agencies throughout the world, is increasingly concentration on ways in which client services can be improved and our work can be optimised.  The electronic declarations system, I believe, is a product which is fully in line with the level of service quality that is expected of us by our clients, and that is the level which exists in other countries in Europe and beyond.  This required a great deal of effort and quite a bit in the way of resources from us, and we are very proud to receive this award in confirmation of our efforts.�
A diploma of excellence was awarded to an electronic procurement system (Client: National Agency for Electronic Procurement; developer: RIX Technologies).
In the Business Development and E-commerce category, the �Platinum Mouse� was received by the project �First Internet Insurance System: If Online� (Client: If Latvia AAS; developer: SIA Nexum Insurance Technologies).
J�nis Kesteris, IT development director for If Latvia in the Baltic States and Russia:  �Even though we were prepared for this some time ago in technological terms, limitations in the law meant that we could not be the first to introduce an Internet-based insurance system in the Baltic States.  Laws in Estonia were more favourable to the provision of Internet-based insurance services.  It must be said, however, that our clients are far more active in making use of the opportunity to purchase an insurance policy on the Internet than people in Estonia have been.  The If Online system that was created in Latvia has become the technological and ideological cornerstone for the first Internet-based insurance system in Lithuania.  I am delighted that this ability to apply for coverage on the Internet, pay for coverage on the Internet, and receive the policy by E-mail is appreciated not only by our clients, but also by ICT professionals.  This means that next year we will have to work even harder on developing the If Online system.  At the same time, we are very proud of serving as an impulse in the Latvian insurance market in terms of creating services that are accessible and understandable to ever-larger segments of the public.�
A diploma of excellence was received by the TeleHelp project, which offers support for computer users from a distance (Developer and maintainer of the system: SIA LatInSoft).
The category of projects in the areas of education, culture, health care and sports was won by the �E-class� school administration system (Maintainer of the system: Latvian schools and SIA DEAC; developer: SIA DEAC).
Andris Gail�tis, SIA DEAC board chairman:  �We are delighted that our work has been appreciated by users and by the IT industry.  It is very commendable that the national government and local governments are coming to understand the way in which IT can help to optimise various process and create various new things.  We are particularly thankful to the secretariat of the minister with special portfolio for E-governance and to the Ministry for Education and Science for their support.�
A diploma of excellence was received by the www.skolotajs.lv portal (Client: SIA Microsoft Latvia; Developer: AS Rix Technologies; Maintainer of the system: Ventspils Digital System).
Certificates of recognition were received by:
� The Daugavpils District Council for the introduction of a unified administration, document circulation and meeting management system;
� The J�kabpils City Council for the provision of electronic services to local residents and businesses via the J�kabpils City Information Centre;
� The Ministry for Regional Development and Local Governance for the development of a central data exchange system for local government E-governance and the establishment of a local government competence (user support) centre;
� The Latgale Regional Development Agency for the Latgale region portal Latgale.LV;
� SIA CiTYCREDiT for the �CiTYCREDiT: Your Account for Small Payments� project;
� AS Latvian State Forests for the Mammadaba.lv portal;
� The �Latvian Lakes� association for the environmental portal Ezeri.lv.