The Public Technology Institute (PTI) has selected Delaware’s Hunter and Trapper Registration Web application (HTR) as the recipient of the 2014 Web 2.0 State & Local Government Awards & Recognition Program in the category of State Government. The annual awards program honors state and local governments that demonstrate a use of technology and development to solve specific problems, improve community services and internal operations, as well as reduce costs. This is the second national award that HTR has won this year, the first being an Outstanding Achievement in Government recognition bestowed by the Interactive Media Awards (IMA).

HTR demonstrates best practices and excellence in the field of Web 2.0 and civic/social networking and citizen engagement in local and state government. The mobile-friendly HTR provides easy ability for hunters and trappers to obtain required Harvest Information Program (HIP) numbers, License Exempt Numbers (LEN), manage deer registration and snow goose permits, report snow goose harvests, and retrieve lost registration and permit numbers. The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) Division of Fish and Wildlife, the agency sponsor for this online system, succeeded in its goals to improve the user experience for hunters and trappers by updating the user interface with a fresh look and feel. Users may access it by a mobile device, computer, or by calling and speaking to a representative who will enter the information.

DNREC biologists now have access to more accurate, real-time data. “Not only is this system easy to use for hunters and trappers, it has also provided efficiencies within our team. With easily accessible data, it provides a better opportunity to assist our hunters and trappers during the season. Now, the deer registration component provides a real-time snapshot of Delaware’s deer harvest during the season and not once the season ends, which was the case with our former registration methods,” says Joe Rogerson, Deer and Furbearer Biologist with the Delaware Division of Fish & Wildlife. “Additionally, the HTR System has virtually eliminated the time and staff needed to manage our license exempt sportsman and migratory bird hunters by providing us the data in an easy and ready to use electronic format.”

Last season, the HTR system processed over 27,000 registrations for hunters and trappers, including nearly 15,000 deer registrations. This year, the system has already processed over 4,000 records since registrations began for the 2014/2015 hunting season, with peak season arriving in November.

To encourage online usage, this season DNREC is offering users who register via a computer or mobile device the opportunity to be entered into a drawing to win a $50 gift card to a local sporting goods store. Winners are selected monthly.

The Hunter Trapper Registration system is a collaborative effort between the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Division of Fish and Wildlife, the Government Information Center, and Delaware Interactive, LLC.

About Delaware Interactive

Delaware Interactive is part of the eGovernment firm NIC’s (EGOV) family of companies. Its focus is accelerating the number of online services available to Delaware citizens and businesses through the state’s official portal, Delaware.gov.

About NIC

Founded in 1992, NIC (NASDAQ:EGOV) is the nation’s leading provider of official government websites, online services, and secure payment processing solutions. The company’s innovative eGovernment services help make government more accessible to everyone through technology. The family of NIC companies provides eGovernment solutions for more than 3,500 federal, state, and local agencies in the United States. Forbes has named NIC as one of the “100 Best Small Companies in America” five times, most recently ranked at No. 11 (2013), and the company has been included three times on the Barron’s 400 Index. Additional information is available at http://www.egov.com.