IT’s Contribution to Trees for Bees Program

About the Program

Category: Information Technology (Best in Category)

Year: 2023

The DTCS .NET development team built a front-end registration application and expanded upon a back-end management application from previous tree giveaway programs to help increase community engagement and partnership. The County offers multiple tree giveaway programs to not only assist in the beautification of the County, but to assist in supporting sustainable stormwater treatment. Working with the Howard County Office of Community Sustainability, a requirements analysis led to the creation of a new program (Trees for Bees) that engaged both constituents and business partners. This online application enabled residents of the County and first-time nonprofit Watershed Protection and Restoration Fee partners to participate in the tree giveaway, allowing the County to reach additional areas targeted for stormwater treatment. The timeframe from initial design to “production-ready” was three months. To meet its unique requirements, this huge effort required significant development, project management, and stakeholder testing. The Executive Tree Giveaway group called it the smoothest rollout of an event since the program’s inception, with the program launching on March 15, 2022.