GLO Creates Award-Winning Public Service Software

The Texas General Land Office works tirelessly to serve the state of Texas in many ways, shapes and forms. Over the years, we have worked to provide Texas with many beneficial applications for both the citizens of Texas and the environment. When disaster strikes, we spring into action. The GLO shows up, rolls up our sleeves and makes a visible difference in our communities and state. We are constantly looking for ways to bridge the divide between technology and state government. Hurricane Harvey gave the GLO Enterprise technology team the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of thousands of Texans through technological innovation.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, the GLO set out to create the Texas Integrated Grants Reporting System (TIGR, pronounced “tiger”). TIGR is a web-based grant management application that is designed to help citizens gain access to housing recovery benefits. What was previously an arduous process, TIGR simplifies the method of applying for aid and makes the administration of the program more organized and efficient. TIGR was built by GLO staff and vendor partners using an agile development strategy.

The system’s flexibility allows it to continuously evolve to develop new capabilities or improvements to existing functionality. As the federal government releases more funds and makes decisions regarding the rules and requirements for distribution, new modules will be developed and deployed to support the additional benefit programs. The primary technology used to develop TIGR is the Microsoft Dynamics rapid application development platform, hosted in the Microsoft Azure Government Cloud.

This application is a prime example of one of the latest and greatest innovations the GLO brings to the great state of Texas. Recently, the Center for Digital Government honored the General Land Office (GLO) with the award for “Best Application Serving the Public” for the Texas Integrated Grants Reporting System (TIGR). The following GLO employees serving on this project were recognized.

Implementation

Support

Pam Mathews, CDR

Marcus Mayfield, CDR

Hector Hernandez, CDR

Joseph Biediger, CDR

Rafael Jaimes, CDR

Patricia Ewing, ETS

Jessica Moore-Bonner, ETS

Darryl McCrary, ETS

Vendor — InfoStrat

Stephen Fouchek, ETS

Michael Ashton-Moore, ETS

Keith Corkran, ETS

Kai Joe, ETS

Michelle Embry, ETS

Maegan Carmona, ETS

Vendor — Loblolly

The GLO considers it a privilege to serve the state of Texas as well as the receipt of this award.

Through creating and achieving more innovation for our programs here at the GLO, we as an agency can bring more efficiency to the benefits we offer Texans. In addition, we can also continue to expand on the programs we currently administer. We are excited to continue working to better our state and our fellow Texans.