Hamilton County has been honored with the prestigious 2024 Government Experience Awards, hosted by the Center for Digital Government, for its innovative Parks Finder program. The county’s Information Systems Services (ISS) Department tied for fifth place in the Overall County Government Experience category.

The Parks Finder program, developed collaboratively by Hamilton County’s Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and ISS departments, provides residents with easy access to a comprehensive directory of parks. The platform includes detailed information about city and county parks, highlighting amenities such as playgrounds, shelters, tennis courts, and more. The project was supported by Cultivate Geospatial Solutions and involved input from multiple local parks departments.

Chris Mertens, Director of Information Technology for Hamilton County, expressed pride in the recognition, emphasizing the collaborative effort behind the program. “This award is quite an honor, but it belongs to more than just the IT department. This project was an amazing collaboration between the county, the cities, the towns, and their parks’ departments. And having a single source for park information is ultimately a big win for the entire community,” Mertens said.

The Government Experience Awards recognize achievements in utilizing technology to improve government service delivery and resident engagement.