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Nevada Department of Wildlife seeks to centralize scientific data and modernize permit processing; estimates $1.26M per year for initial modules
Summary
NDOW told legislators it plans to build a centralized data-management system to standardize and make scientific data queryable and is seeking funding to modernize special-license-and-permit (SLAP) processing. The department estimated about $1,262,428 per year for E227 (centralized data) and described a two-year-plus implementation timeline.
The Nevada Department of Wildlife asked the joint subcommittee for funding to build a centralized data-management system that would consolidate division-level scientific data into a standardized, queryable database. Director Alan Jene said the goal is to make data collected by biologists accessible to staff and the public and to speed responses to legislative or board inquiries.
Jene and Deputy Director Jordan Goshert said NDOW estimates the initial annual cost for the E227 decision unit — a unified data system — at $1,262,428 for each year of the upcoming biennium. The department described an approach that would implement the system in modular form for each of NDOW's seven divisions and said it was seeking off-the-shelf solutions to avoid the extended timelines associated with fully custom systems.
When asked about timeline and ongoing costs, Jene said the department expects vendor selection and implementation to take more than two years and that maintenance costs will depend on the vendor and system selected. "There will be a maintenance cost," Jene said, noting NDOW's IT and GIS staff would support the effort but that some ongoing vendor or support expenses are likely.
The department also proposed a stand-alone permit modernization for special licenses and permits (SLAPS) to move a paper‑centric process online for customers and expedite issuance. Assemblymember Anderson asked whether credit-card processing fees could be recovered from applicants; NDOW said it would follow up with the committee on whether transaction fees could be passed through or otherwise recouped.
Committee members expressed interest in limiting over-customization and in ensuring the department avoids solutions that are brittle or hard to upgrade. NDOW said it had issued requests for information, consulted other states, and planned to pursue a solution that balanced functionality and upgradeability.
