The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Galveston District launched its new website offering visitors quick and easy access to essential information about the district’s missions. The site is number eight of 58 USACE sites to be migrated this year to a cloud-based system, enabling the Corps to create a consistent look and feel and provide viewers with technologically enhanced capabilities.
Boasting a modern designed homepage that highlights the latest news and a rotating image gallery, the 130-page website offers several improved features including the ability to sign up for news releases and public notices using RSS feeds, a database containing district publications and presentations, a search engine and a comprehensive interactive contact list. Visitors to the website will also find information about the following:
•Current projects, authorized studies and operations and maintenance (organized by district)
•Navigation hydrological survey (coming soon)
•Permitting process
•Public notices
•Recreational opportunities on Corps-owned property
•Social media sites
•USACE Galveston District’s environmental NEPA documents.
“The website’s user-friendly design provides visitors with a more efficient means to easily navigate and access the district’s resources, ” said District Commander Col. Christopher Sallese, USACE Galveston . “ New functions including online surveys, the Speakers Bureau program and the interactive contact list, encourages two-way communication and provide us with invaluable feedback.”
According to Sandra Arnold, chief of the USACE Galveston District’s Public Affairs Office , the old site was structured using an internal organization framework understood by the district’s workforce but not necessarily the general public. Understanding that the public would not be familiar with Corps acronyms and business lines, staff redesigned the new site listing offices in alphabetical order under the “Business with Us,” and services under the “Missions” tabs.
“ We put a lot of thought and consideration into the design of the new site and we’re very proud of the finished product, ” said Arnold. “Though we know that users will have an easier experience finding the information using this new format, we would like to know what is and isn’t working and gather information about how we can improve our site for our end users.”
“This new site provides us with a remarkable opportunity to reconnect with our core constituency – the American people – enables us to highlight our projects and show our neighbors, our communities and our nation how the work performed by the USACE Galveston District touches their lives every day,” said Sallese.
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Dredging Today Staff, May 31, 2012;