Wildlife Commission Offers New, High-Tech Solution to License Purchases and Vess

RALEIGH, N.C. (Nov. 18, 2004) — The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is harnessing the power and flexibility of the Internet to make it easier and quicker for the sporting public to register its vessels and purchase hunting, fishing and trapping licenses.

The Automated License and Vessel Information Network (ALVIN), an Internet-based license and vessel registration system, will go live at more than 1,100 wildlife service agent locations statewide on Jan. 3. With a personal computer and a dial-up Internet connection provided by the Wildlife Commission, agents will be able to enter customer information into a “real-time,” interactive database, which will link all customer transactions to a single customer record. This will eliminate redundant information gathering and, in the process, speed the transactions of multiple customer requests.

“Because ALVIN is a live database, as soon as information is entered into it, the data are available immediately, which makes the following transaction with the customer much quicker than it was with the old system,” said Lisa Hocutt, customer support service manager for the Commission’s Division of Administrative Services. “Once an angler, hunter or vessel owner is in the new system, he or she will be able to purchase additional licenses, register other vessels and request information without having to wait.”

In addition, ALVIN lets wildlife service agents across the state assist any customer in the system. “So, if an angler who lives in Wilmington loses his license while fishing in the mountains, he’ll be able to get a replacement at the nearest wildlife service agent location.”

Real-time access to information and expedited services are two immediate benefits of the ALVIN system. However, the system also will bring long-term benefits to the public by increasing the Wildlife Commission’s reporting, research and marketing capabilities.

“ALVIN will allow us to analyze data better for required reporting,” Hocutt said. “By improving our data analyses, the Wildlife Commission will be able to respond more quickly to legislative and other mandated regulations changes that best reflect the interests of our constituents.”

Agents also will be able to alert the Wildlife Commission to any problems or request additional supplies more quickly so that any inconvenience to the public is minimized.

The Wildlife Commission’s Division of Administrative Services spent months conducting research on other state wildlife agencies’ Internet-based systems to determine what worked and what didn’t. Design and development on ALVIN began in 2002, and personnel spent two months this fall training agents on the new system, with more than 90 sessions at 10 sites across the state.

For more information on ALVIN, call the Wildlife Commission’s Division of Administrative Services at (919) 662-4370.

RALEIGH, N.C. (Nov. 18, 2004) — The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is harnessing the power and flexibility of the Internet to make it easier and quicker for the sporting public to register its vessels and purchase hunting, fishing and trapping licenses.

The Automated License and Vessel Information Network (ALVIN), an Internet-based license and vessel registration system, will go live at more than 1,100 wildlife service agent locations statewide on Jan. 3. With a personal computer and a dial-up Internet connection provided by the Wildlife Commission, agents will be able to enter customer information into a “real-time,” interactive database, which will link all customer transactions to a single customer record. This will eliminate redundant information gathering and, in the process, speed the transactions of multiple customer requests.

“Because ALVIN is a live database, as soon as information is entered into it, the data are available immediately, which makes the following transaction with the customer much quicker than it was with the old system,” said Lisa Hocutt, customer support service manager for the Commission’s Division of Administrative Services. “Once an angler, hunter or vessel owner is in the new system, he or she will be able to purchase additional licenses, register other vessels and request information without having to wait.”

In addition, ALVIN lets wildlife service agents across the state assist any customer in the system. “So, if an angler who lives in Wilmington loses his license while fishing in the mountains, he’ll be able to get a replacement at the nearest wildlife service agent location.”

Real-time access to information and expedited services are two immediate benefits of the ALVIN system. However, the system also will bring long-term benefits to the public by increasing the Wildlife Commission’s reporting, research and marketing capabilities.

“ALVIN will allow us to analyze data better for required reporting,” Hocutt said. “By improving our data analyses, the Wildlife Commission will be able to respond more quickly to legislative and other mandated regulations changes that best reflect the interests of our constituents.”

Agents also will be able to alert the Wildlife Commission to any problems or request additional supplies more quickly so that any inconvenience to the public is minimized.

The Wildlife Commission’s Division of Administrative Services spent months conducting research on other state wildlife agencies’ Internet-based systems to determine what worked and what didn’t. Design and development on ALVIN began in 2002, and personnel spent two months this fall training agents on the new system, with more than 90 sessions at 10 sites across the state.

For more information on ALVIN, call the Wildlife Commission’s Division of Administrative Services at (919) 662-4370.