A news release from Tyler this week did not disclose terms of the acquisition, but it said US eDirect’s Recreation Dynamics tool — which it described as a “large-scale, enterprise-grade cloud transaction management system focused on the government recreation and tourism industry,” and which digitally handles tasks such as rentals, tours, passes, parking and licenses — will integrate into Tyler’s NIC payments platform. NIC was acquired by Tyler last year in a massive, market-shaking government technology deal.
In addition to payments, Tyler said it will also integrate US eDirect’s Data and Insights platform into Recreation Dynamics, giving back-end users a closer analytical view of what’s going on in the recreation space, according to the news release.
Via the acquisition, Tyler picks up some 40 US eDirect clients in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Those U.S. customers include state parks in Florida, Ohio, Minnesota and Missouri. Touting the need for this technology, Tyler said that last year in Ohio campsite bookings increased 14 percent.
“The acquisition of US eDirect allows us to build on NIC’s 20 years of experience in outdoor recreation and offer a comprehensive, all-in-one outdoor recreation solution,” Elizabeth Proudfit, president of Tyler’s NIC Division, told Government Technology in an email. “This platform solution will also give us an immediate international footprint in outdoor recreation.”
The acquisition comes not only as public agencies of all types are deploying more digital tools, but as recreation embraces innovation while also dealing with deferred maintenance backlogs that could be eased, in part, by federal infrastructure spending.
State parks in the U.S., for instance, face a backlog of at least $5.6 billion, according to the National Recreation and Park Association, which added that worker shortages also present challenges to recreation management in 2022.
Meanwhile, companies in the government tech space are pushing public agencies, and by extension their constituents, to embrace better technology to help keep up with all the changes.
Technology provider CivicPlus summed up that view in a blog post about its own recreation management software.
“Park purists who want to continue to offer an unspoiled natural experience may need to accept a compromise between tech and nature before isolating themselves from future generations that expect tech accessibility to be prolific,” the vendor wrote. “By adopting even a few small tech offerings in your parks and rec facilities, you open up the potential for greater facility adoption, revenue, and engagement with a wide range of citizen generations.”
As for Tyler, its acquisition of US eDirect could help ease some specific recreation management challenges, according to what Proudfit told Government Technology.
“One of the first challenges is overcrowding at parks,” she said. “Using technology helps disburse visitors or allow them to make reservations for parking so they have the best customer experience they can.”
Proudfit also said better tools could help with safety and conservation of natural resources by managing the arrival and experience of visitors more carefully.
“Another challenge is allowing park staff and rangers to focus on their jobs,” she said. “Technology is an incredible benefit here as it gives visitors self-service tools and services. Paying in advance through online or a digital pass and printing tickets or trail passes to carry or have on their car or ATV means park staff don’t have to handle cash or money and can assist with safe compliance.”
Tyler will keep US eDirect’s branding as a product suite name for the time being, according to Proudfit, and its employees will remain with the operation.
