The Engagement
Retained as the lead full-stack engineer in partnership with Launch Control to architect and build the official platform for New York State's Empire State Trail. Responsible for transforming high-fidelity designs from Orion Innovation into an award-winning, highly accessible digital experience, ultimately securing a Gold Winner designation at the 2021 Hermes Creative Awards. Guided the application from its initial Drupal 8 launch through a successful Drupal 9 lifecycle upgrade.
Key Contributions
- ArcGIS Custom Map Engineering
Architected and developed the platform's flagship feature: a highly interactive, custom JavaScript-driven trail map. Built a robust backend integration to ingest, parse, and cache geographic data vectors directly from the state’s ArcGIS system, rendering a fast, responsive frontend map experience for millions of hikers and cyclists.
- Dynamic Segment Architecture
Designed a modular content model where each individual trail segment features its own dedicated, data-rich landing page. Dynamically paired geographic mapping attributes with localized segment information, amenities, and trail conditions to give users granular, real-time route details.
- End-to-End Full-Stack Delivery
Executed 100% of both the backend architectural configuration and the custom responsive frontend theme. Ensured the public-sector platform met strict performance benchmarks, fast asset-loading thresholds, and mandatory accessibility standards.
- Drupal 9 Lifecycle Upgrade
Provided long-term technical support through 2022, systematically upgrading the platform's core architecture and custom mapping modules from Drupal 8 to Drupal 9 to preserve continuous uptime and security compliance.
Timeline: 2020 – 2022 (Platform Build & Modernization)
Core Stack: Drupal 8 / 9, PHP, JavaScript, ArcGIS API Integration, Custom Interactive Mapping, Full-Stack Delivery
Note: Full-stack platform engineering, ArcGIS system integration, and Drupal 9 lifecycle migration executed by nah design in direct partnership with Launch Control. Brand strategy, UX/UI, and visual design assets delivered by Orion Innovation.
