Marine Corps Base Quantico -- Drivers around Quantico last week may have noticed a few Marines with orange safety vests and big tripods roaming the base. These Marines aren’t a part of a unit on Quantico. They are students in the Basic Geographic Intelligence Specialist course out of Fort Belvoir.
“These students are here performing an assignment that wraps up a section of their training devoted to the collection of geographic data,” said Gunnery Sgt. Richard Arias, the course coordinator at the Marine Corps Intelligence School of Fort Belvoir. “They are practicing using equipment that digitally maps the terrain.”
The students aren’t just doing this as an assignment for school, they are also providing a service for Quantico by mapping the locations of certain types of tanks, such as propane or water, throughout the base.
“It’s cool that we get to practice what we’ve been learning these past months,” said Pfc. Ana Martinez, a student in the course. “We get to paint a picture of the environment using this technology and when we connect the dots afterward, we can present that to whoever needs it so they can understand the area.”
The students are about halfway through the seven-month course in which they learn about the collection of information through surveying terrain and then organize that information into a digital representation that is usable in all types of situations.
“Once the information is collected and analyzed,” said Arias, “commanders can use it to decide the best route to an enemy position or which is the safest for a convoy or patrol. This way, commanders have one more tool to prepare themselves and minimize the risk in any situation.”
Although these Marines are finishing up one section of their training, they are only halfway done with their school. But despite their inexperience, their instructors are happy with their work.
“These Marines are the first to survey Quantico since the late 1970s and are doing well,” said Arias. “I look forward to seeing where they go from here and what they can accomplish.”