Brig. Gen. Shane Reeves, United States Military Academy Dean of the Academic Board, and Col. Will Wright, Global Information Systems Program Director, discuss mapping the arctic and helicopter landing zones in the newest podcast episode of “Inside West Point: Ideas That Impact.”

Brig. Gen. Shane Reeves, United States Military Academy Dean of the Academic Board, and Col. Will Wright, Global Information Systems Program Director, discuss mapping the arctic and helicopter landing zones in the newest podcast episode of “Inside West Point: Ideas That Impact.”

U.S. Military Academy graduate, 2nd Lt. Nicole Wantlin, demonstrates her ability to take data collected over years of Arctic thaw cycles and view the landscape in 3D through virtual reality technology to detect changes in terrain features on April 21, 2022, at Washington Hall.

From Hawai’i to the Alaskan tundra, United States Military Academy faculty and cadets explored the identification of Helicopter Landing Zones (HLZs) using drones and geospatial analysis during a summer field study. (Courtesy Photo)

“We need the ability to think spatially. From a physical geography and human geography standpoint, it’s knowing the people on the planet, their religion, their beliefs, what shapes them, and trying to see the world.” – Col. Will Wright, U.S. Military Academy’s Geospatial Information Science Program Director.

Tune in to the newest episode of the “Inside West Point: Ideas That Impact” podcast at https://bit.ly/InsideWP. From mapping the arctic to helicopter landing zones, Dean of the Academic Board Brig. Gen. Shane Reeves and Col. Will Wright discuss how the use of drones and other mapping technologies can enable us to better understand our evolving global landscape.

Discover how West Point equips future officers with the skills to navigate the complex landscape of the 21st century. As Wright explained, “From a remote sensing standpoint, it’s no longer, ‘can we get the data,’ it’s, ‘how do we make sense of all the data.’”

Listen to the episode to gain valuable insights into the dynamic field of geospatial engineering and its implications for the military, academia and industry.

In this episode, you will learn the following:

What is geospatial engineering, and why is it important in military operations?

What are some of the key technologies and tools used in geospatial engineering?

How do internships and experiential learning opportunities enhance the skills and knowledge of cadets in geospatial engineering?

Join Reeves each month as he takes you behind the scenes to explore the applied research and cross-disciplinary work being done by the academy’s scholars. From high-energy lasers and artificial intelligence to civil-military relations and ethics, “Inside West Point” goes beyond the textbook to give you a deeper understanding of the complex issues shaping the modern battlefield. Hear directly from the experts as they make even the most complex topics accessible to a broad audience.

You can find the “Ideas that Impact” podcast, as well as several other podcasts produced at West Point at https://westpointpress.com/podcasts or on your favorite podcast platform including Apple Podcasts, Google podcasts, Spotify and Podchaser (Inside West Point: Ideas that Impact). You can also follow on Instagram (@dean.usma), Facebook (Dean of the Academic Board-West Point) and Twitter (@DeanUSMA) for updates. Learn more about the West Point Academic Program at https://www.westpoint.edu/academics.