SOF community adds tools to analyze geographic information Published Aug. 17, 2016 By Mike Raynor HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- Fourteen students from the Air Force Special Operations Command and the Army learned to analyze geographic information to get a better image of battlefield operations during a geographic information systems course here Aug. 1-5.AFSOC hosted a Fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems course offered by a mobile training team from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.The course explains the software analysts use to create and manage geographic information, such as maps and charts, and helps decision makers better visualize battlefield operations and make more informed decisions.Deployed teams within AFSOC frequently look for visual and geographic information on the battlefield.“As an advisor, I deploy in small teams with limited resources,” said an Air Force operator who completed this course. “The knowledge I received from the GIS course will help me maximize my resources in providing intelligence support.”Understanding the GIS and its capabilities also allows users to create their own maps and other geospatial products.“It saves valuable time and resources if the unit can make this map themselves, and frees up the NGA analyst to work on deeper analytic problems,” said the NGA analyst who facilitated this course.AFSOC is hosting future NGA MTT courses, which are open to military and civilian members of the U.S. Department of Defense.For more information, contact the AFSOC/A2 Formal Training Office at AFSOC.A2XT@us.af.mil.