Photo By Melissa Buckley | Twenty competitors from the geospatial community are set to converge at Fort Leonard...... read more read more
FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. — Twenty competitors from the geospatial community are set to converge at Fort Leonard Wood, home of the U.S. Army Engineer Regiment, March 28 through 31 for the Best Mapper Competition.
According to Chief Warrant Officer 5 Jason Davis, senior geospatial integrator for U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command Proponent Office - Geospatial, the 10 teams of two, will be judged on their ability to perform time-constrained physical and mental challenges that test geospatial and communication skills, along with Soldier tasks, such as land navigation and fitness.
Davis said Soldiers trained in the 12Y military occupational specialty are part of what he called a “very technical MOS” responsible for generating, managing, analyzing and disseminating geospatial data and products.
He said on the first day of the competition the competitors will be given an operational problem and are required to support with geospatial analysis.
“The tasks are centered around analyzing terrain including weather effects, to produce geospatial decision aids for a specific warfighting function,” Davis explained.
Organizers have created opportunities for geospatial Soldiers training at Fort Leonard Wood to attend the competition, something Davis said is a special opportunity for trainees because they will get to see how skills they are currently learning are applied during the competition.
“Those in training will get a glimpse of what is next in their careers as they leave Fort Leonard Wood bound for their first assignment as a geospatial engineer,” Davis said.
According to Capt. Bernadette Spezia, geospatial development officer with TPO – Geospatial, some of the events are spectator friendly for the Fort Leonard Wood community.
“The physical fitness test, obstacle course and ruck march, as well as the closing ceremony, are open to spectators,” Spezia said. “At the obstacle course, spectators can expect to see Soldiers navigating a challenging course, testing their agility and endurance. The closing ceremony will be a great opportunity to see the competitors receive their awards and recognition for their hard work.”
Spezia said community members, with installation access, can find the event times and locations by heading to the competition help desk located in Brown Hall, Bldg. 5400.
“The schedule is available, and it outlines the events, times, and locations. Additionally, if the (anyone) has questions they can always go to that location and get more information from the person at the desk,” Spezia said. “It's a great opportunity for the community to come out and support our Soldiers as they compete in these challenging events.
According to Davis, this year there are seven U.S. Army teams, two British Royal Engineer teams and one German Armed Forces team competing for the title. He said they are working to grow the event each year.
“Growing this event to showcase not only U.S. geospatial capability but also our international partners — increasing interoperability and building comradery as we deploy and fight as one force,” Davis said.
The winning team is scheduled to be announced at 8 a.m. March 31 in the Engineer Regimental room of the John B. Mahaffey Museum Complex.
“The First-place team will win the coveted Best Mapper guidon to proudly display and host at their home station until the following year — earning bragging rights amongst the rest of the field,” Davis said.
| Date Taken: | 03.27.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 03.28.2025 08:29 |
| Story ID: | 493970 |
| Location: | FORT LEONARD WOOD, MISSOURI, US |
| Web Views: | 59 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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