Through her work with military interests in the US, the UK, and Canada, Prof. Debra Laefer has provided critical subject expertise to stakeholders analyzing the increasingly crucial role of dense urban environments in military engagements. In addition to her continuing work with the US Army as a member of the Board of Advisors for the Dense Urban Terrain Detachment based at Fort Hamilton, she recently returned from a NATO sponsored trip to the Urbanisation Project Wargame at the Defence Academy, Shrivenham on September 2nd-6th, where she served as the Green Team co-leader. Laefer has also been invited to serve as the Green Team co-leader at the RDECOM Dense Urban Environment Wargame in Washington, DC later this fall.
As urban environments increase in complexity and density and more combat is conducted in these urban spaces, improved 3D intelligence and understanding of these environments will be vital to ensuring the efficacy of the US and their allies efforts in global combat zones. As this area of analysis has evolved, the Urban Modeling Group’s expertise in remote sensing, urban data collection, and 3D data management has been identified as a valuable contribution to efforts to improve approaches to urban engagement.