A Simulator for Military Terrain Study

One of the biggest concerns in planning a military operation is how to explore the terrain, avoid collateral damage and accomplish the mission. During that process, military planners study the topographic and tactical aspects, gathering detailed information to better advise superiors in their decisions. Learning how to prepare for that terrain study takes time and practice, and inside the classroom is difficult. In this context, we propose “Simulador Virtual para Estudo Topotático do Terreno (SVETT),” a simulator that uses resources usually found in classroom inserted in 3 interfaces (Virtual Reality, Projector and Constructive) that can help instructors to ease teaching the abstract subjects of a terrain study and standardize the knowledge learned from students. The Brazilian Marines Simulation Center developed SVETT and evaluated it with 54 students. The results suggest that using SVETT first, students found participating in the field exercise easier because of their previous contact with the region.