Have We Learned Anything About Warfare in Iraq?

DARPA's Urban Mapping technology seems to provide proper support for the complexities of modern warfare and current challenges for the street level fighter in Iraq. The new technology--called the Tactical Ground Reporting System, or TIGR--is a map-centric application that junior officers can study before going on patrol and add to upon returning. This reminds me of a Google Maps mash-up on steroids and allows a soldiers to get up close and personal to their environment. By clicking on icons and lists, officers can see the locations of key buildings, such as mosques, schools, and hospitals, and retrieve information such as location data on past attacks, geotagged photos of houses and other buildings (taken with cameras equipped with Global Positioning System technology), and photos of suspected insurgents and neighborhood leaders. They can even listen to civilian interviews and watch videos of past maneuvers.