The CSI virtual staff ride (VSR) consists of simulated terrain built in a 3D virtual environment produced largely from satellite imagery, digital terrain elevation data, photographs, video, and first-hand accounts. The Staff Ride Team developed its first VSR in 2005 as a means to study Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. Since then, the team has developed multiple VSRs to replicate terrain that Army organizations cannot readily access from the Continental United States.
The Staff Ride Team follows the same three-phased approach to a virtual staff that we follow for the more traditional ground staff ride as outlined in The Staff Ride. For the field phase of the virtual staff ride, we normally travel to the requesting organization’s venue. The VSR has some particular setup and support requirements as detailed here. Visit our FAQs for more information on how we conduct virtual staff rides or view an example of a VSR that the team conducted for the University of Hawaii’s Army ROTC program here.