When we approach Intelligence, it’s important to consider the full spectrum of relevant information. Errors of omission are still errors. Collecting some information is good; collecting as much relevant information as possible is better.
So when we consider Intelligence collection at the community or county level, we ought to be methodical and thorough in our generation of Intelligence Requirements and tasking/directing collection. To do that, we use a the acronym, BETSTMAPS. You must incorporate the BESTMAPS acronym in your Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield/Community.
We start with Biographical. Biographical information includes names and identities, education and work history, familial relationships, and geographical and other associations. It’s how we learn about the key human terrain in our Area of Operations (AO). Remember, there’s physical terrain – things like mountains and rivers – and there’s the human terrain. The human terrain includes the demographics, as well as those who influence and how they influence our AO.
