RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany – Every mission starts with the ground beneath it. Geo Base Airmen within the 86th Civil Engineering Squadron are mapping, measuring and shaping data into a usable framework for missions.
Working daily to provide ground surveys, collecting elevation data and designing blueprints tied to the installation’s infrastructure. They use the data they’ve collected to build detailed maps and digital products in-turn leaders use to respond, build and plan contingency missions.
“We hold all the maps and infrastructure data,” said Staff Sgt. Carlo Devora, 86th CES geo base non-commissioned officer. “Before anything happens, we set the foundation. That feeds into planning and funding decisions.”
Geo Base also tracks facility utilities, information and space usage to ensure resources, funding and projects stay aligned with the wing’s priorities.
“You see the finished facility,” he said. “We see the layers underneath that made it possible.”
A key aspect of their mission happens alongside the German local nationals and civilian partners, who bring long-term experience and technical knowledge to the shop.
Senior Airman Bea Angel Gerundio, 86th Civil Engineering geo base apprentice, said working with them has shaped how she approaches the job.
“I’ve learned different ways to do things,” said Gerundio. “It makes you better.”
Core partnerships help keep projects on track and relationships strong across the installation. Together, they are mapping out airfields to supporting damage repair and contingency missions, by turning raw terrain into usable data for teams across Ramstein.
“It feels good knowing what you built is actually being used,” Gerundio said.
If you know where to step, where to build and where NOT to dig that means Geo Base already did their job.