[HipShot]

I'm at a loss as to why they would do this. Can you tell me why they would need photos instead of existing seating layouts?

[ExSoldier]

By "layouts" I would assume you are referring to "floor plans." Look, operators, folks who are really anticpating moving in a defined space in a hostile manner need to have a spatial image in a 3-D manner that they can see so they can, in their minds eye walk through the mission. This is why we do something called "The Objective Recon" so we can visualize where everybody is going to be, where and how the action will go as planned. You just don't get this from lines on paper. You also don't know how tight the tolerances will be between open spaces like seats, aisles, the area where the attendants sit, etc. Typically, a floor plan won't give exact tolerances. As I said, an experienced operator wants to "eyeball" everything. That's the mark of a pro. That's why I think this is scary.