In that capacity, Douglas oversees efforts to: identify archaeological sites that are potentially eligible for the inscription of the World Heritage List; develop and propagate standards for the management of archaeological sites; and encourage dissemination of information about archaeological heritage management through publication and public outreach. He is also Principal, Cultural Site Research and Management, Inc. (CSRM). CSRM operates in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Africa, South America, and Central America. CSRM specializes in planning for the management and interpretation of archaeological sites and landscapes, and in the use of aerial and satellite remote sensing for archaeological research and resource protection.
Dr. Comer has conducted research and participated in the development of management capacity at Petra for more than 15 years. In 1996, he participated in a management analysis and the development of a carrying capacity study for the Petra World Heritage Site. In succeeding years, he conducted a landscape analysis of Beidha, a Natufian and Pre-Pottery Neolithic B site at Petra utilizing synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data collected by the Space Shuttle Endeavor as a Research Fellow at the American Center for Oriental Research (ACOR) in Amman, and assisted Dr. Talal Akasheh in developing the first geographical information system (GIS) for Petra. He has since seen overseen the development of the Petra Operating Plan, the Petra Visitor Services Plan, and the Petra Interpretive Plan. He is editor of Tourism and Archaeological Heritage Management at Petra: Driver to Development or Destruction? (Springer Press, 2012).