Collect environmental data or samples.

Collect environmental data or samples. is a detailed work activity in O*NET — a concrete unit of work shared across 12 occupations and seen in 14 occupation-specific tasks. It rolls up into the broader work activity Collect environmental or biological samples. in Handling and Moving Objects .

Detailed work activities are the most granular shared layer in O*NET's work-activity hierarchy (Generalized → Intermediate → Detailed → occupation-specific task). The figures below describe how this activity shows up across the economy and what independent studies measure about AI and this kind of work — not a prediction that the work will be automated.

AI exposure

Of the 14 tasks under this activity that the OpenAI / Eloundou “GPTs are GPTs” study rated, 8 (57%) are flagged as directly exposed to language models (E1) or exposed via model-powered tools (E2).

The Anthropic Economic Index observes real AI use on 3 of these tasks, with a mean mapped-usage share of 0.004% per task.

Exposure estimates overlap with model capabilities — whether a model could speed the task up — not whether the work will be done by software. Observed AI use is augmentation and assistance today, not jobs replaced.

Member tasks

Occupation-specific tasks O*NET maps to this detailed work activity, most important first.

• Collect samples of air, water, gases, or solids to determine radioactivity levels of contamination. · Nuclear Monitoring Technicians · importance 4.4 · no direct exposure
• Collect and analyze data to determine environmental conditions and restoration needs. · Environmental Restoration Planners · importance 4.3 · exposure with tools
• Collect and analyze data to compare the environmental implications of economic policy or practice alternatives. · Environmental Economists · importance 4.2 · exposure with tools
• Collect samples of gases, soils, water, industrial wastewater, or asbestos products to conduct tests on pollutant levels or identify sources of pollution. · Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health · importance 4.1 · no direct exposure
• Gather data from sources such as surface or upper air stations, satellites, weather bureaus, or radar for use in meteorological reports or forecasts. · Atmospheric and Space Scientists · importance 4.0 · exposure with tools
• Collect and analyze biological data about relationships among and between organisms and their environment. · Biologists · importance 3.9 · exposure with tools
• Collect supporting data, such as climatic or field survey data, to corroborate remote sensing data analyses. · Remote Sensing Scientists and Technologists · importance 3.9 · exposure with tools
• Collect air samples from planes or ships over land or sea to study atmospheric composition. · Atmospheric and Space Scientists · importance 3.8 · no direct exposure
• Collect and analyze water samples as part of field investigations or to validate data from automatic monitors. · Hydrologists · importance 3.6 · exposure with tools
• Collect air, water, gas or solid samples for testing to determine radioactivity levels or to ensure appropriate radioactive containment. · Nuclear Technicians · importance 3.5 · no direct exposure
• Conduct laboratory or field experiments with plants, animals, insects, diseases, and soils. · Forest and Conservation Technicians · importance 2.9 · no direct exposure
• Collect data on underground areas, such as reservoirs, that could be used in carbon sequestration operations. · Geological Technicians, Except Hydrologic Technicians · exposure with tools
• Collect remote sensing data for forest or carbon tracking activities involved in assessing the impact of environmental change. · Remote Sensing Technicians · exposure with tools
• Collect water and soil samples to test for physical, chemical, or biological properties, such as pH, oxygen level, temperature, and pollution. · Hydrologic Technicians · no direct exposure

Occupations that perform this

• Nuclear Monitoring Technicians
• Environmental Restoration Planners
• Environmental Economists
• Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health
• Atmospheric and Space Scientists
• Biologists
• Remote Sensing Scientists and Technologists
• Hydrologists
• Forest and Conservation Technicians
• Geological Technicians, Except Hydrologic Technicians
• Hydrologic Technicians
• Remote Sensing Technicians

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

• O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
• Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27) Anthropic
• “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

@misc{singulariki-collect-environmental-data-or-samples,
  title  = {Collect environmental data or samples.},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/detailed-activities/collect-environmental-data-or-samples}
}