Locate natural resources using geospatial or other environmental data.

Locate natural resources using geospatial or other environmental data. is a detailed work activity in O*NET — a concrete unit of work shared across 2 occupations and seen in 7 occupation-specific tasks. It rolls up into the broader work activity Analyze environmental or geospatial data. in Analyzing Data or Information .

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 7 tasks under this activity that the OpenAI / Eloundou “GPTs are GPTs” study rated, 6 (86%) are flagged as directly exposed to language models (E1) or exposed via model-powered tools (E2).

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.

• Locate and estimate probable natural gas, oil, or mineral ore deposits or underground water resources, using aerial photographs, charts, or research or survey results. · Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers · importance 3.8 · exposure with tools
• Measure geological characteristics used in prospecting for oil or gas, using measuring instruments. · Geological Technicians, Except Hydrologic Technicians · importance 3.6 · no direct exposure
• Identify deposits of construction materials suitable for use as concrete aggregates, road fill, or other applications. · Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers · importance 3.4 · exposure with tools
• Participate in the evaluation of possible mining locations. · Geological Technicians, Except Hydrologic Technicians · importance 3.3 · exposure with tools
• Identify new sources of platinum group elements for industrial applications, such as automotive fuel cells or pollution abatement systems. · Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers · importance 3.3 · exposure with tools
• Locate potential sources of geothermal energy. · Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers · importance 3.2 · exposure with tools
• Apply new technologies, such as improved seismic imaging techniques, to locate untapped oil or natural gas deposits. · Geological Technicians, Except Hydrologic Technicians · exposure with tools

Occupations that perform this

• Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers
• Geological Technicians, Except Hydrologic 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
• “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic

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

@misc{singulariki-locate-natural-resources-using-geospatial-or-other-environmental-data,
  title  = {Locate natural resources using geospatial or other environmental data.},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/detailed-activities/locate-natural-resources-using-geospatial-or-other-environmental-data}
}