Often handed to AI
Task areas most often handled directively in observed AI conversations — candidates to delegate with light review.
- Determine guidelines that specify which source material is acceptable for use. · 0.4%
Cartographers and Photogrammetrists
Occupation · SOC 17-1021.00
Research, study, and prepare maps and other spatial data in digital or graphic form for one or more purposes, such as legal, social, political, educational, and design purposes. May work with Geographic Information Systems (GIS). May design and evaluate algorithms, data structures, and user interfaces for GIS and mapping systems. May collect, analyze, and interpret geographic information provided by geodetic surveys, aerial photographs, and satellite data.
Also called: Cartographer · Photogrammetric Technician · Photogrammetrist · Stereo Compiler · Aerial Photogrammetrist · Cartographic Designer · Digital Cartographer · Mapper · Stereoplotter Operator · Cadastral Mapper · Cartographic Drafter · Cartography Technician
Job family: Architecture and Engineering Occupations
Take this to your AI
A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch
/roles/role-17-1021-00/context.md directly.
AI work map
A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.
Use as a copilot
Task areas where people work with AI — iterating, learning, or checking — staying in the loop rather than handing the task off.
- Build and update digital databases. · 0.5%
Keep a human in the loop
Task areas where a human was still judged necessary in a large share of observed conversations — not a safety ruling, an observed-need signal.
- Determine guidelines that specify which source material is acceptable for use. · 100.0% need a human
- Build and update digital databases. · 89.8% need a human
Skills it runs on
The capabilities O*NET rates most important for this occupation — the human ground the work is built on.
See all skills →Market signal
Independent published positions, read together — not a forecast.
- About average employment outlook (+6.4% by 2034)
- 1,000 openings/yr
- Moderate AI exposure
- Observed AI use leans automation
- Median pay $78,380/yr
- Can largely be done remotely (teleworkable)
- Both the 2013 computerization estimate and today's AI exposure rank this high
76th-percentile task overlap — yet about 1,000 openings a year (+6.4% projected, BLS), and observed AI use leans 2045% copilot, not hand-off (AEI) . What exposure means →
AI & job outlook
What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.
Exposure to current AI
Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.
| Measure | Rank vs all occupations | Percentile | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) High | 68th | 0.8 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) High | 95th | 1.0 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) Moderate | 61st | 0.2 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.0), with simple added tooling (β 0.5), and including AI-powered software (γ 1.0). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.
Most of this job's tasks can be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman), which tends to track with higher digital and AI exposure.
Historical automation estimate (2013)
A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.
Frey–Osborne probability 0.9 · 75th percentile among occupations · High
How AI is actually used in this job
Among measured AI assistant conversations mapped to this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15), these task types came up most. These are shares of observed AI conversations — not shares of the job, of worker time, or of what could be automated.
| Determine guidelines that specify which source material is acceptable for use. | 0.8% | |
| Build and update digital databases. | 0.5% | |
| Determine map content and layout, as well as production specifications such as scale, size, projection, and colors, and direct production to ensure that specifications are followed. | 0.3% |
Job outlook
Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.
| Outlook | About average · +6.4% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 1,000 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 13,400 → 14,300 |
“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.
Where this work sits on the global GenAI gradient
The ILO's 2025 global study scores generative-AI exposure on the international ISCO-08 occupation system, not US SOC. Bridged through the published (and approximate, many-to-many) IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 crosswalk, this US occupation corresponds to the international occupation below. Exposure here means how much of the work's tasks today's AI can attempt — task overlap, not automation, adoption, or jobs lost.
Cartographers and Photogrammetrists sits at the 82nd percentile of 427
occupations on the global GenAI task-exposure gradient
— exposure rose from 2023 to 2025. Each dot is one occupation; the
ringed one is this work. Exposure is task overlap, not automation or jobs lost.
44% mean task exposure (2025)
82nd percentile of 427 placed occupations
+6 pts shift 2023 → 2025
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Cartographers and Surveyors · 2165 | 44% | Gradient 2 |
Read the whole six-band gradient on the GenAI exposure gradient page. The crosswalk is approximate: a US occupation can map to several international ones, and the ILO scores describe the international occupation, not this exact US role.
Working with AI in this job
How people actually apply AI to this occupation's tasks, from Claude.ai (Free and Pro) conversations in the Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15. This is one AI assistant's consumer sample — not all AI, not the whole workforce. Autonomy and the collaboration mix are model-rated estimates; figures below the sample floor are hidden.
| Augmentation vs. automation | 20.4% working with AI · 55.7% handed to AI |
| Most common way people use AI here | Directive · AI does it; you give the instruction |
| Typical AI autonomy | 2.5 / 5 · higher = AI acts more independently |
| Used for work (vs. personal / coursework) | 69.3% |
What people delegate to AI
The role's most common tasks in AI conversations, each tagged with how people work with the AI on it. “Usage” is the share of observed conversations, not of the job.
| Task | How | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Build and update digital databases. | Iteration | 0.5% |
| Determine guidelines that specify which source material is acceptable for use. | Directive | 0.4% |
Where a human is still needed
Tasks where the model most often judged that a person remained necessary — a useful read on the current boundary, not a guarantee.
| Determine guidelines that specify which source material is acceptable for use. | 100.0% | |
| Build and update digital databases. | 89.8% |
What people most often hand AI here
Example prompts phrased from the tasks people most often delegate to AI in this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index). Each shows the underlying measured task and its share of observed AI use. They are suggested phrasings of real tasks — starting points, not endorsed instructions.
-
Help me build and update digital databases.From: Build and update digital databases. · 0.5% of measured AI use · task iteration
-
Help me determine guidelines that specify which source material is acceptable for use.From: Determine guidelines that specify which source material is acceptable for use. · 0.4% of measured AI use · directive
Tasks
All 14 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Compile data required for map preparation, including aerial photographs, survey notes, records, reports, and original maps. Core · importance 4.5
- Delineate aerial photographic detail, such as control points, hydrography, topography, and cultural features, using precision stereoplotting apparatus or drafting instruments. Core · importance 4.5
- Prepare and alter trace maps, charts, tables, detailed drawings, and three-dimensional optical models of terrain using stereoscopic plotting and computer graphics equipment. Core · importance 4.5
- Study legal records to establish boundaries of local, national, and international properties. Core · importance 4.3
- Inspect final compositions to ensure completeness and accuracy. Core · importance 4.2
- Revise existing maps and charts, making all necessary corrections and adjustments. Core · importance 4.2
- Identify, scale, and orient geodetic points, elevations, and other planimetric or topographic features, applying standard mathematical formulas. Core · importance 4.1
- Collect information about specific features of the Earth, using aerial photography and other digital remote sensing techniques. Core · importance 4.0
- Examine and analyze data from ground surveys, reports, aerial photographs, and satellite images to prepare topographic maps, aerial-photograph mosaics, and related charts. Core · importance 4.0
- Determine guidelines that specify which source material is acceptable for use. Supplemental · importance 4.0
- Build and update digital databases. Core · importance 3.8
- Determine map content and layout, as well as production specifications such as scale, size, projection, and colors, and direct production to ensure that specifications are followed. Core · importance 3.8
- Select aerial photographic and remote sensing techniques and plotting equipment needed to meet required standards of accuracy. Supplemental · importance 3.7
- Travel over photographed areas to observe, identify, record, and verify all relevant features. Supplemental · importance 2.9
Emerging tasks
Newer responsibilities O*NET has flagged as growing for this occupation.
- Estimate resources, such as production hours, required for projects.
- Use drone technology to capture high-resolution images and data for map creation and updating.
Work activities
- Calculate geographic positions from survey data.
- Survey land or bodies of water to measure or determine features.
- Create maps.
- Gather physical survey data.
- Inspect finished products to locate flaws.
- Analyze physical, survey, or geographic data.
- Determine operational methods.
- Select tools, equipment, or technologies for use in operations or projects.
- Operate computer systems.
- Determine design criteria or specifications.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Knowledge
| Geography | 4.5 | |
| Computers and Electronics | 4.2 | |
| English Language | 3.5 | |
| Design | 3.4 | |
| Mathematics | 3.3 | |
| Customer and Personal Service | 2.9 |
Essential skills
| Reading Comprehension | 4.0 | |
| Writing | 3.5 | |
| Critical Thinking | 3.5 | |
| Active Listening | 3.4 | |
| Active Learning | 3.3 | |
| Speaking | 3.1 | |
| Monitoring | 3.1 | |
| Mathematics | 2.9 | |
| Learning Strategies | 2.9 |
Abilities
| Written Comprehension | 4.0 | |
| Oral Comprehension | 3.9 | |
| Near Vision | 3.9 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.6 | |
| Oral Expression | 3.5 | |
| Written Expression | 3.5 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.5 | |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.4 | |
| Information Ordering | 3.3 | |
| Visualization | 3.3 | |
| Far Vision | 3.3 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.1 | |
| Category Flexibility | 3.1 | |
| Speech Recognition | 3.1 | |
| Speech Clarity | 3.1 | |
| Fluency of Ideas | 3.0 | |
| Originality | 3.0 | |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 3.0 | |
| Perceptual Speed | 3.0 | |
| Selective Attention | 3.0 |
Transferable skills
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.1 | |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.1 | |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.0 | |
| Coordination | 3.0 | |
| Time Management | 3.0 |
Skills in demand
Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.
Showing the top 40 of 47.
Tools & technology
Showing the top 40 of 70.
Work context
How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.
How to get in
- Job zone
- Zone 4 — Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
- Education
- Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
- Typical entry-level education
- Bachelor's degree · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
- Related experience
- A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
- Preparation level
- SVP (7.0 to < 8.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.
What to study: Engineering , Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians , Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services , Military Technologies and Applied Sciences , Social Sciences . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.
Education of current workers
Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 35.7% | |
| Bachelor's Degree | 30.0% | |
| Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 11.2% | |
| Master's Degree | 11.0% | |
| Some College Courses | 10.6% | |
| Post-Baccalaureate Certificate | 1.5% |
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Conventional | 5.3 | |
| Investigative | 5.2 | |
| Realistic | 4.6 | |
| Artistic | 3.5 |
Interest areas
| Mathematics/Statistics | 4.8 | |
| Information Technology | 4.5 | |
| Engineering | 2.9 | |
| Physical Science | 2.6 | |
| Office Work | 2.5 | |
| Visual Arts | 2.3 | |
| Mechanics/Electronics | 2.2 | |
| Nature/Outdoors | 2.2 | |
| Applied Arts and Design | 2.2 |
Work styles
| Dependability | 4.0 | |
| Attention to Detail | 3.0 | |
| Intellectual Curiosity | 2.1 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $50,500 |
| 25th percentile | $62,860 |
| Median (50th) | $78,380 |
| 75th percentile | $99,650 |
| 90th percentile | $121,440 |
| People employed | 12,790 |
Industries that employ this occupation
Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.
| Industry | Workers | National median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | 4,340 | $71,490 |
| Engineering Services · National industry | 1,260 | $78,030 |
| Utilities · Sector | 760 | $96,000 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector | 460 | $92,510 |
| Information · Sector | 140 | $72,430 |
| Educational Services · Sector | 130 | $69,150 |
| Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction · Sector | 100 | $114,670 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) · Sector | 90 | $68,800 |
| Manufacturing · Sector | 70 | $80,610 |
| Wholesale Trade · Sector | 70 | $73,840 |
| Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities · National industry | 60 | $60,710 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 50 | $55,030 |
Where this work is most concentrated
Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).
| Industry | Concentration | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Utilities · Sector | 15.81× | 760 |
| Engineering Services · National industry | 13.14× | 1,260 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | 4.86× | 4,340 |
| Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction · Sector | 2.1× | 100 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector | 1.97× | 460 |
| Information · Sector | 0.58× | 140 |
| Educational Services · Sector | 0.11× | 130 |
Related occupations
Part of the Construction , Energy & Natural Resources and Public Service & Safety career clusters.
- Surveying and Mapping Technicians · 17-3031.00 Compare →
- Geodetic Surveyors · 17-1022.01 Compare →
- Geographic Information Systems Technologists and Technicians · 15-1299.02 Compare →
- Remote Sensing Technicians · 19-4099.03 Compare →
- Surveyors · 17-1022.00 Compare →
- Geographers · 19-3092.00 Compare →
- Remote Sensing Scientists and Technologists · 19-2099.01 Compare →
- Geological Technicians, Except Hydrologic Technicians · 19-4043.00 Compare →
- Architectural and Civil Drafters · 17-3011.00 Compare →
- Data Scientists · 15-2051.00 Compare →
- Hydrologic Technicians · 19-4044.00 Compare →
- Electrical and Electronics Drafters · 17-3012.00 Compare →
Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.
What you can do with this
Options the data surfaces for Cartographers and Photogrammetrists — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.
Skills that travel
Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.
Adjacent roles
Occupations O*NET rates as related — the nearby moves on the map.
Paths in
How people typically prepare for this work.
- Bachelor's degree · typical entry level
- Job zone 4 — Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed · preparation tier
- Engineering · field of study
- Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians · field of study
Zoom out
On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 82nd percentile of 427 international occupations.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Cartographers and Photogrammetrists show 76th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 1,000 annual U.S. openings
- Cartographers and Photogrammetrists rank in the 76th percentile (High band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated.Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE
- The occupation is projected to see about 1,000 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- BLS projects employment to be about average (+6.4%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $78,380, across about 12,790 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
- Of the AI use actually observed for this work, 20% looks like augmentation (drafting, iterating, checking) rather than hands-off automation — from a Claude.ai usage sample, not a census.2026-01-15-v4-plus-2025-03-27-v2
Copy the whole kit
Cartographers and Photogrammetrists show 76th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 1,000 annual U.S. openings • Cartographers and Photogrammetrists rank in the 76th percentile (High band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE) • The occupation is projected to see about 1,000 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • BLS projects employment to be about average (+6.4%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $78,380, across about 12,790 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) • Of the AI use actually observed for this work, 20% looks like augmentation (drafting, iterating, checking) rather than hands-off automation — from a Claude.ai usage sample, not a census. (2026-01-15-v4-plus-2025-03-27-v2) Source: Singulariki — "Cartographers and Photogrammetrists". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-17-1021-00 Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
AssetsShare imageMethodology & sourcesPress & newsroomThe newsroom
Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
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
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27) Anthropic
- Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
- “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
- AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans academic
- ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025 International Labour Organization
- IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022 Institute for Structural Research (IBS)
- Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation academic
- Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome academic
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Plain
Singulariki. "Cartographers and Photogrammetrists." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-17-1021-00
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Cartographers and Photogrammetrists. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-17-1021-00
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-17-1021-00,
title = {Cartographers and Photogrammetrists},
author = {{Singulariki}},
year = {2026},
note = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
url = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-17-1021-00}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.