# Surveyors

> Make exact measurements and determine property boundaries. Provide data relevant to the shape, contour, gravitation, location, elevation, or dimension of land or land features on or near the earth's surface for engineering, mapmaking, mining, land evaluation, construction, and other purposes.

- **SOC code:** 17-1022.00
- **Canonical URL:** https://singulariki.com/roles/role-17-1022-00
- **Also known as:** County Surveyor, Land Surveyor, Licensed Land Surveyor, Surveyor, City Surveyor, Mine Surveyor, Professional Land Surveyor, Registered Land Surveyor
- **Frame:** "AI exposure" means task overlap (how codifiable the work is), not jobs lost or a forecast. Every figure below is traced to a named public dataset.

## What this work is

**Core tasks** (O*NET):
- Direct or conduct surveys to establish legal boundaries for properties, based on legal deeds and titles.
- Prepare and maintain sketches, maps, reports, and legal descriptions of surveys to describe, certify, and assume liability for work performed.
- Write descriptions of property boundary surveys for use in deeds, leases, or other legal documents.
- Verify the accuracy of survey data, including measurements and calculations conducted at survey sites.
- Search legal records, survey records, and land titles to obtain information about property boundaries in areas to be surveyed.
- Record the results of surveys, including the shape, contour, location, elevation, and dimensions of land or land features.
- Prepare, or supervise preparation of, all data, charts, plots, maps, records, and documents related to surveys.
- Calculate heights, depths, relative positions, property lines, and other characteristics of terrain.
- Compute geodetic measurements and interpret survey data to determine positions, shapes, and elevations of geomorphic and topographic features.
- Plan and conduct ground surveys designed to establish baselines, elevations, and other geodetic measurements.
- Establish fixed points for use in making maps, using geodetic and engineering instruments.
- Determine longitudes and latitudes of important features and boundaries in survey areas, using theodolites, transits, levels, and satellite-based global positioning systems (GPS).

## Skills, tools, capabilities

**Knowledge, skills & abilities** (O*NET, highest importance first):
- Mathematics _(knowledge)_
- Engineering and Technology _(knowledge)_
- Geography _(knowledge)_
- Mathematics _(essential_skill)_
- Written Comprehension _(ability)_
- Deductive Reasoning _(ability)_
- Mathematical Reasoning _(ability)_
- Computers and Electronics _(knowledge)_
- Reading Comprehension _(essential_skill)_
- Written Expression _(ability)_
- Inductive Reasoning _(ability)_
- Near Vision _(ability)_

**Skills in demand:**
- Mathematics _(Common Skill)_
- Geography _(Specialized Skill)_
- Deductive Reasoning _(Common Skill)_
- Reading Comprehension _(Common Skill)_
- Inductive Reasoning _(Common Skill)_
- Writing _(Common Skill)_
- Critical Thinking _(Common Skill)_
- Speech Recognition _(Specialized Skill)_
- Information Ordering _(Specialized Skill)_
- Microsoft Excel _(Common Skill)_
- Active Listening _(Common Skill)_
- English Language _(Common Skill)_

**Tools & technology:**
- Autodesk AutoCAD _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Bentley MicroStation _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Microsoft Excel _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Microsoft Office software _(hot technology, in demand)_
- ESRI ArcGIS software _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Word _(hot technology)_
- Autodesk AutoCAD Land Desktop
- Bentley GeoPak Bridge
- Bentley Systems InRoads Suite
- Cadcorp desktop GIS
- Carlson SurvCADD

## AI exposure & outlook

- **AI task-overlap index:** 58th percentile (Moderate) across all occupations — composite of current-era exposure studies (ai-exposure-index-v1).
- **Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.):** 52nd percentile (Moderate) — source: felten_aioe.
- **LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou):** 73rd percentile (High) — source: eloundou_gamma.
- **AI assistant applicability (Microsoft):** 51st percentile (Moderate) — source: microsoft_applicability.
- **Frey–Osborne (2013, historical computerization estimate):** 43rd percentile — kept separate from current-era studies.
- **Remote-capable (Dingel–Neiman):** no — task structure, not who actually works remote.
- **Projected employment (BLS 2024–34):** 4.4% growth (About average); 3.9k annual openings; 56.1k → 58.6k jobs.
- **Pay & employment (BLS OEWS, May 2024):** median $72,740; 53,080 employed.

## How people actually use AI here

Anthropic Economic Index — measured AI conversations mapped to this occupation's tasks:

- **Automation vs augmentation:** 35% automation, 52% augmentation (usage-weighted).
- **Autonomy median:** 4.0 (higher = AI acts more independently).
- **Dominant collaboration mode:** task iteration.

**Tasks most handed to AI here:**
- Develop criteria for the design and modification of survey instruments. _(0.5% of measured AI use; task iteration)_

**Example prompts (honest phrasings of the tasks above — starting points, not endorsed instructions):**
- Help me develop criteria for the design and modification of survey instruments.

## Sources

- **O*NET** (30.3) — U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development. https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html
- **BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)** (May 2024) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/oes/
- **BLS Employment Projections** (2024–2034) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/emp/
- **Anthropic Economic Index** (v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27)) — Anthropic. https://www.anthropic.com/economic-index
- **Microsoft “Working with AI”** (working-with-ai) — Microsoft Research. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/
- **“GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.)** (arXiv 2303.10130) — OpenAI / academic. https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130
- **AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE)** (Felten, Raj & Seamans) — academic. https://github.com/AIOE-Data/AIOE
- **Frey & Osborne (2013)** (frey-osborne-automation) — academic. https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/publications/the-future-of-employment/
- **Dingel & Neiman (2020)** (dingel-neiman-workathome) — academic. https://github.com/jdingel/DingelNeiman-workathome

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_Generated from Singulariki's joined dataset; data snapshot 2026-06-02T21:00:32.945303+00:00. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-17-1022-00_