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 →Surveying and Mapping Technicians
Occupation · SOC 17-3031.00
Perform surveying and mapping duties, usually under the direction of an engineer, surveyor, cartographer, or photogrammetrist, to obtain data used for construction, mapmaking, boundary location, mining, or other purposes. May calculate mapmaking information and create maps from source data, such as surveying notes, aerial photography, satellite data, or other maps to show topographical features, political boundaries, and other features. May verify accuracy and completeness of maps.
Also called: Mapping Technician · Photogrammetric Compilation Specialist · Photogrammetric Technician · Survey Technician · Aerotriangulation Specialist · Geospatial Analyst · Mapping Editor · Stereoplotter Operator · Tax Map Technician · Aerial Photograph Interpreter · Assessment Technician · Ax Survey Worker
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-17-3031-00/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.
Market signal
Independent published positions, read together — not a forecast.
- About average employment outlook (+4.5% by 2034)
- 7,600 openings/yr
- High AI exposure
- Median pay $51,940/yr
- Can largely be done remotely (teleworkable)
- Both the 2013 computerization estimate and today's AI exposure rank this high
68th-percentile task overlap — yet about 7,600 openings a year (+4.5% projected, BLS) . 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.) Moderate | 50th | 0.1 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) High | 81st | 0.9 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) High | 72nd | 0.2 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.1), with simple added tooling (β 0.5), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.9). 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 1.0 · 91st 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.
| Check all layers of maps to ensure accuracy, identifying and marking errors and making corrections. | 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 · +4.5% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 7,600 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 59,400 → 62,100 |
“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.
Surveying and Mapping Technicians sits at the 52nd percentile of 427
occupations on the global GenAI task-exposure gradient
— exposure eased from 2023 to 2025. Each dot is one occupation; the
ringed one is this work. Exposure is task overlap, not automation or jobs lost.
28% mean task exposure (2025)
52nd percentile of 427 placed occupations
−3 pts shift 2023 → 2025
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Civil Engineering Technicians · 3112 | 28% | Not exposed |
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.
Tasks
All 30 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Position and hold the vertical rods, or targets, that theodolite operators use for sighting to measure angles, distances, and elevations. Core · importance 4.3
- Check all layers of maps to ensure accuracy, identifying and marking errors and making corrections. Core · importance 4.3
- Design or develop information databases that include geographic or topographic data. Core · importance 4.2
- Monitor mapping work or the updating of maps to ensure accuracy, inclusion of new or changed information, or compliance with rules and regulations. Core · importance 4.2
- Produce or update overlay maps to show information boundaries, water locations, or topographic features on various base maps or at different scales. Core · importance 4.1
- Determine scales, line sizes, or colors to be used for hard copies of computerized maps, using plotters. Core · importance 4.1
- Compile information necessary to stake projects for construction, using engineering plans. Core · importance 4.0
- Identify and compile database information to create requested maps. Core · importance 4.0
- Operate and manage land-information computer systems, performing tasks such as storing data, making inquiries, and producing plots and reports. Core · importance 4.0
- Compare survey computations with applicable standards to determine adequacy of data. Core · importance 4.0
- Analyze aerial photographs to detect and interpret significant military, industrial, resource, or topographical data. Core · importance 3.9
- Answer questions and provide information to the public or to staff members regarding assessment maps, surveys, boundaries, easements, property ownership, roads, zoning, or similar matters. Supplemental · importance 3.8
- Research and combine existing property information to describe property boundaries in relation to adjacent properties, taking into account parcel splits, combinations, or land boundary adjustments. Core · importance 3.8
- Calculate latitudes, longitudes, angles, areas, or other information for mapmaking, using survey field notes or reference tables. Core · importance 3.7
- Compare topographical features or contour lines with images from aerial photographs, old maps, or other reference materials to verify the accuracy of their identification. Core · importance 3.7
- Trace contours or topographic details to generate maps that denote specific land or property locations or geographic attributes. Core · importance 3.7
- Provide assistance in the development of methods and procedures for conducting field surveys. Core · importance 3.5
- Trim, align, and join prints to form photographic mosaics, maintaining scaled distances between reference points. Core · importance 3.5
- Complete detailed source and method notes describing the location of routine or complex land parcels. Supplemental · importance 3.4
- Adjust and operate surveying instruments such as prisms, theodolites, electronic distance measuring equipment, or electronic data collectors.
- Collect information needed to carry out new surveys, using source maps, previous survey data, photographs, computer records, or other relevant information.
- Conduct surveys to ascertain the locations of natural features and man-made structures on the Earth's surface, underground, and underwater, using electronic distance-measuring equipment, such as GPS, and other surveying instruments.
- Enter Global Positioning System (GPS) data, legal deeds, field notes, or land survey reports into geographic information system (GIS) workstations so that information can be transformed into graphic land descriptions, such as maps and drawings.
- Perform calculations to determine earth curvature corrections, atmospheric impacts on measurements, traverse closures or adjustments, azimuths, level runs, or placement of markers.
- Prepare cost estimates for mapping projects.
- Prepare topographic or contour maps of land surveyed, including site features and other relevant information, such as charts, drawings, and survey notes.
- Record survey measurements or descriptive data, using notes, drawings, sketches, or inked tracings.
- Search for section corners, property irons, or survey points.
- Set out and recover stakes, marks, or other monumentation.
- Supervise or coordinate activities of workers engaged in surveying, plotting data, drafting maps, or producing blueprints, photostats, or photographs.
Emerging tasks
Newer responsibilities O*NET has flagged as growing for this occupation.
- Use drone technology to capture aerial images or videos for creating detailed and accurate maps.
Work activities
- Survey land or bodies of water to measure or determine features.
- Evaluate designs or specifications to ensure quality.
- Develop software or computer applications.
- Monitor processes for compliance with standards.
- Create maps.
- Gather physical survey data.
- Operate computer systems.
- Verify mathematical calculations.
- Calculate geographic positions from survey data.
- Assist engineers or scientists with research.
- Prepare maps.
- Explain project details to the general public.
- Document technical design details.
- Survey land or properties.
- Create graphical representations of structures or landscapes.
- Enter codes or other information into computers.
- Estimate costs for projects or productions.
- Determine geographic coordinates.
- Supervise engineering or other technical personnel.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Knowledge
| Computers and Electronics | 4.2 | |
| Geography | 3.9 | |
| Mathematics | 3.7 | |
| English Language | 3.6 | |
| Engineering and Technology | 3.5 | |
| Design | 3.3 | |
| Customer and Personal Service | 3.2 | |
| Administrative | 2.9 |
Essential skills
| Reading Comprehension | 3.9 | |
| Critical Thinking | 3.4 | |
| Writing | 3.3 | |
| Mathematics | 3.3 | |
| Active Listening | 3.1 | |
| Speaking | 3.1 | |
| Monitoring | 3.1 | |
| Active Learning | 3.0 |
Abilities
| Written Comprehension | 3.8 | |
| Near Vision | 3.5 | |
| Oral Comprehension | 3.4 | |
| Oral Expression | 3.4 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.4 | |
| Written Expression | 3.3 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.3 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.3 | |
| Information Ordering | 3.3 | |
| Category Flexibility | 3.1 | |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.1 | |
| Far Vision | 3.1 | |
| Speech Recognition | 3.1 | |
| Speech Clarity | 3.1 | |
| Fluency of Ideas | 3.0 | |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 2.9 | |
| Perceptual Speed | 2.9 |
Transferable skills
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.1 | |
| Coordination | 3.0 | |
| Social Perceptiveness | 2.9 | |
| Persuasion | 2.9 | |
| Service Orientation | 2.9 | |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 2.9 | |
| Time Management | 2.9 |
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 45.
Tools & technology
Showing the top 40 of 101.
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 3 — Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
- Education
- Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
- Typical entry-level education
- High school diploma or equivalent · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
- Related experience
- Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
- Preparation level
- SVP (6.0 to < 7.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.
What to study: Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians , Social Sciences . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Realistic | 5.9 | |
| Conventional | 5.6 | |
| Investigative | 4.0 | |
| Artistic | 1.9 |
Interest areas
| Engineering | 3.8 | |
| Mathematics/Statistics | 3.5 | |
| Information Technology | 3.4 | |
| Nature/Outdoors | 2.8 | |
| Mechanics/Electronics | 2.7 | |
| Physical/Manual Labor | 2.3 | |
| Office Work | 2.1 | |
| Physical Science | 2.0 | |
| Transportation/Machine Operation | 1.8 | |
| Construction/Woodwork | 1.8 |
Work styles
| Attention to Detail | 2.7 | |
| Dependability | 2.3 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $36,910 |
| 25th percentile | $44,180 |
| Median (50th) | $51,940 |
| 75th percentile | $65,240 |
| 90th percentile | $80,870 |
| People employed | 56,720 |
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 | 38,010 | $49,260 |
| Engineering Services · National industry | 16,770 | $55,670 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 4,690 | $47,170 |
| Utilities · Sector | 2,230 | $76,970 |
| Construction · Sector | 2,060 | $55,940 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector | 540 | $74,210 |
| Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction · Sector | 430 | $61,690 |
| Information · Sector | 430 | $51,100 |
| Power and Communication Line and Related Structures Construction · National industry | 320 | $60,060 |
| Electrical Contractors and Other Wiring Installation Contractors · National industry | 270 | $54,970 |
| Manufacturing · Sector | 180 | $49,010 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 180 | $50,440 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering Services · National industry | 39.43× | 16,770 |
| Utilities · Sector | 10.46× | 2,230 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | 9.59× | 38,010 |
| Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities · National industry | 6.26× | 140 |
| Power and Communication Line and Related Structures Construction · National industry | 3.72× | 320 |
| Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction · Sector | 2.04× | 430 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 1.41× | 4,690 |
| Construction · Sector | 0.69× | 2,060 |
Related occupations
Part of the Energy & Natural Resources career cluster.
- Cartographers and Photogrammetrists · 17-1021.00 Compare →
- Geodetic Surveyors · 17-1022.01 Compare →
- Geographic Information Systems Technologists and Technicians · 15-1299.02 Compare →
- Surveyors · 17-1022.00 Compare →
- Geological Technicians, Except Hydrologic Technicians · 19-4043.00 Compare →
- Architectural and Civil Drafters · 17-3011.00 Compare →
- Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians · 17-3022.00 Compare →
- Remote Sensing Technicians · 19-4099.03 Compare →
- Remote Sensing Scientists and Technologists · 19-2099.01 Compare →
- Geographers · 19-3092.00 Compare →
- Hydrologic Technicians · 19-4044.00 Compare →
- Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers · 19-2042.00 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 Surveying and Mapping Technicians — 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.
- High school diploma or equivalent · typical entry level
- Job zone 3 — Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed · preparation tier
- Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians · field of study
- Social Sciences · field of study
Zoom out
On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 52nd percentile of 427 international occupations.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Surveying and Mapping Technicians show 68th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 7,600 annual U.S. openings
- Surveying and Mapping Technicians rank in the 68th 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 7,600 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 (+4.5%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $51,940, across about 56,720 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
Copy the whole kit
Surveying and Mapping Technicians show 68th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 7,600 annual U.S. openings • Surveying and Mapping Technicians rank in the 68th 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 7,600 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 (+4.5%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $51,940, across about 56,720 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) Source: Singulariki — "Surveying and Mapping Technicians". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-17-3031-00 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. "Surveying and Mapping Technicians." 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-17-3031-00
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Surveying and Mapping Technicians. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-17-3031-00
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-17-3031-00,
title = {Surveying and Mapping Technicians},
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-17-3031-00}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.