Career Overview
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 Known As
- Mapping Technician
- Photogrammetric Compilation Specialist
- Photogrammetric Technician
- Survey Technician
Alternate Job Titles
- Aerial Photograph Interpreter
- Aerotriangulation Specialist
- Assessment Technician
- Ax Survey Worker
- CAD Technician (Computer Aided Design Technician)
- Cartographic Aide
- Cartographic Drafter
- Cartographic Technician
- Cartography Technician
- Chain Carrier
- Chainman
- Compass Operator
- Drafting Technician
- Draftsman
- Engineering Assistant
What You'll Do
In this role, your typical responsibilities include:
- Position and hold the vertical rods, or targets, that theodolite operators use for sighting to measure angles, distances, and elevations.
- Check all layers of maps to ensure accuracy, identifying and marking errors and making corrections.
- Design or develop information databases that include geographic or topographic data.
- Monitor mapping work or the updating of maps to ensure accuracy, inclusion of new or changed information, or compliance with rules and regulations.
- Produce or update overlay maps to show information boundaries, water locations, or topographic features on various base maps or at different scales.
- Determine scales, line sizes, or colors to be used for hard copies of computerized maps, using plotters.
- Compile information necessary to stake projects for construction, using engineering plans.
Emerging Responsibilities
As this field evolves, you may also:
- Use drone technology to capture aerial images or videos for creating detailed and accurate maps.
Knowledge You'll Use
You'll need solid knowledge in these areas:
- Computers and Electronics
- Geography
- Mathematics
- English Language
Essential Skills
Success in this career requires strong skills in:
- Reading Comprehension
Key Abilities
This career requires key abilities in:
- Written Comprehension
- Near Vision
- Oral Comprehension
- Oral Expression
- Inductive Reasoning
- Written Expression
- Problem Sensitivity
- Deductive Reasoning
- Information Ordering
- Flexibility of Closure
Work Style
People who excel in this career typically demonstrate:
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Cautiousness
- Integrity
- Achievement Orientation
What Matters in This Career
This career tends to satisfy these work values:
- Support
- Independence
- Relationships
- Working Conditions
- Achievement
Technology You'll Use
Popular Technologies & Software
- Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe Photoshop
- Autodesk AutoCAD
- Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D
- Bentley MicroStation
- ESRI ArcGIS software
- Hypertext markup language HTML
- JavaScript
- Microsoft Access
- Microsoft Excel
Tools & Equipment
- 3D laser scanning systems
- Alidades
- Automatic optical pendulum leveling systems
- Axes
- Barometers
- Chain saws
- Clinometers
- Community base station global positioning systems GPS
- Desktop computers
- Digital cameras
- Digitizers
- Distance meters
- Drafting compasses
- Drafting kits
- Drafting templates
Work Environment
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Telephone Conversations
- Freedom to Make Decisions
Salary & Job Market
| Salary Percentile | Annual Wage |
|---|---|
| Entry-Level (10th percentile) | $36,910 |
| Median | $51,940 |
| Top Earners (90th percentile) | $80,870 |
Workers Employed Nationally: 56,720
Related Careers
If you're interested in this career, you might also consider:
Cartographers and Photogrammetrists
Education: Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)
Median Salary: $78,380
Geodetic Surveyors
Education: Bachelor's Degree
Median Salary: $72,740
Geographic Information Systems Technologists and Technicians
Education: Not specified
Median Salary: $108,970
Surveyors
Education: Bachelor's Degree
Median Salary: $72,740
Geological Technicians, Except Hydrologic Technicians
Education: Not specified
Median Salary: $48,390
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Occupational data sourced from the O*NET OnLine database, developed by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2024.