People Team AI Ask about a date

How exposed to AI is a Surveying and Mapping Technician?

Of the 30 tasks O*NET lists for surveying and mapping technicians, 3 could be done in half the time with a chat window today. 3 cannot be sped up at all. Here is which.

Exposure means published research judged an AI could halve the time a task takes, at the same quality. It does not mean the task stops needing a person. How to read this

Also called
Aerotriangulation SpecialistGeospatial AnalystMapping EditorMapping TechnicianPhotogrammetric Compilation SpecialistPhotogrammetric TechnicianStereoplotter OperatorSurvey TechnicianTax Map Technician
Reachable today Needs software built first Cannot be sped up
30
tasks rated for this occupation
56k
people do this job in the US
2 of 56
least protected in architecture and engineering

Every task, and what AI can do with it

These are O*NET's task statements for this occupation, exactly as written, sorted into the three bands by the ratings behind this report. Nothing has been reworded.

Reachable with a chat window today

3
  • Compare survey computations with applicable standards to determine adequacy of data
  • Provide assistance in the development of methods and procedures for conducting field surveys
  • 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

Only with software built on top

24
  • 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
  • Identify and compile database information to create requested maps
  • Operate and manage land-information computer systems, performing tasks such as storing data, making inquiries, and producing plots and reports
  • Analyze aerial photographs to detect and interpret significant military, industrial, resource, or topographical data
  • 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
  • Calculate latitudes, longitudes, angles, areas, or other information for mapmaking, using survey field notes or reference tables
  • Compare topographical features or contour lines with images from aerial photographs, old maps, or other reference materials to verify the accuracy of their identification
  • Trace contours or topographic details to generate maps that denote specific land or property locations or geographic attributes
  • Trim, align, and join prints to form photographic mosaics, maintaining scaled distances between reference points
  • Complete detailed source and method notes describing the location of routine or complex land parcels
  • Collect information needed to carry out new surveys, using source maps, previous survey data, photographs, computer records, or other relevant information
  • 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

Cannot be sped up

3
  • Position and hold the vertical rods, or targets, that theodolite operators use for sighting to measure angles, distances, and elevations
  • Adjust and operate surveying instruments such as prisms, theodolites, electronic distance measuring equipment, or electronic data collectors
  • 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
What this does not say

This is not a prediction about your job

Nobody surveyed an employer. Tasks are counted equally, so a percentage here is a share of the list rather than a share of your week. And the ratings were made in 2023, which makes every figure a floor rather than a ceiling.

It must never be used to select anyone for redundancy. The full limits are here.

Where to go next

This is the standard task list for the title. The useful next question is which of the tasks you actually do should go near AI, and which should not.

Sort your own tasks Read the full report

Exposure ratings from Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin and Rock, GPTs are GPTs: Labor market impact potential of LLMs, Science 384, 1306–1308, 2024, used under the MIT licence. This page includes information from the O*NET Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. People Team AI has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Employment figures from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.