Geographic Information Systems Technologists and Technicians
Assist scientists or related professionals in building, maintaining, modifying, or using geographic information systems (GIS) databases. May also perform some custom application development or provide user support.
$116,580 a year (for the broader BLS group this job sits in).
of the working time. Estimate.
- 99%
- 1%
- 0%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 17%. Today's estimate: 26%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 29 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Produce data layers, maps, tables, or reports, using spatial analysis procedures or Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology, equipment, or systems.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 12% | 3.3 h50 min to 6.7 h | 32%Half by Jan 2027 | |
| Design or coordinate the development of integrated Geographic Information Systems (GIS) spatial or non-spatial databases.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 12% | 1.7 work days3.3 h to 1 work week | 2%Half by Apr 2028 | |
| Design, program, or model Geographic Information Systems (GIS) applications or procedures.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 10% | 1 work day3.3 h to 4.2 work days | 5%Half by Oct 2027 | |
| Develop specialized computer software routines, internet-based Geographic Information Systems (GIS) databases, or business applications to customize geographic information.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 9% | 1.3 work days3.3 h to 1 work week | 3%Half by Jan 2028 | |
| Maintain or modify existing Geographic Information Systems (GIS) databases.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 2.1 h50 min to 5 h | 65%Half by now | |
| Perform computer programming, data analysis, or software development for Geographic Information Systems (GIS) applications, including the maintenance of existing systems or research and development for future enhancements.Done more than weekly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 6% | 6.7 h1.7 h to 3.3 work days | 7%Half by Nov 2027 | |
| Perform geospatial data building, modeling, or analysis, using advanced spatial analysis, data manipulation, or cartography software.Done more than weekly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 5% | 4.2 h1.7 h to 2.1 work days | 20%Half by Apr 2027 | |
| Enter data into Geographic Information Systems (GIS) databases, using techniques such as coordinate geometry, keyboard entry of tabular data, manual digitizing of maps, scanning or automatic conversion to vectors, or conversion of other sources of digital data.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 4% | 2.5 h25 min to 6.7 h | 29%Half by Mar 2027 | |
| Apply three-dimensional (3D) or four-dimensional (4D) technologies to geospatial data to allow for new or different analyses or applications.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 4% | 6.7 h3.3 h to 2.1 work days | 10%Half by May 2027 | |
| Create, analyze, report, convert, or transfer data, using specialized applications program software.Done daily by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 4% | 2.1 h50 min to 4.2 h | 72%Half by now | |
| Design or prepare graphic representations of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data, using GIS hardware or software applications.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | 46%Half by Oct 2026 | |
| Perform integrated or computerized Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analyses to address scientific problems.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 3% | 6.7 h1.7 h to 3.1 work days | 7%Half by Nov 2027 |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025). Counts are for the broader BLS group this job sits in.
- Federal Executive Branch86,390 people
- Computer Systems Design and Related Services76,660 people
- Management of Companies and Enterprises25,080 people
- Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services16,520 people
- Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services15,100 people
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025). Counts are for the broader BLS group this job sits in.