Surveying and Mapping Technicians
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.
58,010 people do this job in the US. $54,240 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 70%
- 0%
- 30%
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, 29%. Today's estimate: 39%.
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 . 30 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.Done daily by most who do it. | 14% | 6.7 h1.7 h to 1.7 work days | Stays with people | |
| Design or develop information databases that include geographic or topographic data.Done daily by most who do it. | 10% | 1.3 work days3.3 h to 4.2 work days | 4%Half by Dec 2027 | |
| Prepare topographic or contour maps of land surveyed, including site features and other relevant information, such as charts, drawings, and survey notes.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 4.2 h1.7 h to 1.3 work days | 27%Half by Jan 2027 | |
| Analyze aerial photographs to detect and interpret significant military, industrial, resource, or topographical data.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 5% | 4.2 h1.7 h to 1.3 work days | 27%Half by Jan 2027 | |
| 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.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 1.7 h33 min to 4.2 h | 67%Half by now | |
| Trace contours or topographic details to generate maps that denote specific land or property locations or geographic attributes.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 5% | 3.3 h1.3 h to 1 work day | 36%Half by Dec 2026 | |
| 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.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 2.5 h1.3 h to 6.7 h | 59%Half by now | |
| Provide assistance in the development of methods and procedures for conducting field surveys.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | 46%Half by Oct 2026 | |
| Supervise or coordinate activities of workers engaged in surveying, plotting data, drafting maps, or producing blueprints, photostats, or photographs.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 1.7 h50 min to 5 h | Stays with people | |
| Check all layers of maps to ensure accuracy, identifying and marking errors and making corrections.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 1.7 h25 min to 3.3 h | 65%Half by now | |
| Complete detailed source and method notes describing the location of routine or complex land parcels.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 1.7 h50 min to 3.3 h | 90%Half by now | |
| Monitor mapping work or the updating of maps to ensure accuracy, inclusion of new or changed information, or compliance with rules and regulations.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | 77%Half by now |
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.
- Cartographers and Photogrammetrists20% now, 98% by 2028
- Geodetic Surveyors34% now, 70% by 2028
- Geographic Information Systems Technologists and Technicians26% now, 95% by 2028
- Surveyors12% now, 57% by 2028
- Geological Technicians, Except Hydrologic Technicians13% now, 41% by 2028
- Architectural and Civil Drafters22% now, 87% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).