Surveying and Mapping Technicians

Summary

Surveying and mapping technicians are needed to help surveyors keep boundary lines clear in construction.

Quick Facts: Surveying and Mapping Technicians
2010 Median Pay	$37,900 per year $18.22 per hour
Entry-Level Education	High school diploma or equivalent
Work Experience in a Related Occupation	None
On-the-job Training	Moderate-term on-the-job training
Number of Jobs, 2010	56,900
Job Outlook, 2010-20	16% (About as fast as average)
Employment Change, 2010-20	9,000

What Surveying and Mapping Technicians Do

Surveying and mapping technicians assist surveyors and cartographers in collecting data and making maps of the earth’s surface. Surveying technicians visit sites to take measurements of the land. Mapping technicians use geographic data to create maps.

Work Environment

Surveying technicians work outside extensively and can be exposed to all types of weather. Mapping technicians work primarily indoors on computers. Most surveying and mapping technicians work for firms that provide engineering, surveying, and mapping services on a contract basis. State and local governments also employ these workers in highway and planning departments.

How to Become a Surveying or Mapping Technician

Surveying technicians usually need a high school diploma. However, mapping technicians often need formal education after high school to study advances in geographic information system (GIS) technology.

Pay

The median annual wage of surveying and mapping technicians was $37,900 in May 2010. 

Job Outlook

Employment of surveying and mapping technicians is expected to grow 16 percent from 2010 to 2020, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Recent advancements in mapping technology have led to new uses for maps and a need for more of the data used to build maps. 

Similar Occupations

Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of surveying and mapping technicians with similar occupations.

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Contacts for More Information

Learn more about surveying and mapping technicians by contacting these additional resources.

What Surveying and Mapping Technicians Do About this section

Surveying technicians assist surveyors in taking accurate measurements outdoors.

Surveying and mapping technicians assist surveyors, cartographers, and photogrammetrists. Together, they collect data and make maps of the earth’s surface. Surveying technicians visit sites to take measurements of the land. Mapping technicians use geographic data to create maps.

Duties

Surveying technicians typically do the following:

• Operate surveying instruments, such as electronic distance-measuring equipment, to collect data on a location
• Visit sites to record survey measurements and other descriptive data
• Search for previous survey points, such as old stone markers
• Set out stakes and marks to conduct the survey, and then retrieve them
• Enter the data from surveying instruments into computers, either in the field or in an office

Surveying technicians assist surveyors in the field on teams, known as survey parties. Then, in the office, they help to process the data collected in the field. A typical survey party consists of a party chief and one or more surveying technicians and helpers. The party chief, either a surveyor or a senior surveying technician, leads day-to-day work activities.

Mapping technicians typically do the following:

• Select needed information from relevant databases to create maps
• Produce maps showing boundaries, water locations, elevation, and other features of the terrain
• Update maps to ensure accuracy
• Assist photogrammetrists by laying out aerial photographs in sequence to identify areas not captured by aerial photography

Mapping technicians help cartographers and photogrammetrists produce and upgrade maps. They do this work on computers, combining data from different sources.

Geographic information specialists are mapping specialists who use geographic information system (GIS) technology to assemble, integrate, and display data about a particular location in a digital format. They also use GIS technology to compile information from a variety of sources.

Work Environment About this section

Surveying technicians work wherever they are needed to help the surveyors.

Surveying and mapping technicians held about 56,900 jobs in 2010. As shown in the tabulation below, most surveying and mapping technicians were employed in agricultural and engineering services in 2010: 

About 5 percent of surveying and mapping technicians were self-employed in 2010.

Most surveying and mapping technicians work for firms that provide engineering, surveying, and mapping services on a contract basis. State and local governments also employ these workers in highway and planning departments.

Surveying technicians work outside extensively and can be exposed to all types of weather. They often stand for long periods, walk considerable distances, and may have to climb hills with heavy packs of instruments and other equipment. Traveling is sometimes part of the job, and surveying technicians may commute long distances, stay away from home overnight, or temporarily relocate near a survey site.

Mapping technicians work primarily indoors on computers. However, mapping technicians must sometimes conduct research by using resources such as survey maps and legal documents to verify property lines and to obtain information needed for mapping. This task may require traveling to storage sites housing these legal documents, such as county courthouses or lawyers’ offices.

Work Schedules

Surveying and mapping technicians typically work full time but may have longer hours during the summer, when weather and light conditions are most suitable for fieldwork. Construction-related work may be limited during times of harsh weather.

How to Become a Surveying or Mapping Technician About this section

Learning to master the equipment is a big part of the training for surveying and mapping technicians.

Surveying technicians usually need only a high school diploma. However, mapping technicians often need formal education after high school to study advances in technology such as GIS.  

Education

Surveying technicians generally need a high school diploma, but some have postsecondary training in survey technology. Postsecondary training is more common among mapping technicians. An associate’s degree or bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, such as geomatics, is beneficial for these workers.

High school students interested in working as a surveying or mapping technician should take courses in algebra, geometry, trigonometry, drafting, mechanical drawing, and computer science. Knowledge of these subjects will help in finding a job and in advancing.

Important Qualities

Decision-making skills. As assistants to surveyors and cartographers, surveying technicians must be able to exercise some independent judgment in the field because they may be working away from team members and need to meet tight deadlines.

Listening skills. Surveying technicians work outdoors and must communicate with party chiefs and other team members across distances. Following spoken instructions from the party chief is crucial for saving time and preventing errors.

Stamina. Surveying technicians usually work outdoors, often in rugged terrain. Physical fitness is necessary to carry equipment and to stand most of the day.

Teamwork. Survey and mapmaking technicians work as part of a team, so they must be able to work well with other people.

Technical skills. Surveying and mapping technicians need to operate specialized equipment. They must be precise and accurate in their work. 

Troubleshooting skills. Surveying and mapping technicians must be able to identify and fix problems with their equipment. Also, because party chiefs rely on them, they must note potential problems with the day’s work plan.

Training

Surveying technicians learn their job duties under the supervision of a surveyor or a surveying party chief. Initially, surveying technicians handle simple tasks, such as placing markers on land and entering data into computers. With experience, they help to decide where and how to measure the land. Eventually, technicians can get an apprenticeship or an associate’s degree so that they can develop skills based on math, drafting, and technical drawing.

Certification

Certification is becoming more common because of the growing need to make sure that data are of sufficient quality to be useful to other professionals. The American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) offers certification for photogrammetric technologists, remote-sensing technologists, and geographic information system/land information system (GIS/LIS) technologists. The National Society of Professional Surveyors offers the Certified Survey Technician credential.

Advancement

With experience and formal training in surveying, surveying technicians may advance to senior survey technician, then to party chief. Depending on state licensing requirements, they can become licensed surveyors.

Pay About this section

The median annual wage of surveying and mapping technicians was $37,900 in May 2010. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $23,450, and the top 10 percent earned more than $60,870. Approximately 18 percent belonged to a union.

Surveying and mapping technicians typically work regular schedules but may have longer hours during the summer, when weather and light conditions are most suitable for fieldwork. Construction-related work may be limited during times of harsh weather.

Job Outlook About this section

Employment of surveying and mapping technicians is expected to grow 16 percent from 2010 to 2020, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Recent advancements in mapping technology have led to new uses for maps and a need for more of the data used to build maps. As a result, surveying and mapping technicians should have more work.

The digital revolution in mapmaking has created a need to harmonize property maps made the traditional way, with maps based on data fed into a GIS. Owners of private property will need to hire surveyors and surveying technicians to gather data in the field.

Cities, towns, and counties are finding that the data gathered by surveying and mapping technicians are crucial in implementing systems integration, the process of putting onto one map all the information about wires, pipes, and other underground infrastructure. That way, a city, town, or county can upgrade the entire infrastructure a street at the same time, resulting in savings for the local government.

The prevalence of smart phones and other mobile devices with Global Positioning System (GPS) technology has greatly increased the use of maps for finding businesses and other destinations. Surveying and mapping technicians will be needed to provide the data for these maps and to ensure that they are accurate.

Contacts for More Information About this section

For more information about surveying technicians, visit

American Congress on Surveying and Mapping

For information about career opportunities, licensure requirements, and the surveying technician certification program, visit

National Society of Professional Surveyors

For more information about photogrammetric technicians and geographic information system specialists, visit

American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing