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Surveyors, Cartographers,Photogrammetrists, and Surveyingand Mapping Technicians
(O*NET 17-1021.00, 17-1022.00, 17-3031.00, 17-3031.01,17-3031.02)
Signifcant Points
About 7 out o 10 jobs were in architectural, engineer-ing, and related services.Opportunities will be best or surveyors, cartogra-phers, and photogrammetrists who have a bachelor’sdegree and strong technical skills.Overall employment o surveyors, cartographers, pho-togrammetrists, and surveying technicians is expectedto grow much aster than the average or all occupa-tions through the year 2016.
Nature o the Work
Surveyors, cartographers, and photogrammetrists are responsi-ble or measuring and mapping the Earth’s surace.
Surveyors
establish ocial land, airspace, and water boundaries. Theywrite descriptions o land or deeds, leases, and other legal doc-uments; dene airspace or airports; and take measurements o construction and mineral sites. Other surveyors provide dataabout the shape, contour, location, elevation, or dimension o land or land eatures.
Cartographers and photogrammetrists
collect, analyze, interpret, and map geographic inormationrom surveys and rom data and photographs collected usingairplanes and satellites.
Surveying and mapping technicians
as-sist these proessionals by collecting data in the eld, makingcalculations, and helping with computer-aided drating. Col-lectively, these occupations play key roles in the eld o geo-spatial inormation.Surveyors measure distances, directions, and angles betweenpoints and elevations o points, lines, and contours on, above,and below the Earth’s surace. In the eld, they select knownsurvey reerence points and determine the precise location o important eatures in the survey area using specialized equip-ment. Surveyors also research legal records, look or evidenceo previous boundaries, and analyze data to determine the loca-tion o boundary lines. They are sometimes called to provideexpert testimony in court about their work. Surveyors also re-cord their results, veriy the accuracy o data, and prepare plots,maps, and reports.Some surveyors perorm specialized unctions closer to thoseo cartographers and photogrammetrists than to those o tradi-tional surveyors. For example,
geodetic surveyors
use high-ac-curacy techniques, including satellite observations, to measurelarge areas o the earth’s surace.
Geophysical prospecting sur-veyors
mark sites or subsurace exploration, usually to look orpetroleum.
 Marine or hydrographic surveyors
survey harbors,rivers, and other bodies o water to determine shorelines, thetopography o the bottom, water depth, and other eatures.Surveyors use the Global Positioning System (GPS) to locatereerence points with a high degree o precision. To use thissystem, a surveyor places a satellite signal receiver—a small in-strument mounted on a tripod—on a desired point, and another
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receiver on a point or which the geographic position is known.The receiver simultaneously collects inormation rom severalsatellites to establish a precise position. The receiver also canbe placed in a vehicle or tracing out road systems. Because re-ceivers now come in dierent sizes and shapes, and because thecost o receivers has allen, much more surveying work can bedone with GPS. Surveyors then interpret and check the resultsproduced by the new technology.Field measurements are oten taken by a survey party thatgathers the inormation needed by the surveyor. A typical sur-vey party consists o a party chie and one or more surveyingtechnicians and helpers. The party chie, who may be eithera surveyor or a senior surveying technician, leads day-to-daywork activities. Surveying technicians assist the party chie byadjusting and operating surveying instruments, such as the totalstation, which measures and records angles and distances si-multaneously. Surveying technicians or assistants position andhold the vertical rods, or targets, that the operator sights on tomeasure angles, distances, or elevations. They may hold mea-suring tapes i electronic distance-measuring equipment is notused. Surveying technicians compile notes, make sketches, andenter the data obtained rom surveying instruments into com-puters either in the eld or at the oce. Survey parties alsomay include laborers or helpers who perorm less-skilled du-ties, such as clearing brush rom sight lines, driving stakes, orcarrying equipment.Photogrammetrists and cartographers measure, map, andchart the Earth’s surace. Their work involves everything romperorming geographical research and compiling data to pro-ducing maps. They collect, analyze, and interpret both spatialdata—such as latitude, longitude, elevation, and distance—andnonspatial data—or example, population density, land-usepatterns, annual precipitation levels, and demographic charac-teristics. Their maps may give both physical and social char-acteristics o the land. They prepare maps in either digital orgraphic orm, using inormation provided by geodetic surveysand remote sensing systems including aerial cameras, satellites,and LIDAR.LIDAR—light-imaging detection and ranging—uses lasersattached to planes and other equipment to digitally map the to-pography o the Earth. It is oten more accurate than traditionalsurveying methods and also can be used to collect other ormso data, such as the location and density o orests. Data devel-oped by LIDAR can be used by surveyors, cartographers, andphotogrammetrists to provide spatial inormation to specialistsin geology, seismology, orestry, and construction, and otherelds.Geographic Inormation Systems (GIS) have become an in-tegral tool or surveyors, cartographers and photogrammetrists,and surveying and mapping technicians. Workers use GIS toassemble, integrate, analyze, and display data about location ina digital ormat. They also use GIS to compile inormationrom a variety o sources. GIS typically are used to make mapswhich combine inormation useul or environmental studies,geology, engineering, planning, business marketing, and otherdisciplines. As more o these systems are developed, manymapping specialists are being called
geographic informationspecialists
.
Work environment.
Surveyors and surveying techniciansusually work an 8-hour day, 5 days a week and may spend a loto time outdoors. Sometimes, they work longer hours duringthe summer, when weather and light conditions are most suit-
 
Surveyors, Cartographers, Photogrammetrists, and Surveying and Mapping Technicians 2able or eldwork. Construction-related work may be limitedduring times o inclement weather.Surveyors and technicians engage in active, sometimes stren-uous, work. They oten stand or long periods, walk consider-able distances, and climb hills with heavy packs o instrumentsand other equipment. They also can be exposed to all types o weather. Traveling is sometimes part o the job, and land sur-veyors and technicians may commute long distances, stay awayrom home overnight, or temporarily relocate near a survey site.Surveyors also work indoors while planning surveys, searchingcourt records or deed inormation, analyzing data, and prepar-ing reports and maps.Cartographers and photogrammetrists spend most o theirtime in oces using computers. However, certain jobs mayrequire extensive eld work to veriy results and acquire data.
Training, Other Qualifcations, and Advancement
Most surveyors, cartographers, and photogrammetrists have abachelor’s degree in surveying or a related eld. Every Staterequires that surveyors be licensed.
 Education and training.
In the past, many people with littleormal training started as members o survey crews and workedtheir way up to become licensed surveyors, but this has becomeincreasingly dicult to do. Now, most surveyors need a bach-elor’s degree. A number o universities oer bachelor’s degreeprograms in surveying, and many community colleges, techni-cal institutes, and vocational schools oer 1-, 2-, and 3-yearprograms in surveying or surveying technology.Cartographers and photogrammetrists usually have a bache-lor’s degree in cartography, geography, surveying, engineering,orestry, computer science, or a physical science, although aew enter these positions ater working as technicians. Withthe development o GIS, cartographers and photogrammetristsneed more education and stronger technical skills—includingmore experience with computers—than in the past.Most cartographic and photogrammetric technicians also havespecialized postsecondary education. High school students in-terested in surveying and cartography should take courses inalgebra, geometry, trigonometry, drating, mechanical drawing,and computer science.
 Licensure.
All 50 States and all U.S. territories license sur-veyors. For licensure, most State licensing boards require thatindividuals pass a written examination given by the NationalCouncil o Examiners or Engineering and Surveying (NCEES).Most States also require surveyors to pass a written examina-tion prepared by the State licensing board.Licensing happens in stages. Ater passing a rst exam, theFundamentals o Surveying, most candidates work under thesupervision o an experienced surveyor or 4 years and thenor licensure take a second exam, the Principles and Practiceo Surveyors.Specic requirements or training and education vary amongthe States. An increasing number o States require a bache-lor’s degree in surveying or in a closely related eld, such ascivil engineering or orestry, regardless o the number o yearso experience. Some States require the degree to be rom aschool accredited by the Accreditation Board or Engineeringand Technology. Many States also have a continuing educationrequirement.Additionally a number o States require cartographers andphotogrammetrists to be licensed as surveyors, and some Stateshave specic licenses or photogrammetrists.
Other qualifcations.
Surveyors, cartographers, and pho-togrammetrists should be able to visualize objects, distances,sizes, and abstract orms. They must work with precision andaccuracy because mistakes can be costly.Members o a survey party must be in good physical con-dition because they work outdoors and oten carry equipmentover dicult terrain. They need good eyesight, coordination,and hearing to communicate verbally and using hand signals.Surveying is a cooperative operation, so good interpersonalskills and the ability to work as part o a team is important.Good oce skills also are essential because surveyors must beable to research old deeds and other legal papers and preparereports that document their work.
Certifcation and advancement.
High school graduates withno ormal training in surveying usually start as apprentices. Be-ginners with postsecondary school training in surveying usuallycan start as technicians or assistants. With on-the-job experi-ence and ormal training in surveying—either in an institutionalprogram or rom a correspondence school—workers may ad-vance to senior survey technician, then to party chie. Depend-ing on State licensing requirements, in some cases they mayadvance to licensed surveyor.The National Society o Proessional Surveyors, a mem-ber organization o the American Congress on Surveying and
Surveyors use sophisticated equipment to take measurements.
 
Surveyors, Cartographers, Photogrammetrists, and Surveying and Mapping Technicians 3Mapping, has a voluntary certication program or surveyingtechnicians. Technicians are certied at our levels requiringprogressive amounts o experience and the passing o writtenexaminations. Although not required or State licensure, manyemployers require certication or promotion to positions withgreater responsibilities.The American Society or Photogrammetry and RemoteSensing has voluntary certication programs or techniciansand proessionals in photogrammetry, remote sensing, and GIS.To qualiy or these proessional distinctions, individuals mustmeet work experience and training standards and pass a writtenexamination. The proessional recognition these certicationscan help workers gain promotions.
Employment
Surveyors, cartographers, photogrammetrists, and surveyingtechnicians held about 148,000 jobs in 2006. Employment wasdistributed by occupational specialty as ollows:
Surveying and mapping technicians .....................................76,000Surveyors ..............................................................................60,000Cartographers and photogrammetrists ..................................12,000
The architectural, engineering, and related services indus-try—including rms that provided surveying and mapping ser-vices to other industries on a contract basis—provided 7 out o 10 jobs or these workers. Federal, State, and local governmen-tal agencies provided about 14 percent o these jobs. MajorFederal Government employers are the U.S. Geological Survey(USGS), the Bureau o Land Management (BLM), the NationalGeodetic Survey, the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency,and the Army Corps o Engineers. Most surveyors in State andlocal government work or highway departments or urban plan-ning and redevelopment agencies. Construction, mining andutility companies also employ surveyors, cartographers, photo-grammetrists, and surveying technicians.
Job Outlook
Surveyors, cartographers, photogrammetrists, and surveyingand mapping technicians should have avorable job prospects.These occupations should experience much aster than averageemployment growth.
 Employment change.
Overall employment o surveyors,cartographers, photogrammetrists, and surveying and mappingtechnicians is expected to increase by 21 percent rom 2006 to2016, which is much aster than the average or all occupations.Increasing demand or ast, accurate, and complete geographic
Projections data rom the National Employment Matrix
Occupational TitleSOCCodeEmployment,2006Projectedemployment,2016Change,2006-2016NumberPercentSurveyors, cartographers, photogrammetrists, and surveyingtechnicians.....................................................................................—148,000179,00031,00021Cartographers and photogrammetrists ..........................................17-102112,00015,0002,50020Surveyors ......................................................................................17-102260,00074,00014,00024Surveying and mapping technicians .............................................17-303176,00090,00015,00019
NOTE: Data in this table are rounded. See the discussion o the employment projections table in the
 Handbook 
introductory chapter on
Occupational Informa-tion Included in the Handbook 
.
inormation will be the main source o growth or these occupa-tions.An increasing number o rms are interested in geographicinormation and its applications. For example, GIS can be usedto create maps and inormation used in emergency planning,security, marketing, urban planning, natural resource explora-tion, construction, and other applications. Also, the increasedpopularity o online mapping systems has created a higher de-mand or and awareness o geographic inormation among con-sumers.
 Job prospects.
In addition to openings rom growth, jobopenings will continue to arise rom the need to replace work-ers who transer to other occupations or who leave the labororce altogether. Many o the workers in these occupations areapproaching retirement age.Opportunities or surveyors, cartographers, and photogram-metrists should remain concentrated in engineering, survey-ing, mapping, building inspection, and drating services rms.However, employment may fuctuate rom year to year withconstruction activity or with mapping needs or land and re-source management.Opportunities should be stronger or proessional surveyorsthan or surveying and mapping technicians. Advancements intechnology, such as total stations and GPS, have made survey-ing parties smaller than they once were. Additionally, cartog-raphers, photogrammetrists, and technicians who produce morebasic GIS data may ace competition or jobs rom oshorerms and contractors.As technologies become more complex, opportunities will bebest or surveyors, cartographers, and photogrammetrists whohave a bachelor’s degree and strong technical skills. Increasingdemand or geographic data, as opposed to traditional survey-ing services, will mean better opportunities or cartographersand photogrammetrists who are involved in the developmentand use o geographic and land inormation systems.
Earnings
Median annual earnings o cartographers and photogramme-trists were $48,240 in May 2006. The middle 50 percent earnedbetween $37,480 and $65,240. The lowest 10 percent earnedless than $30,910 and the highest 10 percent earned more than$80,520.Median annual earnings o surveyors were $48,290 in May2006. The middle 50 percent earned between $35,720 and$63,990. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $26,690 andthe highest 10 percent earned more than $79,910. Median an-nual earnings o surveyors employed in architectural, engineer-ing, and related services were $47,570 in May 2006.
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