Surveying and Mapping Technicians

Most exposed tasks

Highest structured exposure values in this role’s task mix — the work AI systems can already do most of.

• Calculate latitudes, longitudes, angles, areas, or other information for mapmaking, using survey field notes or reference tables.70
• Identify and compile database information to create requested maps.65
• Trace contours or topographic details to generate maps that denote specific land or property locations or geographic attributes.65

Augmentable tasks

Work where AI assists rather than replaces — the productivity frontier of this role.

• Check all layers of maps to ensure accuracy, identifying and marking errors and making corrections.55
• Produce or update overlay maps to show information boundaries, water locations, or topographic features on various base maps or at different scales.55
• Operate and manage land-information computer systems, performing tasks such as storing data, making inquiries, and producing plots and reports.55

Most durable tasks

Lowest exposure — typically judgment, relationships, physical presence, or accountability. This is the human moat.

• Position and hold the vertical rods, or targets, that theodolite operators use for sighting to measure angles, distances, and elevations.8
• Adjust and operate surveying instruments such as prisms, theodolites, electronic distance measuring equipment, or electronic data collectors.10
• 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.30

Task exposure values and classifications are published, versioned estimates audited against the anchored rubric. This page reads them from the data release rather than generating them at request time. Bars show exposure contribution relative to this role’s task mix.

What this means

A score of 47 puts Surveying and Mapping Technicians in the most-exposed quarter of analyzed occupations. In practice, exposure this high is about the mix: 5 of 20 analyzed tasks lean automatable, 12 augmentable, and 3 durable. The useful question isn’t “will AI take this job” — it’s which tasks go first, which get faster, and where to reposition time. That’s what the personalized report maps against your actual week.

Lower-exposure adjacent roles

Shown only when the target is at least 10 points lower under the same score version and skill overlap is at least 50%. These are adjacent roles with lower task exposure — not guaranteed “safe careers”.

Labor-market context

• $54,240median wage
• 58,010employed
• 7,600annual openings
• +4.5%projected growth

Context only — labor statistics are not inputs to the exposure score. See methodology.

Related roles

Adjacent by skills or family — no exposure claim implied.

• Cartographers and Photogrammetrists 49
• Geodetic Surveyors 53
• Geographic Information Systems Technologists and Technicians 52
• Geological Technicians, Except Hydrologic Technicians 36
• Architectural and Civil Drafters 50
• Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians 43

How this score was calculated

FAQ — Surveying and Mapping Technicians

Will AI replace Surveying and Mapping Technicians?

This score cannot predict whether this occupation or any individual job will be replaced. It shows which tasks current and near-term AI can perform or accelerate, which tasks remain more durable, and where a worker can adapt. Employer decisions, demand, regulation, and how the role changes are outside the score.

What does a score of 47 mean for a Surveying and Mapping Technicians?

It means that, weighted across the 20 tasks we analyzed for this role, the task mix sits at 47 on a 0–100 exposure scale — in the most-exposed quarter of analyzed occupations. It measures task exposure to current and near-term AI capabilities, not the probability of losing a job.

Which tasks in this role are most exposed to AI?

The highest-exposure tasks are: Calculate latitudes, longitudes, angles, areas, or other information for mapmaking, using survey field notes or reference tables; Identify and compile database information to create requested maps; Trace contours or topographic details to generate maps that denote specific land or property locations or geographic attributes. Exposure comes from the published, rubric-scored data release rather than being generated when you open this page.

Which parts of this job are most durable?

The most durable responsibilities are: 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; 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. Durable tasks typically depend on judgment, relationships, physical presence, or accountability.

Is this score personalized to me?

No — this page shows the occupation-level baseline. Two people with the same title often do different work. The $9 personalized report recalculates the score from the tasks you actually do and builds a concrete 7/30/90-day plan around them.