Surveying and Mapping Technicians
Architecture and Engineering
Outdoors, the work often means placing and holding rods or targets so the person running the survey instrument can measure angles, distances, and elevations, or staking a construction site from engineering plans. Indoors, the same role compiles geographic and topographic data, builds or updates overlay maps, and checks every layer for errors, missing changes, or rule violations. Plotters are used to set scales, line sizes, and colors for printed maps. Databases of location data have to be designed or kept current. A mix of outdoor measuring and careful desk work with maps, numbers, and spatial detail is what this role asks for.
Annual Median Wage in Field (2025)
$54'240
Median Wage Market Position
$54'240
What you might do
- Hold sighting rods for land survey measurements
- Check map layers and correct marked errors
- Draw overlay maps of boundaries and terrain
- Compile survey notes and photos into maps
- Gather data to stake out construction sites
- Build databases of geographic and terrain data
Skills that matter
- Calculating distances, angles, and elevations
- Checking every map layer for errors
- Building databases of geographic data
- Reading engineering plans before staking
- Tracking map updates for accuracy
- Talking with surveyors about field measurements
AI & the future of this role
Much of map creation involves processing field measurements and imagery that software can increasingly handle. Drones and automated analysis may shrink routine office tasks, though on-site measurement, boundary judgment, and client coordination still matter.
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Includes O*NET® 30.3 Database information by USDOL/ETA under CC BY 4.0; modified by LostInCareer. Wage/outlook from BLS. Attribution details