Career Details

17-3031.00 - 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.

Key Facts

Bright Outlook

Career Details

Green Job

Career Details

Current Employment

57,300

Estimate

Forecasted Employment

52,900

Estimate

Change in Employment

-4,300

Estimate

Change in Employment %

-7.6%

Estimate

Tasks

The tasks listed below can be performed to prepare you for a career in this field.

Core

Position and hold the vertical rods, or targets, that theodolite operators use for sighting to measure angles, distances, and elevations.
Check all layers of maps to ensure accuracy, identifying and marking errors and making corrections.
Design or develop information databases that include geographic or topographic data.
Monitor mapping work or the updating of maps to ensure accuracy, inclusion of new or changed information, or compliance with rules and regulations.
Produce or update overlay maps to show information boundaries, water locations, or topographic features on various base maps or at different scales.
Determine scales, line sizes, or colors to be used for hard copies of computerized maps, using plotters.
Compile information necessary to stake projects for construction, using engineering plans.
Identify and compile database information to create requested maps.
Operate and manage land-information computer systems, performing tasks such as storing data, making inquiries, and producing plots and reports.
Compare survey computations with applicable standards to determine adequacy of data.
Analyze aerial photographs to detect and interpret significant military, industrial, resource, or topographical data.
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.
Calculate latitudes, longitudes, angles, areas, or other information for mapmaking, using survey field notes or reference tables.
Compare topographical features or contour lines with images from aerial photographs, old maps, or other reference materials to verify the accuracy of their identification.
Trace contours or topographic details to generate maps that denote specific land or property locations or geographic attributes.
Provide assistance in the development of methods and procedures for conducting field surveys.
Trim, align, and join prints to form photographic mosaics, maintaining scaled distances between reference points.

Generic

Adjust and operate surveying instruments such as prisms, theodolites, electronic distance measuring equipment, or electronic data collectors.
Collect information needed to carry out new surveys, using source maps, previous survey data, photographs, computer records, or other relevant information.
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.
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.
Perform calculations to determine earth curvature corrections, atmospheric impacts on measurements, traverse closures or adjustments, azimuths, level runs, or placement of markers.
Prepare cost estimates for mapping projects.
Prepare topographic or contour maps of land surveyed, including site features and other relevant information, such as charts, drawings, and survey notes.
Record survey measurements or descriptive data, using notes, drawings, sketches, or inked tracings.
Search for section corners, property irons, or survey points.
Set out and recover stakes, marks, or other monumentation.
Supervise or coordinate activities of workers engaged in surveying, plotting data, drafting maps, or producing blueprints, photostats, or photographs.

Supplemental

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.
Complete detailed source and method notes describing the location of routine or complex land parcels.

All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.

Knowledge

The items listed below are organized into sections that contain knowledge useful for pursuing a career in this field. Each section also contains a "Percentage of Importance" statistic that shows how relevant an item is to the occupation.

Computers and Electronics

Geography

Mathematics

English Language

Engineering and Technology

Design

Customer and Personal Service

Clerical

Law and Government

Administration and Management

Building and Construction

Public Safety and Security

Education and Training

All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.

Tools

The tools listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.

Seismic equipment

Specialized and recreational vehicles

Cutting and crimping and punching tools

Forming tools

Measuring and layout tools

Agriculture, forestry and garden handtools

Power tools

Tool attachments and accessories

Pneumatic tools

Lenses and prisms

Length and thickness and distance measuring instruments

Indicating and recording instruments

Geophysical and geotechnical instruments

Rock and strata measuring equipment

Land surveying instruments

Meteorological instruments

Mechanical instruments

Sound generating and measuring equipment

Personal communication devices

Computers

Computer data input devices

Computer printers

Calculating machines and accessories

Drafting supplies

Cameras

Audio and visual equipment

Furniture

All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.

Technology

The technologies listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.

Business function specific software

Content authoring and editing software

Data management and query software

Development software

Industry specific software

Network applications software

Information exchange software

All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.

Certifications

The certifications listed below are useful to pursue if you are interested in a career in this field.

Specialty

Advanced

Core

All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.

Licensing

The licensing information below is organized into sections and is useful for pursuing if you are interested in a career in this field.

No specific licensing information is listed for this occupation in the area you have selected.

All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.

Related Programs

Programs related to this career, offered by participating institution(s), are listed below.

Clicking on the Degree programs in the list below will take you away from the Careers page.

INSTITUTION

PROGRAMS

Brightpoint Community College

Programs

Eastern Shore Community College

Programs

Germanna Community College

Programs

J Sargeant Reynolds Community College

Programs

Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts

Associate of Arts

This degree is for those who want to transfer to a 4 year college to prepare for a career in broad study fields that demand thinking on many levels, reading, writing, and those that involve any of the arts, humanities, or social sciences. Majors must take two years of a foreign language.

Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts - American Sign Language/Deaf Studies Specialization

Associate of Arts

The Associate of Arts degree in Liberal Arts lays the foundation for a Bachelor of Arts degree in art and art history, ASL-English Interpretation, communication, Deaf studies, English/literature, history, humanities, journalism, music, philosophy, pre-law, social sciences, speech-language pathology, religious studies, and world languages. The liberal arts promote a broad background of knowledge across the arts, humanities, languages, and social sciences to develop students' abilities in analytical and critical thinking, written and oral communication, and understanding global cultural awareness. The Liberal Arts degree is a two-year program designed for those students who plan to transfer to a four-year college or university to complete a Bachelor of Arts degree. While the program is designed to provide transfer paths that will match the requirements of four-year colleges and universities, the requirements may differ. Therefore, students are strongly urged to work with their assigned advisor and to acquaint themselves with the requirements of the major department in the college or university to which they plan to transfer. This program requires intermediate proficiency (two years of coursework or its equivalent) in a language other than English.

Associate of Science in General Studies

Associate of Science

This program is for those with transfer goals that are not met by other Reynolds transfer programs. It has 46 credits of broad content courses and 15 that must match core courses in the chosen program at a four year college.

Associate of Science in Social Sciences

Associate of Science

The social sciences are concerned with the study of human society and emphasize the role of analysis, experimentation, and the scientific method. The chief academic disciplines of the social sciences are anthropology, economics, political science, psychology, geography, history, and sociology. The Social Sciences AS degree is designed for those who plan to transfer to a fouryear college or university to complete a bachelor’s degree in the social sciences. The curricula consist of courses in general education (including foreign language, natural science, and social science) typically required in the first two years of a baccalaureate curriculum in the social sciences.

Northern Virginia Community College

Programs

Liberal Arts, A.A.

Associate of Arts

This program is designed for individuals who plan to transfer to a four-year institution to complete a bachelor of arts (B.A.).

General Studies, A.S.

Associate of Science

This program is a flexible associate degree. For students who plan to transfer, the degree can parallel the first two years of a four-year bachelor of science program if they choose courses that match the transfer institution's requirements. For those students who do not plan to transfer, the degree allows them to structure a program to suit their needs using accumulated credits from a variety of formal and experiential sources.

Social Sciences, A.S.

Associate of Science

This program is designed for individuals who plan to transfer to a four-year college or university to complete a bachelor of science in one of the social sciences. It also prepares students for some teacher certification programs. Students from the A.S. program major in a wide variety of fields, including anthropology, economics, government/political science, history, mass communications, pre-law, psychology, public administration, social work, and sociology.

Social Sciences: Geospatial Specialization, A.S.

Associate of Science

This program is designed to prepare students to transfer into baccalaureate programs in the geospatial or social sciences at a four-year institution. Students will learn theory about geospatial systems and how they are used.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS), C.S.C.

Career Studies Certificate

This program is designed to help students develop both the theoretical knowledge and a practical facility with GIS. Students who already hold a baccalaureate or master's degree will acquire the requisite skills and knowledge to switch careers, or to apply spatial analysis in their present workplaces. Students will be positioned to pursue additional coursework toward an associate degree and/or transfer to a four-year institution for further study in the geospatial, environmental, or physical sciences; in civil engineering; in information technology; or in business/marketing at a four-year institution.

Preparation: Students are expected to understand fundamental computer applications and concepts before enrolling in GIS courses.

Rappahannock Community College

Programs

Southside Virginia Community College

Programs

Tidewater Community College

Programs

Associate of Arts - Liberal Arts

Associate of Arts

The Associate of Arts (A.A.) degree program is designed for students who plan to transfer to a four-year college or university to pursue a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree program in the liberal arts. Four-year liberal arts programs prepare graduates for a wide variety of jobs in business, the arts, education, medical and legal professions, and in social and public service occupations. Liberal Arts studies emphasize fine arts, language, literature, philosophy, mathematics, science, social science and analytical and critical thinking skills, all of which prepare students for lifelong learning and social, cultural, and technological change.

Courses required for the Liberal Arts degree are available on all four campuses.

Associate of Science - General Studies

Associate of Science

The Associate of Science (A.S.) degree in General Studies is a flexible degree that allows students to design a curriculum that meets particular transfer objectives that are not fulfilled by existing TCC transfer programs. The program consists of a number of electives that may be selected in consultation with an advisor or counselor to ensure they will be accepted for the preferred program at the four-year institution they plan to attend.

Courses required for the General Studies degree are available on all four campuses.

Associate of Science - Social Sciences

Associate of Science

The Associate of Science (A.S.) degree in Social Sciences is designed for students who plan to transfer to a four-year college or university to pursue a baccalaureate degree in one of the social or behavioral sciences. Social Sciences include academic disciplines such as anthropology, economics, geography, history, political science, sociology, and psychology. The A.S. in Social Sciences may also prepare students for some teacher certification programs.

Courses required for the Social Sciences degree are available on all four campuses.

Associate of Applied Science - Information Systems Technology (Geographic Information Systems - GIS)

Associate of Applied Science

The A.A.S. Information Systems Technology: Specialization - Geographic Information Systems (GIS) program prepares students for employment as they will complete their core information technology course requirements and learn the skills necessary to visualize, analyze, and model GIS systems to help in the planning and decision-making processes of a business organization. Graduates may seek employment as GIS specialists within a private, public, or governmental agency.

Virginia Highlands Community College

Programs

Virginia Peninsula Community College

Programs

Virginia Western Community College

Programs

Wytheville Community College

Programs

Jobs

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