AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 17-1021.00
Will AI replace Cartographers and Photogrammetrists?
Cartographers and Photogrammetrists: AI can already handle 11 of 14 tasks; the work mostly needs a frontier-tier model.
Have a team in this role?
Get your free 10-role sample: send this role and up to nine others, and a founder sends a board-pack PDF within two business days.
Every task, scored
The 14 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Cartographers and Photogrammetrists, from most to least exposed. 11 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delineate aerial photographic detail, such as control points, hydrography, topography, and cultural features, using precision stereoplotting apparatus or drafting instruments. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Compile data required for map preparation, including aerial photographs, survey notes, records, reports, and original maps. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Examine and analyze data from ground surveys, reports, aerial photographs, and satellite images to prepare topographic maps, aerial-photograph mosaics, and related charts. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Travel over photographed areas to observe, identify, record, and verify all relevant features. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Prepare and alter trace maps, charts, tables, detailed drawings, and three-dimensional optical models of terrain using stereoscopic plotting and computer graphics equipment. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Study legal records to establish boundaries of local, national, and international properties. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Revise existing maps and charts, making all necessary corrections and adjustments. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Collect information about specific features of the Earth, using aerial photography and other digital remote sensing techniques. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Determine guidelines that specify which source material is acceptable for use. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Determine map content and layout, as well as production specifications such as scale, size, projection, and colors, and direct production to ensure that specifications are followed. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Select aerial photographic and remote sensing techniques and plotting equipment needed to meet required standards of accuracy. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Identify, scale, and orient geodetic points, elevations, and other planimetric or topographic features, applying standard mathematical formulas. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Build and update digital databases. | Observed | Standard | |
| Inspect final compositions to ensure completeness and accuracy. | Estimated | Efficient |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 1 of 14 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 13 of 14. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.
The model tier this role needs
A frontier-tier model or lower covers 100% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 100% of the work is something AI can address at some tier.
Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.
Wages, employment and outlook
- US employment
- 14,260
- Median annual wage
- $81,390
- Middle half of earners
- $65,670 to $101,960
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- +6.4%
Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034.
Adjacent roles
The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.
- Surveying and Mapping Technicians 79% skill overlap, about 8 months to move Exposure70
- Geodetic Surveyors 72% skill overlap, about 10 months to move Exposure56
- Geographers 71% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure67
- Geographic Information Systems Technologists and Technicians 69% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure63
- Remote Sensing Technicians 62% skill overlap, about 14 months to move Exposure58
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Cartographers and Photogrammetrists and AI
Will AI replace Cartographers and Photogrammetrists?
AI already handles 11 of the 14 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 69 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears. BLS projects employment to change by +6.4% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Cartographers and Photogrammetrists?
69 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 1 of the 14 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 13 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Cartographers and Photogrammetrists tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Delineate aerial photographic detail, such as control points, hydrography, topography, and cultural features, using precision stereoplotting apparatus or drafting instruments; Compile data required for map preparation, including aerial photographs, survey notes, records, reports, and original maps; Examine and analyze data from ground surveys, reports, aerial photographs, and satellite images to prepare topographic maps, aerial-photograph mosaics, and related charts. They are three of the 11 tasks that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
A frontier-tier model or lower covers 100% of the role's importance-weighted task work. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.
How many people work as Cartographers and Photogrammetrists, and what do they earn?
14,260 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $81,390 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +6.4% from 2024 to 2034.
How to cite
Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.
JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Cartographers and Photogrammetrists. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/cartographers-and-photogrammetrists
Have a team in this role?
Get your free 10-role sample. Send this role and up to nine others, with no employee data, and a founder sends a PDF in board-pack format within two business days.
A founder replies within one business day.