AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 17-1022.01
Will AI replace Geodetic Surveyors?
Geodetic Surveyors: AI can already handle 10 of 16 tasks; the work mostly needs a standard-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 16 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Geodetic Surveyors, from most to least exposed. 10 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calculate the exact horizontal and vertical position of points on the Earth's surface. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Distribute compiled geodetic data to government agencies or the general public. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Verify the mathematical correctness of newly collected survey data. | Observed | Standard | |
| Assess the quality of control data to determine the need for additional survey data for engineering, construction, or other projects. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Provide training and interpretation in the use of methods or procedures for observing and checking controls for geodetic and plane coordinates. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Prepare progress or technical reports. | Observed | Standard | |
| Analyze control or survey data to ensure adherence to project specifications or land survey standards. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Conduct surveys to determine exact positions, measurement of points, elevations, lines, areas, volumes, contours, or other features of land surfaces. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Plan or direct the work of geodetic surveying staff, providing technical consultation as needed. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Determine orientation of tracts of land, including position, boundaries, size, and shape, using theodolites, electronic distance-measuring equipment, satellite-based positioning equipment, land information systems, or other geodetic survey equipment. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Maintain databases of geodetic and related information, including coordinate, descriptive, or quality assurance data. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Compute horizontal and vertical coordinates of control networks, using direct leveling or other geodetic survey techniques, such as triangulation, trilateration, and traversing, to establish features of the Earth's surface. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Read current literature, talk with colleagues, continue education, or participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in technology, equipment, or systems. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Review existing standards, controls, or equipment used, recommending changes or upgrades as needed. | Observed | Efficient | |
| Request additional survey data when field collection errors occur or engineering surveying specifications are not maintained. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Compute, retrace, or adjust existing surveys of features such as highway alignments, property boundaries, utilities, control and other surveys to match the ground elevation-dependent grids, geodetic grids, or property boundaries and to ensure accuracy and continuity of data used in engineering, surveying, or construction projects. | Estimated | No tier |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 3 of 16 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 13 of 16. 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 standard-tier model or lower covers 88% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 94% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 6% is hands-on.
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
- 50,830
- Median annual wage
- $75,440
- Middle half of earners
- $58,170 to $98,130
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- +4.4%
Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034. BLS publishes these figures by SOC code, so O*NET occupations that share a SOC code show the same figures.
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 77% skill overlap, about 8 months to move Exposure70
- Surveyors 76% skill overlap, about 9 months to move Exposure56
- Cartographers and Photogrammetrists 72% skill overlap, about 10 months to move Exposure69
- Geographers 69% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure67
- Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers 69% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure63
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Geodetic Surveyors and AI
Will AI replace Geodetic Surveyors?
AI already handles 10 of the 16 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 56 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 +4.4% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Geodetic Surveyors?
56 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. 3 of the 16 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 Geodetic Surveyors tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Calculate the exact horizontal and vertical position of points on the Earth's surface; Distribute compiled geodetic data to government agencies or the general public; Verify the mathematical correctness of newly collected survey data. They are three of the 10 tasks that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
A standard-tier model or lower covers 88% 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 Geodetic Surveyors, and what do they earn?
50,830 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $75,440 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +4.4% 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: Geodetic Surveyors. 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/geodetic-surveyors
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