AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 17-3031.00

Will AI replace Surveying and Mapping Technicians?

Surveying and Mapping Technicians: AI can already handle 26 of 30 tasks; the work mostly needs a frontier-tier model.

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Every task, scored

The 30 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Surveying and Mapping Technicians, from most to least exposed. 26 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.

Task AI exposure Evidence Model tier Importance
Supervise or coordinate activities of workers engaged in surveying, plotting data, drafting maps, or producing blueprints, photostats, or photographs. 85 Estimated Frontier 3.0
Compile information necessary to stake projects for construction, using engineering plans. 80 Estimated Efficient 4.0
Identify and compile database information to create requested maps. 80 Estimated Efficient 4.0
Calculate latitudes, longitudes, angles, areas, or other information for mapmaking, using survey field notes or reference tables. 80 Estimated Standard 3.7
Compare topographical features or contour lines with images from aerial photographs, old maps, or other reference materials to verify the accuracy of their identification. 80 Estimated Standard 3.7
Position and hold the vertical rods, or targets, that theodolite operators use for sighting to measure angles, distances, and elevations. 75 Estimated Standard 4.3
Check all layers of maps to ensure accuracy, identifying and marking errors and making corrections. 75 Estimated Standard 4.3
Monitor mapping work or the updating of maps to ensure accuracy, inclusion of new or changed information, or compliance with rules and regulations. 75 Estimated Standard 4.2
Produce or update overlay maps to show information boundaries, water locations, or topographic features on various base maps or at different scales. 75 Estimated Frontier 4.1
Determine scales, line sizes, or colors to be used for hard copies of computerized maps, using plotters. 75 Estimated Frontier 4.1
Operate and manage land-information computer systems, performing tasks such as storing data, making inquiries, and producing plots and reports. 75 Estimated Frontier 4.0
Compare survey computations with applicable standards to determine adequacy of data. 75 Estimated Efficient 4.0
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. 75 Estimated Efficient 3.8
Trace contours or topographic details to generate maps that denote specific land or property locations or geographic attributes. 75 Estimated Frontier 3.7
Complete detailed source and method notes describing the location of routine or complex land parcels. 75 Estimated Efficient 3.4
Adjust and operate surveying instruments such as prisms, theodolites, electronic distance measuring equipment, or electronic data collectors. 75 Estimated Standard 3.0
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. 75 Estimated Standard 3.0
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. 75 Estimated Frontier 3.0
Perform calculations to determine earth curvature corrections, atmospheric impacts on measurements, traverse closures or adjustments, azimuths, level runs, or placement of markers. 75 Estimated Standard 3.0
Prepare cost estimates for mapping projects. 75 Estimated Standard 3.0
Prepare topographic or contour maps of land surveyed, including site features and other relevant information, such as charts, drawings, and survey notes. 75 Estimated Frontier 3.0
Record survey measurements or descriptive data, using notes, drawings, sketches, or inked tracings. 75 Estimated Standard 3.0
Search for section corners, property irons, or survey points. 75 Estimated Standard 3.0
Set out and recover stakes, marks, or other monumentation. 75 Estimated Standard 3.0
Analyze aerial photographs to detect and interpret significant military, industrial, resource, or topographical data. 65 Estimated Efficient 3.9
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. 65 Estimated Standard 3.8
Design or develop information databases that include geographic or topographic data. 50 Estimated Frontier 4.2
Provide assistance in the development of methods and procedures for conducting field surveys. 50 Estimated Standard 3.5
Trim, align, and join prints to form photographic mosaics, maintaining scaled distances between reference points. 20 Estimated Standard 3.5
Collect information needed to carry out new surveys, using source maps, previous survey data, photographs, computer records, or other relevant information. 8 Estimated No tier 3.0

Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 30 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 30 of 30. 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 97% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 97% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 3% 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
58,010
Median annual wage
$54,240
Middle half of earners
$45,430 to $66,700
Projected change, 2024 to 2034
+4.5%

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.

Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.

Questions about Surveying and Mapping Technicians and AI

Will AI replace Surveying and Mapping Technicians?

AI already handles 26 of the 30 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 70 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 +4.5% from 2024 to 2034.

What is the AI exposure of Surveying and Mapping Technicians?

70 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. 0 of the 30 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 30 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.

Which Surveying and Mapping Technicians tasks can AI already do?

The tasks with the highest exposure are: Supervise or coordinate activities of workers engaged in surveying, plotting data, drafting maps, or producing blueprints, photostats, or photographs; Compile information necessary to stake projects for construction, using engineering plans; Identify and compile database information to create requested maps. They are three of the 26 tasks that reach 60 or more.

What AI model tier does this role need?

A frontier-tier model or lower covers 97% 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 Surveying and Mapping Technicians, and what do they earn?

58,010 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $54,240 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +4.5% 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: Surveying and Mapping Technicians. 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/surveying-and-mapping-technicians

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