STEM Forward >>> The Pathway to Career Success - How are we building this road...

Mapping technicians typically do the following:

• Select needed information from databases to create maps
• Edit and process images that have been collected in the field
• Produce maps showing boundaries, water locations, elevation, and other features of the terrain
• Update maps to ensure accuracy
• Assist photogrammetrists by laying out aerial photographs in sequence to identify areas not captured by aerial photography

Mapping technicians help cartographers and photogrammetrists produce and update maps. They do this work on computers, combining data from different sources. Mapping technicians may use drones to take photos and collect other information required to complete maps or surveys.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Surveying and Mapping Technicians,

The median annual wage for surveying and mapping technicians was $45,010 in May 2019. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $28,410, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $75,190.

In May 2019, the median annual wages for surveying and mapping technicians in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:

• Utilities $62,490
• Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction $57,900
• Local government, excluding education and hospitals $51,550
• Architectural, engineering, and related services $42,130

Surveying and mapping technicians typically work regular schedules but may work additional hours during the summer, when weather and light are most suitable for fieldwork. Construction-related work may be limited during times of harsh weather.