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SOC 17-1021
This page entry corresponds to cartographers and photogrammetrists (O*NET-SOC 17-1021.00, Cartographers and Photogrammetrists): researching, compiling and producing maps and other spatial data in digital or graphic form, possibly using geographic information systems and designing and evaluating the algorithms, data structures and user interfaces of GIS and mapping systems — gathering and checking source data, consulting legal records to determine boundaries, applying standard mathematical formulas to identify, scale and orient geodetic points, elevations and terrain features, using aerial photography, remote sensing and stereoplotting methods to extract and edit surface features, determining map content and layout and production standards such as scale, projection and color, building and updating digital databases, revising existing maps and checking product completeness and accuracy; the work is mainly indoor data processing (98% work indoors every day, 83% sit continuously or almost continuously, 87% consider precision or accuracy extremely important, 37% face time pressure every day), and its duties do not replace legal, administrative and ownership determinations, nor do they replace professional signing and product acceptance by authorized personnel; the occupation page marks Bright Outlook.
Model impact index for three equally weighted representative core tasks; not a measured share of working time or a job-loss probability. floor((75+75+50)/3+0.5)=67; fermatmind-ai-impact-v1; 2026-10-18.
One sentence: this is a position that turns 'whether the data source, coordinates and projection, feature representation, and boundary basis of this spatial dataset and map can be explained clearly' into reviewable evidence, with outputs being source data and version check records, coordinate and projection and unit verification records, feature extraction and editing records, mapping standard and layout notes, data quality and completeness check records, and database and metadata version records; it is not a legal or administrative or ownership determination role, nor does it replace the professional signing and determination by authorized personnel of boundaries and ownership and map content and classified results. The U.S. wages and employment are a public statistical framing, while for mainland China this route obtained no occupation-level statistical framing, and this page shows the gap rather than filling in proxy values.
Education, qualification, and authorization must be verified separately: O*NET lists this occupation as Job Zone Four (considerable preparation, SVP range 7.0 to below 8.0), and the education survey shows 36% of respondents saying a postsecondary certificate is needed, 30% a bachelor's degree, and 11% that some college without a degree is sufficient; this occupation's page lists 12 certifications (including the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing Certified Photogrammetrist (ASPRS), Certified Mapping Scientist, GIS/LIS (ASPRS), Certified Photogrammetric Technologist, and Certified Mapping Scientist, Remote Sensing (ASPRS), the Geographic Information Systems Certification Institute Geographic Information Systems Professional, and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency GEOINT Professional Certification Cartography and GEOINT Professional Certification Imagery Science), and lists 2 occupation titles approved by the U.S. Department of Labor for registered apprenticeship (Drafter, Cartographic and Geospatial Specialist). On the U.S. side, the occupation usually does not require a uniform license, but some states and employers have separate registration or qualification requirements for surveying and boundary-related work; in mainland China, surveying and mapping activities and map compilation and the management of classified survey results are governed by public rules such as the Surveying and Mapping Law of the People's Republic of China and the Map Management Regulations, and surveying qualifications are obtained by units that meet the corresponding conditions. Education and training, industry certification, statutory qualifications and work qualifications, position hiring and authorization, and professional signing and acceptance and deliverable responsibility are five different things.
Career direction comparison
The table below compares the differences in duties and outputs between cartographers and photogrammetrists and adjacent directions; the basis for judgment is the main outputs, what the work is accountable for, and the required qualifications and authorization, not how similar the job titles sound.
| Career direction | Core work and output | Key differences | Best-fit choice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Information systems technical specialists and technicians | Operating and maintaining geographic information systems, entering and updating spatial data layers, and producing maps and doing data checks per the established standards, with outputs being usable geographic information datasets and map products. | This direction specializes in the operation and maintenance of existing systems and data entry and updating, and the work scope and map output standards are given by the established system; this occupation additionally carries source determination, coordinate and projection and accuracy design, and responsibility for explaining the boundary and ownership basis. |
AI impact on this career
Conclusion: reviewable steps such as data gathering and organizing, drafting source lists and metadata, initial feature extraction screening, first drafts of map annotations and field mapping, and organizing records and explanatory text can be assisted by tools, but there is no official evidence that they replace source determination, coordinate system and projection and units and accuracy statements, feature representation and mapping standard decisions, completeness and accuracy determination, and responsibility attribution for professional signing and release. AI exposure does not equal an automation rate or job disappearance; task exposure, process automation level, and employment numbers are three different concepts. AI Impact Score 67% is an editorial estimate. Model impact index for three equally weighted representative core tasks; not a measured share of working time or a job-loss probability. floor((75+75+50)/3+0.5)=67; fermatmind-ai-impact-v1; 2026-10-18.The three tasks, ratings and sources are listed in the FermatMind method source record on this page.
FermatMind AI Impact Score estimation method v1
FermatMind / 费马测试 · 2026-10-18
Chinese mainland salary reference
U.S. O*NET-SOC17-1021.00; this round did not establish a direct Chinese subcategory mapping, and the Chinese name does not constitute occupational equivalence.
This round did not establish a one-to-one correspondence between a Chinese subcategory and SOC17-1021, and the occupational code publication page alone cannot prove that no corresponding category exists. Verify positions by actual surveying and geographic information and cartography duties, and verify unit qualifications and individual conditions and data use and statutory map review separately.
Scientific research and technical services: non-private 182,064 yuan/year and private 83,560 yuan/year; the exact occupational monthly wage was not obtained and no monthly conversion is made.
Insufficient evidence: no verifiable region-level occupational monthly wage data was obtained, so this page shows no regional ranking.
U.S. salary reference
2025 U.S. national annual wages at P10/P25/P50/P75/P90 were 53,740/65,670/81,390/101,960/126,950 USD; the corresponding hourly wages were 25.84/31.57/39.13/49.02/61.03 USD. Percentiles do not represent starting pay, seniority or an individual's take-home income. BLS SOC17-1021: employment was 14,700 in 2025 and is projected to be 15,700 in 2035, an official net change of 1,100, or 7.4% growth; about 900 openings per year on average over 2025—2035, and the self-employed share was 1.2% in 2025. Table figures are rounded, so endpoint differences must not override the official net change; openings include replacement demand from workers transferring out or exiting the labor force, and are not the same as net new additions or AI-caused change.
| Wage statistical position | Annual wage reference | Conversion boundary | How to understand this position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | 53,740 USD/year (10th percentile) | Framing on this occupation page, not individual monthly income | The 10th percentile is 53,740 USD/year; this is the low end of the distribution, does not represent all newcomers and is not a starting-pay promise. |
Career fit guide
Direct answer: the more explanatory fit signals are being able to check sources, versions, coordinate systems, projections and units clearly, being able to maintain detail accuracy while sitting and facing a screen for long periods, and being willing to document the basis for decisions and changes to standard and to escalate promptly when uncertain; being able to produce a map with some mapping software is not enough to prove the ability to judge spatial data quality and follow mapping standards.
You may be better suited to： You can complete data checking, feature editing, mapping and inspection to source and standard and keep traceable records; you are willing to stop first and escalate through procedure when sources are unreliable, coordinate systems or units are in doubt, or out-of-scope content is involved, rather than filling gaps with guesses.
These situations need careful thought： You find source and version checking troublesome, habitually fill in a plausible-looking value from memory, resist improvement when problems with coordinates, units or expression are pointed out, or simplify checking and recording steps to meet deadlines; all of these directly amplify the risk of erroneous deliverables and rework, and need careful thought.
Do an entry exercise： In a supervised exercise, complete a closed loop with self-made materials that runs from source checking, coordinate system, projection and unit verification, control point and terrain feature identification and orientation, feature extraction and editing and mapping standards and layout design to final product inspection, and ask a working practitioner to point out problems in source judgment, coordinates, expression and records; then judge whether you are willing to do this kind of work over the long term.
Work pressure, risks and career boundaries
Direct answer: the main risks include conclusions being distorted because source data versions and coverage are inconsistent or unreliable; positions and attributes being misplaced because of errors in coordinate systems, projections, units, elevation datums and scale conversion; finished products being unusable because features, attributes and annotations do not match the source; leakage and out-of-scope use of classified or restricted geographic information and client data; a responsibility vacuum caused by handing source judgment, accuracy statements and product signing to tools or unauthorized people; and making out-of-scope determinations about boundaries and ownership. Controls depend on checking sources and versions with documented evidence, dual verification of coordinate systems, projections, units and dimensions, consistency checks between mapping standards and map presentation, managing classified and restricted data according to institutional rules, and a clear version, correction and escalation path.
Check tasks and work context against O*NET; exposure percentages are not accident rates. For Chinese unit qualifications, individual conditions, classified products and public map requirements, check Articles 27—39 of the Surveying and Mapping Law and Articles 7—16 of the Regulation on Map Management. The controls are editorial suggestions tied to the tasks, and the specific process must be checked against the jurisdiction and project rules.
Entering the field, qualifications and career development
BLS classifies the typical entry-level preparation for SOC17-1021 as a bachelor's degree, no related work experience and no typical on-the-job training; OOH notes that people usually study cartography, geography, geomatics, surveying or a related field. The majority of four-year degrees plus several years of experience or training shown for O*NET Job Zone4 is a zone-level general description and cannot replace the classification for this occupation; the education figures of 36%/30%/11% are respondents' judgments about the education new hires need (postsecondary certificate/bachelor's degree/some college, no degree) and are not the educational attainment of incumbents. The certification directory lists 12 items, and the detail page additionally lists two registered apprenticeship occupation titles, Drafter, Cartographic and Geospatial Specialist; the specific open programs, enrollment, costs and maintenance conditions were not verified. BLS OOH notes that licensing requirements may vary by state, employer and duties, and that certification is usually optional; this round did not check the specific requirements state by state, and usually no unified licence is not treated as a no-licence conclusion. China's Surveying and Mapping Law, Articles 27—29, requires units to obtain the corresponding surveying and mapping qualification and to work within the licensed scope; Articles 30—31 concern the practice qualification conditions of professional and technical personnel and surveying and mapping work certificates respectively, and unit qualification cannot replace individual conditions. Article 34 requires that classified products be provided externally according to statutory procedure for approval, and Article 39 requires surveying and mapping units to be responsible for product quality. Article 7 of the Regulation on Map Management sets out the qualification of map compilation units; Article 13 requires lawful use of classified surveying and mapping products that have undergone confidentiality technical processing by the designated competent department; Articles 15—16 require maps released to the public to be submitted for review to the competent department with review authority as required, except for simple maps such as scenic area maps, street block maps and subway line maps. Internal authorization does not replace statutory review; the qualification level applicable to specific business, individual qualifications, confidentiality approval and the target U.S. state rules still need to be checked separately.
Career prospects and related occupation transitions
2025 U.S. national annual wages at P10/P25/P50/P75/P90 were 53,740/65,670/81,390/101,960/126,950 USD; the corresponding hourly wages were 25.84/31.57/39.13/49.02/61.03 USD. Percentiles do not represent starting pay, seniority or an individual's take-home income. BLS SOC17-1021: employment was 14,700 in 2025 and is projected to be 15,700 in 2035, an official net change of 1,100, or 7.4% growth; about 900 openings per year on average over 2025—2035, and the self-employed share was 1.2% in 2025. Table figures are rounded, so endpoint differences must not override the official net change; openings include replacement demand from workers transferring out or exiting the labor force, and are not the same as net new additions or AI-caused change. O*NET marks Bright Outlook; OOH notes demand for government planning and disaster-related map information. No demand measurement was obtained for specific expansions such as digital twins, so they are not treated as causes of growth. National Bureau of Statistics 2025 average annual wages for scientific research and technical services: 182,064 CNY for urban non-private units and 83,560 CNY for private units (pre-tax). This is an industry reference matching the surveying and mapping and geographic information professional services direction; it mixes all positions within the industry and is not the average, monthly wage range or individual quote for cartographers and photogrammetrists.
Research, compile and produce maps and other spatial data in digital or graphic form: gather the aerial photographs, survey records, reports and source maps needed to compile a map, and consult legal records to determine boundaries; apply standard mathematical formulas to identify, scale and orient geodetic points, elevations and other planimetric or topographic features; use aerial photography and other digital remote sensing techniques to collect information about specific features of the earth; analyze and study ground survey, report, aerial photograph and satellite imagery data to compile topographic maps, aerial photograph mosaics and related charts; use stereoplotting and computer graphics equipment to extract control points, hydrography, terrain and cultural features and to compile and revise tracings, charts, detailed maps and three-dimensional terrain models; determine map content and layout and production standards such as scale, size, projection and color, and supervise production; decide which source materials can be adopted; choose aerial photography and remote sensing methods and drafting equipment that meet precision and accuracy requirements; build and update digital databases; revise existing maps and charts and make necessary corrections; and check the completeness and accuracy of the final product.
Choose a real task from this page for a small practice project or a conversation with someone in the field. Use the planning guides to set a date, an output and feedback questions before deciding whether to continue.
Conditions for pausing large investments first: you have not yet completed a full closed-loop exercise from source data checking through coordinate and projection and unit verification, feature extraction and editing, and mapping standard determination to final product inspection; or you are unwilling to check sources and versions and framings, unwilling to leave a documented basis for determinations per the standards, or unwilling to stop and escalate rather than guessing and filling in when data are inconsistent; also, being able to produce a map with some mapping software must not be treated as proof of spatial data quality determination, interpretation of boundary and ownership basis, and mapping standard formulation ability.
One-sentence judgment: cartographers and photogrammetrists are not about 'drawing a good-looking map' — they turn source data such as survey records, aerial photographs, satellite imagery, and base maps into spatial data and map products whose scale, projection, coordinates, and feature representation can all be explained, reviewed, and updated: gathering and checking source data, deciding which source material is usable, identifying and scaling and orienting geodetic points and elevations and terrain features using standard mathematical formulas, extracting surface features with stereo plotting and photogrammetric and remote sensing methods, determining map content and layout and scale and projection and color production standards, compiling and revising maps and charts and three-dimensional terrain models, building and updating digital databases, and checking the completeness and accuracy of the final product before delivery. O*NET lists this occupation as Job Zone Four (considerable preparation, SVP range 7.0 to below 8.0), the interest code is CIR (conventional, investigative, realistic), and this occupation's page is labeled Bright Outlook. The core boundary is: map and boundary representation often involves legal and administrative basis and ownership records, and the management of classified geographic information and survey results and map content review and professional signing each have public rules and institutional requirements; this occupation's output is a review record of source data and mapping standards and does not replace the determinations of legal and administrative and ownership authorities, nor does it replace the professional signing and acceptance of authorized personnel.
Signals to keep exploring: you can patiently check the version and units and coordinate system of source data, you are willing to spend long periods at a computer processing data and graphics (the O*NET work context shows 83% sitting continuously or almost continuously, 98% working indoors every day, 87% using email every day, 87% considering precision or accuracy extremely important, and a work activity importance of 92 on 'using computers'), you can stop and check the original records rather than immediately filling in a plausible-looking value when data are inconsistent or missing, you are willing to write the reason and basis for every determination and change into a traceable record, and you can accept the long-term demand for detail and patience that 'map and boundary representation must withstand questioning' places on you.
Cartographers and photogrammetrists (O*NET-SOC 17-1021.00, Cartographers and Photogrammetrists) research, study, and prepare maps and other spatial data in digital or graphic form for legal, social, political, educational, and design purposes; they may work with geographic information systems (GIS) and may design and evaluate the algorithms, data structures, and user interfaces of GIS and mapping systems; they may collect, analyze, and interpret geographic information provided by geodetic surveys, aerial photographs, and satellite data. Daily work includes: using aerial photographs and stereo plotting and computer graphics equipment to extract aerial photograph details such as control points, drainage, and terrain and cultural features, and to compile and revise delineated drawings, charts, tables, detail drawings, and three-dimensional terrain models; gathering the data needed to compile maps, including aerial photographs, survey records, reports, and base maps; consulting legal records to determine local, national, and international boundaries; applying standard mathematical formulas to identify, scale, and orient geodetic points, elevations, and other plane or terrain features; using aerial photography and other digital remote sensing techniques to collect information about specific features of the earth; analyzing and studying ground survey and report and aerial photograph and satellite imagery data to compile topographic maps, aerial photograph mosaics, and related charts; determining map content and layout as well as scale, size, projection, and color and other production standards, and supervising production to comply with the standards; deciding which source material is usable; selecting the aerial photography and remote sensing methods and drafting equipment needed to meet accuracy and precision requirements; building and updating digital databases; revising existing maps and charts and making necessary corrections and adjustments; and checking the completeness and accuracy of the final product. It carries responsibility for source determination and correct coordinates and projection and units and feature representation and mapping standards and records, but does not replace legal and administrative and ownership determinations, nor does it replace the professional signing and acceptance of authorized personnel.
The work of this occupation falls into three categories: first, data acquisition and processing (gathering aerial photographs and survey records and reports and base maps, consulting legal records to determine property boundaries, applying standard mathematical formulas to identify and scale and orient geodetic points and elevations and terrain features, collecting surface feature data with aerial photography and remote sensing techniques, and analyzing and interpreting ground survey and image data); second, cartographic design and map production (determining map content and layout as well as scale and size and projection and color and other production standards, compiling and revising delineated drawings and charts and detail drawings and three-dimensional terrain models, supervising production per the standards, and building and updating digital databases); third, inspection and updating (checking the completeness and accuracy of the final product, revising existing maps and charts and making necessary corrections, verifying sources and versions and framings, and recording the basis for determinations and handing over). All three share the same chain centered on 'traceable sources, correct coordinates and projection and units, and reviewable mapping standards'.
Data acquisition and processing
Cartographers and photogrammetrists center on the compilation and quality and representation of spatial data and map products; information systems technical specialists and technicians specialize in the operation and maintenance of geographic information systems and data entry and updating and map output operations, surveyors specialize in field surveying and field records and point results, surveying and mapping technicians specialize in technical assistance such as graphic editing and data organizing under direction, remote sensing scientists and remote sensing technologists specialize in the processing and information extraction and monitoring analysis of satellite and aerial imagery, data scientists specialize in statistical and machine learning modeling and prediction, and database architects specialize in general database structure and governance and performance. Similar names or sharing a spatial information chain do not mean that data source determination, mapping standards, and professional signing and acceptance responsibility are interchangeable.
| Dimension | Primary track | Comparison track |
|---|---|---|
| Core purpose | To bring spatial data and map products to requirements in traceable sources and correct coordinates and projection and units and consistent feature representation and mapping standards: source and version checks keep data traceable, verification and editing records keep the process reviewable, and completeness checks and handover keep problems from being carried past delivery and use. |
Source data and version check records.
Boundary and ownership basis check records.
Coordinate and projection and unit verification records.
Feature extraction and editing records.
Mapping standard and layout notes.
Quality and completeness check and revision records.
Before starting, verify at least six items: job duties (leaning toward data acquisition and processing, cartographic design and map production, three-dimensional and photogrammetric work, remote sensing and image analysis, or data governance and metadata), the data categories you may handle independently and whether classified or restricted geographic information is involved and the corresponding approval and authorization, whether field verification and site reconnaissance must be carried, who provides the software and data platforms and licenses, the signing and release authority and review process for deliverables, and the allocation of data source and accuracy responsibility and rework and correction responsibility.
| If you would rather do data maintenance and map output and system operation under established standards, examine information systems technical specialists and technicians first; if you would rather be responsible for source determination and cartographic design and the boundary basis, examine this occupation first. |
| Surveyors | Determining boundaries and terrain and engineering points through field measurement and records, with outputs being survey records and point results and boundary evidence. | Surveyors use field measurement and field records as first-hand evidence and are responsible for field accuracy; this occupation mostly uses existing survey and image and satellite data for mapping and spatial analysis, with field work usually limited to verification and supplementation. | If you would rather run field work and operate surveying instruments and be responsible for field results, examine surveyors first; if you would rather do data processing and cartographic design and spatial analysis, examine this occupation first. |
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| Surveying and mapping technicians | Completing data entry and graphic editing and drawing organizing under the direction of a surveyor or cartographer, with outputs being organized graphic and data deliverables. | This direction is mainly technical assistance, and the work scope and signing authority are limited by position authorization; this occupation carries responsibility for the complete chain from data source determination to mapping standards and inspection. | If you would rather do technical assistance and graphic editing and data organizing, examine surveying and mapping technicians first; if you would rather carry the complete responsibility from data to mapping and inspection, examine this occupation first. |
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| Remote sensing scientists and remote sensing technologists | Using satellite and aerial remote sensing data for image processing and information extraction and environmental and surface monitoring analysis, with outputs being imagery products and analytical conclusions. | This direction specializes in the acquisition and processing and analysis of remote sensing imagery and leans toward science and monitoring; this occupation centers on the compilation and mapping of maps and spatial data and the representation of boundaries and ownership. | If you would rather do image processing and remote sensing monitoring analysis, examine remote sensing scientists and remote sensing technologists first; if you would rather do map compilation and spatial data products and mapping standards, examine this occupation first. |
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| Data scientists | Modeling and predicting from data with statistical and machine learning methods and forming reviewable analytical conclusions, with outputs being models and analysis reports. | Data scientists specialize in methodological modeling and prediction, and the data structures and business problems are not limited to spatial information; this occupation works with spatially referenced map and imagery data and is responsible for mapping and boundary representation. | If you would rather do methodological modeling and prediction and large-scale data analysis, examine data scientists first; if you would rather do spatial data and map products and mapping standards, examine this occupation first. |
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| Database architects | Designing and maintaining a database's structure and access and integrity rules, with outputs being database architecture and data governance standards. | Database architects specialize in general database structure and governance and performance and do not carry responsibility for the spatial semantics and mapping of map and imagery data; this occupation is responsible for the source determination and accuracy and representation of spatial data. | If you would rather do database structure and data governance and performance design, examine database architects first; if you would rather do spatial data and mapping products and mapping standards, examine this occupation first. |
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This page compares cartographers and photogrammetrists with six adjacent directions on the same set of dimensions: occupational direction, core work and outputs, key differences, and which direction each preference is a better fit for. Adjacent directions are described by their own official occupational descriptions and do not mean job titles or work scope and professional signing and acceptance responsibility are interchangeable.
Conclusion: the basis for choosing a direction is the main outputs, what the work is accountable for, and the required qualifications and authorization, not how similar the names sound; after deciding on a direction, verify item by item the data categories the target position allows you to handle independently, whether classified or restricted geographic information is involved and the corresponding approval and authorization, whether you need to undertake fieldwork and on-site verification, who provides the data and software licenses, and the signing and release authority and review process for deliverables, and keep written confirmation.
Editorial ratings use the existing occupational responsibilities and AI task analysis on this page. They are not adoption rates, measured effects, job-disappearance or personal-unemployment probabilities, or official scores from Stanford or another external institution. No measured time weights or future robot deployment are assumed.
Editorial trial suggestion: use authorized non-classified samples to compare errors and rework and time for data organizing, initial feature screening, metadata, and record drafts, then decide the scope of use. No efficiency measurement for this occupation was obtained; source versions and accuracy and coverage and coordinate projection and data licenses must be verified, and tool output must not be treated as a formal determination.
It depends on whether source data can be entered in a structured way, whether coordinate system and projection and accuracy information can be verified, whether institutional policy allows automated results to be used for mapping and database loading and delivery, and whether the data use scope and division of responsibility are clear. Technical feasibility does not mean it is permitted for deliverable signing and release, nor that the institution has adopted it.
BLS SOC17-1021: 2025 employment 14,700, 2035 projection 15,700, an official net change of 1,100 and growth of 7.4%, with about 900 average annual openings over 2025—2035, and 1.2% self-employed in 2025. The headcounts in the table are rounded and the endpoint difference cannot be used to override the official net change; openings include replacement needs from transfers out and labor force exits and do not equal net growth or an AI-driven change.
| Work area | Task | Current change | Human control point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data acquisition and processing | Gathering and checking the aerial photographs and survey records and reports and base maps needed to compile maps, and consulting legal records to determine the boundary basis. | Source lists and data organizing can be assisted, while source determination and interpretation of the boundary basis are still made by people. | Judging whether source data are usable and being accountable for their accuracy and applicability. |
| Feature extraction and editing | Applying standard mathematical formulas to identify and scale and orient control points and terrain features, and using aerial photography and remote sensing methods to extract and edit surface features. | Initial feature screening and editing assistance can be assisted, while coordinate and projection and representation judgments still require people. | Judging whether the coordinate system and projection and units and scale are correct, and being accountable for mapping standards. |
| Inspection and data updating | Checking the completeness and accuracy of the final product, revising existing maps and charts, and updating digital databases. | Check lists and version records can be organized automatically, while acceptance judgments still require people. | Verifying the completeness and accuracy of the final product and judging whether it can be delivered, and being accountable for revision and record completeness. |
| Mapping standards and layout | Determining map content and layout as well as scale and size and projection and color and other production standards, and supervising production to comply with the standards. | Layout and legend first drafts can be assisted, while standard determination still requires people. | Accountable for the consistency of mapping standards and layout and legend and annotation rules. |
| Database and metadata | Building and updating digital databases and metadata, and retaining version and change records. | Field mapping and record organizing can be assisted, while data governance judgments still require people. | Accountable for the completeness of database and metadata and version records. |
| Data and information security | Managing the acquisition and storage and provision of classified and restricted geographic information per institutional policy, and retaining approval and use records. | Permission and expiry reminders can be assisted, while compliance judgments still require people. | Judging whether the data use scope is compliant, and being accountable for the protection and escalation pathway for classified and restricted information. |
| Records and compliance reporting | Recording the status of sources and versions and changes and verification, and reporting and filing as required. | Record templates and reminders can be assisted, while compliance judgments still require people. | Accountable for the completeness and reporting of source and version and change records. |
The five evidence cards separately explain the source, the research object, the conclusion, and the limits of use; they support official duties and the 16-task framing and hiring technology signals and wage percentile background and generative AI task exposure research, not an AI displacement rate or position count projection.
The table below compares the three groups of work directions in terms of automation impact: which steps can be assisted, and which judgments and responsibilities remain with people.
AI primarily changesData gathering and organizing, drafting source lists and metadata, and initial feature extraction screening can be generated by systems.
Human responsibility remainsJudging whether source data are usable and being accountable for their accuracy and applicability, and being accountable for the correctness of the coordinate system and projection and units and elevation datum.
AI primarily changesLayout and legend and annotation and field mapping templates can be carried by systems.
Human responsibility remainsJudging whether attributes and positions and annotations match the sources, and being accountable for mapping standards and graphic representation.
AI primarily changesCompleteness check lists and data dictionaries and version records can be organized automatically.
Human responsibility remainsVerifying the completeness and accuracy of the final product and judging whether it can be delivered and whether to escalate, and being accountable for revision and record completeness.
The following five steps are this page's editorial checking suggestions for tool trials and must be verified against project policy and actual legal requirements; they are not operating procedures or qualification authorizations provided by the ILO.
First confirm the data categories you may handle independently and the sources and versions relied on, the coordinate system and projection and elevation datum, the approval and scope of use when classified or restricted geographic information is involved, and which matters must be escalated to authorized personnel.
Give tools only reviewable data organizing and drafting source lists and metadata and initial feature extraction screening and record organizing; source determination and deliverable signing and release judgments are not given to tools.
Go back item by item to the source data and coordinate system and projection and units and accuracy statements, and judge whether the automated results match the sources; when they do not match, the source data and standards prevail and processing is redone.
Keep source data and version check records, coordinate and projection and unit verification records, feature extraction and editing records, and mapping standard and layout notes and quality check records so the process is traceable.
For external map release, first verify the statutory scope requiring review and the responsible party, and for classified results first verify the statutory conditions of use and approval; deliverable signing and acceptance are confirmed by position authority. Internal approval cannot replace statutory review, and tool drafts do not automatically obtain release qualification.
Mapping and database loading from automated extraction or generated results without re-checking sources and positions and attributes brings wrong features and wrong annotations into the delivered product (87% considering precision or accuracy extremely important; 11% considering the consequences of error extremely serious and 16% very serious).
Control: Use source data and the coordinate system and projection and units and accuracy statements to review automated results, and when there is a mismatch re-verify the sources before updating records; where delivery and release are involved, the basis and limits must be stated.
Improper handling of sensitive information such as classified or restricted geographic information and client-commissioned data and internal drawings causes confidentiality and compliance consequences.
Control: Use and store data per institutional policy and permissions, provide it only to approved people and systems, keep a trail, and avoid entering classified or restricted data into unapproved external tools or public platforms.
Updating data only from automated results without looking at sources and versions misses changes in the coordinate system and projection and elevation datum and differences in source coverage.
Control: Review against the three types of original information — sources, versions, and the coordinate system and projection and units — and differences must be recorded and escalated, with changes annotated with reason and time.
Errors in coordinate and projection and unit and scale conversion, and mismatches between feature positions and attributes and annotations, make deliverables unusable and cause rework (87% considering precision or accuracy extremely important; 46% considering coordinating or leading others extremely important).
Control: Use sources and standards and dimensions to review conversion and position results, double-check before delivery and keep verification records; deviations must be recorded and escalated, and incorrect results must not be carried into mapping and release.
Giving source determination and accuracy statements and deliverable signing to tools or unauthorized people creates a responsibility vacuum and untraceability.
Control: Editorial control suggestion: first verify the data license and statutory conditions of use, and record the source and accuracy statements, spatial reference and transformations, versions, and review opinions; when an anomaly is found, pause your related processing and report. External map release follows the applicable review system, and is not released on the basis of this page's suggestions or internal authorization.
Start with one closed loop using self-made materials: given a fictional aerial photograph description and a fictional boundary record summary, write the source and version check, the coordinate system and projection and unit verification, the identification and orientation of control points and terrain features, feature extraction and editing, mapping standard and layout and legend design, and final product completeness and accuracy checking, mark three possible source or conversion risks and two situations in which work must stop, then ask a peer to challenge you; at the same time verify the data categories the target position allows you to handle independently and whether classified or restricted geographic information is involved.
Use tools in reviewable steps such as data gathering and organizing, drafting source lists and metadata, initial feature extraction screening, first drafts of layout and legend and field mapping, and organizing records and explanatory text; whether a source is usable, the actual conventions for the coordinate system and projection and units and elevation datum, the checking of feature positions and attributes and annotations, and mapping standard and completeness determinations must still be verified against the sources and standards by the person with a paper trail.
Before introducing automated extraction or generative assistance tools, first clarify the source data and version and accuracy and coordinate system and projection conventions, the scope of use and approval for classified and restricted geographic information, who confirms the algorithmic suggestions, who is responsible for feature representation and mapping standards and deliverable release conclusions, and ensure there is substantive human review and a paper trail before mapping and database loading and delivery.
Focus training on coordinate system and projection and unit conversion, source data determination and quality control, photogrammetric and remote sensing imagery interpretation, feature extraction and editing, spatial database and cartographic software operation, mapping standards and graphic representation, and the public rules for the management of survey results and classified geographic information and map content; also train the habit of staying cautious about automatic extraction and generated results and going back to source data checks and coordinate and unit re-verification.
This round obtained no occupation-specific evidence supporting overall displacement or never being displaced. Tools can be trialled on approved data and reviewable tasks; source applicability, spatial reference, mapping standards, quality, and lawful release responsibility are confirmed under the actual process and cannot be automatically obtained by a system.
Source: O*NET occupation summary / detailed profileOriginal source ↗
What is needed is coordinate system and projection and unit conversion, source data determination and quality control, photogrammetric and remote sensing imagery interpretation, spatial database and cartographic software operation, and mapping standards and graphic representation, not necessarily programming or machine learning; whether specific software or scripts must be used depends on institutional configuration and project type.
Source: O*NET technology list / detailed profileOriginal source ↗
Data gathering and organizing, drafting source lists and metadata, initial feature extraction screening, first drafts of map annotations and field mapping, and organizing check lists and version records; these steps are reviewable and traceable.
Source: O*NET detailed profile / this page's method noteOriginal source ↗
BLS SOC17-1021: 2025 employment 14,700, 2035 projection 15,700, an official net change of 1,100 and growth of 7.4%, with about 900 average annual openings over 2025—2035, and 1.2% self-employed in 2025. The headcounts in the table are rounded and the endpoint difference cannot be used to override the official net change; openings include replacement needs from transfers out and labor force exits and do not equal net growth or an AI-driven change. The current O*NET page is labeled Bright Outlook, which is an occupational label rather than a personal employment guarantee.
Source: BLS occupational employment and wage projections tableOriginal source ↗
Tools cannot obtain statutory qualifications or data licenses or the authority of legal determination; internal signing and acceptance are verified separately from statutory map review and classified result approval. Articles 27—29 of China's Surveying and Mapping Law require units to obtain the corresponding surveying qualification and work within the licensed scope; Articles 30—31 concern professional technical personnel practice qualification conditions and surveying work certificates respectively, and unit qualifications cannot replace individual conditions. Article 34 requires approval through statutory procedures when classified results are provided externally, and Article 39 requires surveying units to be responsible for deliverable quality. Article 7 of the Map Management Regulations sets the qualification of map compiling units; Article 13 requires lawful use of classified survey results that have undergone confidentiality technical processing by the designated competent department; Articles 15—16 require maps released to the public to be submitted for review to the competent department with review authority as provided, with the exception of maps with simple content such as scenic area maps and street maps and subway line maps. Internal authorization does not replace statutory review; the qualification grade and individual qualifications and confidentiality approval applicable to specific business and the target U.S. state rules must still be verified separately.
Source: Method note for this page / boundary and ownership basis and deliverable signingOriginal source ↗
This round obtained no authoritative forecast supporting a year in which this occupation disappears, and no year is inferred from AI exposure or automation level or employment growth rate.
Source: Method note for this pageOriginal source ↗
Prioritize learning the fundamentals and standards: coordinate system and projection and unit conversion, source data determination and quality control, photogrammetric and remote sensing imagery interpretation, spatial database and cartographic software operation, mapping standards and graphic representation, and the public rules for the management of survey results and classified geographic information and map content; first make the data and standards and use scope solid, then learn tools and automation assistance, and expand duties gradually according to position authorization.
Source: The O*NET detail page's preparation level and education requirements and apprenticeship titles; the typical BLS entry; localtraining is used only to discover training programsOriginal source ↗
Internal direction differences in this occupation appear mainly in data category and output form: the data acquisition and processing direction centers on source gathering and coordinate and projection verification; the cartographic design and map production direction centers on mapping standards and layout and graphic representation; the three-dimensional and photogrammetric direction centers on stereo plotting and three-dimensional terrain models; the remote sensing and image analysis direction centers on image processing and information extraction; the database and metadata direction centers on data governance and versions and field standards; the inspection and delivery direction centers on completeness and accuracy determination and handover. When choosing a direction, verify the data categories you may handle independently and the required qualifications and authorization and working method, rather than only looking at the direction name.
Insufficient evidence: no official or verifiable source supports a monthly wage range for this occupation in other regions.
The 2025 NBS average annual wage in scientific research and technical services: 182,064 yuan for urban non-private units and 83,560 yuan for private units (pretax). This is an industry reference matched to the surveying and geographic information professional services direction, mixing all positions in the industry, and is not the average or monthly wage range or personal offer for cartographers and photogrammetrists.
| Educational background | Job direction | Notes and suggested checks |
|---|---|---|
| The target position's education requirements are pending verification (the typical U.S. bachelor's degree does not apply directly to China) | Data processing and cartographic assistance positions at surveying and geographic information service units. | Editorial position example: assisting with data organizing and graphic editing and drawing organizing; independent source selection and signing and release are verified per the actual duties and authority, and assistant positions are not uniformly prohibited from source checking. |
| The target position's experience and training requirements are pending verification | Surveying and geographic information data processing positions; cartographic and geographic information editing positions. | May handle data and edit features and produce maps and self-check per the position's duties; the use of classified results and public map review are handled under statutory conditions, and position training and internal authorization do not replace them. |
| Has data quality control and mapping standards and project coordination and deliverable review experience | Data processing and cartographic technical responsible positions; quality and deliverable review positions. | Quality and standards and mentoring and review are allocated per the actual duties; surveying units are responsible for their deliverable quality, statutory map review goes to the competent department with review authority, and signing and acceptance are verified separately by position authority. |
| Has many years of project and quality and data governance and team management experience | Technical management positions at surveying and geographic information service units; data governance and project management positions. | Project organization and data governance are the editorial management direction; unit qualifications and individual conditions and data use and statutory release review must each be satisfied and are not automatically obtained from management experience. |
Comparing opportunities should verify unit type, specific duties, data licenses, statutory review, field and on-site work, tool costs, and training costs; industry averages cannot be used to quote.
The 2025 NBS average annual wage in scientific research and technical services: 182,064 yuan for urban non-private units and 83,560 yuan for private units (pretax). This is an industry reference matched to the surveying and geographic information professional services direction, mixing all positions in the industry, and is not the average or monthly wage range or personal offer for cartographers and photogrammetrists.
Public positions undertaking basic surveying and natural resources and planning and map management may fall into this category; this page does not treat the category average as this occupation's wage.
Positions mainly engaged in geographic information platforms and location services may fall into this category; this page does not treat the category average as this occupation's wage and only notes the possible classification.
The tool uses are editorial analysis; no Chinese AI wage effect data for this occupation was obtained, and it cannot be inferred from industry averages.
| 50th percentile | 81,390 USD/year (median) | Not individual take-home income | The median is 81,390 USD/year (hourly median 39.13 USD); it describes the midpoint of the whole distribution and does not represent an individual's take-home income. |
|---|
| 90th percentile | 126,950 USD/year (90th percentile) | Framing on this occupation page, not individual take-home pay | The 90th percentile is 126,950 USD/year; it is not a general level or a wage promise for a specific duty. |
|---|
Salary · 10th percentile：53,740 USD/year (10th percentile)；The 10th percentile is not the distribution minimum or a new-hire starting wage. O*NET national row (BLS2025)
Salary · 25th percentile：65,670 USD/year (25th percentile)；National wage percentiles do not explain the causes of individual income and do not promise a quote. O*NET national row (BLS2025)
Salary · median：81,390 USD/year (median)；National wage percentiles do not explain the causes of individual income and do not promise a quote. O*NET national row (BLS2025)
Salary · 75th percentile：101,960 USD/year (75th percentile)；National wage percentiles do not explain the causes of individual income and do not promise a quote. O*NET national row (BLS2025)
Salary · 90th percentile：126,950 USD/year (90th percentile)；National wage percentiles do not explain the causes of individual income and do not promise a quote. O*NET national row (BLS2025)
The median and the 10th/25th percentiles are all positions in the national distribution and cannot be treated as entry-level pay or used to explain, from the numbers, why an individual earns more or less.
This statistic is presented in both hourly and annual terms (converted using a standard work year); the hourly median on this page is 39.13 USD and the annual median is 81,390 USD, and these cannot be used to infer an individual's take-home income or project bonuses and field allowances.
Check wage percentiles against the O*NET national row (BLS2025) and industry medians against OOH Pay; state government (excluding education and hospitals) is 77,610 USD/year. Check employment against the 2025—2035 projection, and do not carry over the older 2024 base period or explain wages with industry employment shares.
Actual opportunities also depend on region, employment contract, field allowances, hours and duties; no quantified causal link between these conditions and wages for this occupation was obtained.
| Industry | Median wage for this occupation within the industry | How to understand this value |
|---|---|---|
| Federal government | 109,300 USD/year (2025 median for this occupation within the industry) | BLS OOH Pay main-industry table; it is not the O*NET industry employment share and does not represent every incumbent's pay. |
| Local government (excluding education and hospitals) | 82,200 USD/year (2025 median for this occupation within the industry) | BLS OOH Pay main-industry table; it is not the O*NET industry employment share and does not represent every incumbent's pay. |
| Architecture, engineering and related services | 81,080 USD/year (2025 median for this occupation within the industry) | BLS OOH Pay main-industry table; it is not the O*NET industry employment share and does not represent every incumbent's pay. |
| Management, scientific and technical consulting services | 79,030 USD/year (2025 median for this occupation within the industry) | BLS OOH Pay main-industry table; it is not the O*NET industry employment share and does not represent every incumbent's pay. |
BLS classifies the typical entry-level preparation for SOC17-1021 as a bachelor's degree, no related work experience and no typical on-the-job training; OOH notes that people usually study cartography, geography, geomatics, surveying or a related field. The majority of four-year degrees plus several years of experience or training shown for O*NET Job Zone4 is a zone-level general description and cannot replace the classification for this occupation; the education figures of 36%/30%/11% are respondents' judgments about the education new hires need (postsecondary certificate/bachelor's degree/some college, no degree) and are not the educational attainment of incumbents. The certification directory lists 12 items, and the detail page additionally lists two registered apprenticeship occupation titles, Drafter, Cartographic and Geospatial Specialist; the specific open programs, enrollment, costs and maintenance conditions were not verified.
O*NET2025 employment by industry: government 48%, professional, scientific and technical services 34% and other 18%. BLS OOH separately lists median wages for five main industries for this occupation; industry shares are not used to estimate wages.
Suggested editorial check: compare the duties and contract pay of positions focused on data processing, standards, data governance, signing and release, or field coordination; this round has no quantified duty premium, so a given duty cannot be assumed to be necessarily better paid.
BLS2025 employment base includes the self-employed； O*NET2025 industry distribution is government 48%, professional, scientific and technical services 34% and other 18%, and is not a wage survey population or industry wages.
BLS SOC17-1021: employment was 14,700 in 2025 and is projected to be 15,700 in 2035, an official net change of 1,100, or 7.4% growth； about 900 openings per year on average over 2025—2035, and the self-employed share was 1.2% in 2025. Table figures are rounded, so endpoint differences must not override the official net change； openings include replacement demand from workers transferring out or exiting the labor force, and are not the same as net new additions or AI-caused change. OOH rounds this to 7%, Much faster than average； O*NET marks the occupation Bright Outlook.
Annual average openings include replacement demand such as transfers out and exits from the labor force； the official net increase is 1,100 and must not be conflated with annual net new additions.
Which Holland type suits cartographers and photogrammetrists better?
The Holland interest code is CIR (Conventional, Investigative, Realistic): Conventional corresponds to organizing information and data by procedures and rules, Investigative to researching and analyzing non-obvious problems and seeking facts, and Realistic to designing, building or repairing equipment, materials and structures and doing hands-on or outdoor work; for this occupation Conventional is the highest score (72), Investigative the second highest (70) and Realistic the third (60), and the specific interest areas are mainly Mathematics and Statistics (63), Information Technology (59), Engineering (31) and Physical Science (27).
Do not use it this way: Note: a match between interest test results and the occupational interest code only indicates a similar direction; it does not mean you already have the ability to judge spatial data quality, convert coordinates and projections or follow mapping standards, or that you have job authorization.
Test my Holland career interestsWhich Big Five traits are more relevant to this job?
This page lists checking complete sources, recording anomalies under pressure, and accepting new methods and re-checking as behavior observation suggestions; no dedicated study supporting a relationship between Big Five scores and performance in this occupation was obtained.
Do not use it this way: Note: treating personality scores as competence conclusions is a common misuse; this page provides no score thresholds or personality type lists.
View my Big Five personality traitsWhich MBTI type suits cartographers and photogrammetrists best?
MBTI is not an assessment tool for career fit or professional competence, and no official data supports the claim that a certain type is best suited to cartographers and photogrammetrists. It can be used for self-reflection and understanding communication preferences, but not for qualification exams, recruitment screening or job authorization decisions.
Do not use it this way: Note: this page lists no best-suited type and does not endorse screening candidates on that basis.
Explore my MBTI preferencesWhich Enneagram type suits cartographers and photogrammetrists better?
The Enneagram is likewise not a career fit tool, lacks support in official occupational data, and is not used for recruitment or qualification determination. It can be used for self-reflection, but not to decide whether to invest in learning coordinate systems, projections, mapping standards and data quality.
Do not use it this way: Note: this page provides no correspondence between types and occupations.
Explore my Enneagram patternsIf my IQ or maths is not good, can I become a cartographer and photogrammetrist?
This occupation mainly tests information acquisition, computer use and standards-based judgment: O*NET work activities are led by getting information (97), working with computers (92), evaluating information to determine compliance with standards (81), making decisions and solving problems (81), identifying objects, actions and events (80), updating and using relevant knowledge (80) and documenting and recording information (79); basic skills are led by reading comprehension (75), critical thinking (63), writing (63) and active listening (60), with mathematics 47 and science 22; transferable skills are led by complex problem solving (53), judgment and decision making (53), coordination (50), social perceptiveness (50) and time management (50). Avoiding source and version checks and coordinate and unit requirements directly amplifies the risk of erroneous deliverables and rework.
Note: this page does not treat any test score as an admission or elimination criterion; the statutory unit qualifications, personnel practice and operating conditions of the applicable jurisdiction, as well as employer recruitment, job authorization and training requirements, must all be checked together. Institutional authorization cannot replace statutory conditions, and U.S. certification cannot be generalized to Chinese licensing.
Do cartographers and photogrammetrists need high EQ?
Emotional and tolerance capacity helps: you need to stay steady under delivery-deadline pressure and when source data is incomplete or contradictory, and to communicate and escalate through the process. But such capacity cannot be defined by a single score, nor can it replace source-judgment and verification ability and job authorization.
Do not use it this way: Note: this page provides no emotional ability thresholds and does not equate high scores with competence.
Understand my emotional intelligence abilityFits better when: Willing to check sources and versions and to verify coordinate systems, projections, units and elevation datums.
Watch for: You need to build up source judgment and image interpretation experience; the demands on completeness of records and evidence are higher.
Explore related career: Information systems technical specialists and techniciansFits better when: Suggested editorial observation: willing to carry out ground surveying, checking terrain and boundary evidence and producing survey records.
Watch for: You need to build up instrument, field precision and boundary surveying ability; statutory practice and operating conditions are checked per the target jurisdiction, and map design does not mean the right to determine ownership.
Explore related career: SurveyorsFits better when: Willing to work on stereoplotting, three-dimensional terrain models and image matching, and to accept uncertainty in precision and data processing.
Watch for: You need to build up photogrammetry, stereoplotting and point cloud data processing ability; the demands on understanding precision are higher.
Explore related career: Surveying and mapping techniciansFits better when: Willing to do satellite and aerial image processing and information extraction and environmental and land surface monitoring analysis.
Watch for: You need to build up image processing and remote sensing analysis methods; the demands on a science and monitoring background are higher.
Explore related career: Remote sensing scientists and remote sensing technologistsFits better when: Suggested editorial observation: willing to analyze data with statistics and machine learning, test models and explain results.
Watch for: You need to build up statistics, programming, modeling and validation ability; GIS metadata management does not mean you are already competent in data science.
Explore related career: Data scientistsFits better when: Suggested editorial observation: willing to design data models, database structures and system integration plans.
Watch for: You need to build up database architecture, performance, security and system design; map checking and archiving does not mean database architecture experience.
Explore related career: Database architectsIt is less about a certain personality than about a certain way of working: get sources and versions straight, get coordinate systems, projections and units right, check features, attributes and annotations until they match the source, get mapping standards and map presentation right, stay within the data usage scope and keep complete records. O*NET work activities emphasize getting information, working with computers and evaluating information to determine compliance with standards.
Whether it suits you does not depend on introversion or extraversion. The work context shows 71% have face-to-face discussions every day, 68% have telephone conversations every day and 56% are in contact with others continuously, while 83% sit continuously or almost continuously, 98% work indoors every day and 37% face time pressure every day; whether you can stay meticulous and follow standards while sitting and facing a screen for long periods matters more than how extraverted you are.
Extraversion or introversion does not determine competence; the tasks require communication, data checking, feature editing and review. O*NET87% consider precision extremely important, 29% have a lot of decision freedom and 46% consider coordinating others extremely important; this is a work context survey, not a study of personality effects.
There is no official conclusion and no best-suited type. MBTI can only help organize preferences and raise questions to check; it cannot predict professional competence or recruitment and work authorization outcomes; this page provides no type list.
O*NET lists the interest code for this occupation as CIR (Conventional, Investigative, Realistic): Conventional is the highest score (72), corresponding to organizing information and data by procedures and rules; Investigative (70) corresponds to researching and analyzing non-obvious problems and seeking facts; Realistic (60) corresponds to hands-on work with equipment and in the field. The specific areas are led by Mathematics and Statistics (63) and Information Technology (59). Interest codes describe characteristics of the occupational group, not an individual fit conclusion.
No. Personality and interest tools have limited validity and cannot replace source and version check records, coordinate, projection and unit verification records, feature extraction and editing records, quality control records and actual performance; this page uses them only to raise questions to check.
Situations where long-term investment is not advised: you cannot adapt to long periods sitting and working in front of a screen (83% sit continuously or almost continuously, 98% work indoors every day, 53% perform repetitive motions continuously), or you are unwilling to check sources, versions, coordinate systems and units item by item (87% consider precision or accuracy extremely important), or you are unwilling to document the basis for decisions to standard; you can first judge after a supervised source-check and coordinate-verification exercise. Among the basic skills for this occupation, the importance of mathematics is 47, and basic calculation ability for coordinates, projections, scales and units is still required.
Emotional and tolerance capacity does help: you need to stay steady under delivery-deadline pressure and when source data contradicts itself, and to communicate and escalate through the process. But such capacity cannot be defined by a single score, nor can it replace source-judgment and verification ability and job authorization.
No. The Enneagram is not a tool for career fit or competence assessment and is not used as a recruitment basis in official occupational data; it can be used for self-reflection, but not to decide on skills learning and qualification investment.
Suggested editorial approach: observe learning through repeated source and version checks, spatial reference verification, mapping and quality records and on-the-job supervisory feedback; a single sample or one passed review provides only limited signal and does not prove basic competence, statutory qualification or data usage permission.
Typical scenario：Adopting a single dataset at hand with no version or source marked in order to meet a deadline, or overlaying two datasets with different coverage without explaining the differences.
Roles most affected：Cartographers and photogrammetrists themselves: the data source checking role
Possible consequence：Source data versions and coverage being inconsistent or unreliable distorts conclusions and affects downstream decisions (87% consider precision or accuracy extremely important; 11% consider the consequences of error extremely serious and 16% very serious).
How to reduce risk：Register the source, version, accuracy and coverage of each item and keep the original provenance; for inconsistencies, re-check the original records before deciding whether to adopt them; leave unverifiable sources blank and mark them as insufficient evidence rather than filling them with guesses.
Evidence：O*NET-SOC 17-1021.00 detailed profile (tasks and work activities) · Suggested editorial checks
Typical scenario：Mixing data in different coordinate systems or elevation datums without declaring it, or filling in units by convention without checking the source documentation.
Roles most affected：Cartographers and photogrammetrists themselves: the data verification role
Possible consequence：Errors in coordinate systems, projections, units, elevation datums and scale conversion cause features to be misplaced, attributes to mismatch and products to be unusable (87% consider precision or accuracy extremely important).
How to reduce risk：Before mapping, determine the coordinate system, projection, elevation datum and units and put them in writing; double-check conversions and position results and keep verification records; when inconsistencies are found, stop first and re-check the source and parameters rather than carrying erroneous results into mapping and release.
Evidence：O*NET-SOC 17-1021.00 detailed profile (tasks and work activities) · Suggested editorial checks
Typical scenario：Uploading restricted data to unapproved online tools for convenience, or sending maps containing sensitive locations to public groups and social platforms.
Roles most affected：Cartographers and photogrammetrists themselves: the information security management role
Possible consequence：Mishandling classified or restricted geographic information, client-commissioned data and internal maps leads to confidentiality and compliance consequences.
How to reduce risk：First check the data source, classification, licence, storage and external transmission permissions; use classified surveying and mapping products according to statutory procedure, obtain approval as required before providing them externally, and check the confidentiality technical processing conditions of the designated department for mapping. Internal authorization does not replace statutory approval; do not input restricted data into unapproved external tools, and if anomalies are found, pause the relevant processing you are doing and report it.
Evidence：Surveying and Mapping Law, Articles 27—39 · Regulation on Map Management, Articles 7, 13 and 15—16
Typical scenario：Skipping finished-product checks to meet a deadline, or leaving inconsistencies found to the user to just use for now.
Roles most affected：Cartographers and photogrammetrists themselves: the product review and delivery role
Possible consequence：Features, attributes and annotations not matching the source, or an incomplete finished product, carry problems past delivery and into use (87% consider precision or accuracy extremely important; 29% have a lot of freedom in how they make decisions).
How to reduce risk：Before delivery, check completeness and accuracy item by item against a checklist and against the source; write the problems found, the reasons for changes and the version into a record; escalate matters that cannot be confirmed to authorized personnel rather than deciding them yourself.
Evidence：O*NET-SOC 17-1021.00 detailed profile (tasks and work activities) · Suggested editorial checks
Typical scenario：Publishing maps or data products in the name of the organization without authorization, or verbally promising accuracy and coverage.
Roles most affected：Cartographers and photogrammetrists themselves: the professional signing role
Possible consequence：Giving source determination and accuracy statements and deliverable signing to tools or unauthorized people creates a responsibility vacuum and untraceability.
How to reduce risk：Source selection and quality verification can be part of this occupation's tasks and are documented per job responsibilities; the organization is responsible for the quality of its surveying and mapping products. For public maps, first check whether review by the statutory competent department is required and who must submit it; internal signing or acceptance does not replace it; when release is uncertain, pause the relevant steps you are doing and report it.
Evidence：Surveying and Mapping Law, Articles 27—39 · Regulation on Map Management, Articles 7, 13 and 15—16
Typical scenario：Answering directly that this line is simply set this way, without explaining the source of the evidence or the authority to determine it.
Roles most affected：Cartographers and photogrammetrists themselves: boundary and ownership related work
Possible consequence：Making determinations about boundaries and ownership beyond your duties creates liability that is hard to bear in a dispute (public records involving legal, administrative and ownership evidence are involved).
How to reduce risk：Only organize and present the evidence based on public records and note the source and version; refer matters involving determinations to the competent legal, administrative and ownership authorities or authorized bodies; put conditions and exceptions in writing; when uncertain, report to authorized personnel before answering.
Evidence：Surveying and Mapping Law, Articles 27—39 · Suggested editorial checks
| Entry-level positions | What you mainly do early on the job | Suggested job competence checks | How to prove it without experience | Differences from other directions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data processing and mapping assistant position (mainly under supervision and authorization) | Complete data organization, graphic editing and map layout under supervision and authorization, and learn coordinate systems, projections, units and data standards. | Suggested editorial checks: a surveying and mapping, geographic information or mapping-related educational background, meticulousness and patience, and compliance with data usage scope and confidentiality requirements. | Submit practice material containing a source list, coordinate and unit verification exercises and mapping standard excerpts. | Assistant duties are assigned according to the actual position, and source checking can be part of this occupation's tasks; independent adoption, signing and release each have their own permissions and statutory conditions to check, and are not uniformly prohibited. |
| Data processing and mapping position (according to job authorization) |
Certification is usually optional (BLS OOH); the 12-item directory and two apprenticeship occupation titles do not prove that all programs are open for enrollment; conditions were not verified.
O*NET marks Bright Outlook; U.S. typical bachelor's degree, not directly transferable to Chinese positions.
Positions involving classified or restricted geographic information must obtain approval or qualification as required by the jurisdiction and keep records.
Check Chinese statutory review of public maps and the conditions for classified products first; position signing and acceptance follow job responsibilities separately, and internal authorization cannot replace review by the competent department.
Tools: a calculator, coordinate conversion tables and diagrams, a mapping software layer and symbol note, and a personal data processing and record checking checklist; do not connect to any real project or classified data system.
Boundary note: the exercises must not be used for real surveying and mapping products, map release, or boundary and ownership determination.
Time plan: one 40-minute source and version check and coordinate and unit verification, plus one 50-minute mapping standard, layout and legend design, plus one 30-minute completeness and accuracy checklist design.
Write out the mapping standard, layout, legend and annotation rules, and mark the three steps most prone to coordinate, unit or presentation problems and the self-check method for each.
Complete a completeness and accuracy inspection record, and write out the stop and escalation path for one instance of a source inconsistency or restricted data being involved.
Give two projection or layout options for the same dataset and compare their presentation and information content.
Note the source and information date for each item; leave unverifiable items blank and mark them as insufficient evidence rather than filling them with guesses.
List separately education and training, industry certification and apprenticeship experience, statutory qualification and practice eligibility (related to surveying and mapping and classified products), job hiring and authorization, professional signing, acceptance and product delivery responsibility, and institutional business qualification, so that they are not conflated.
Keep the review comments together with the reasons for changes, as evidence of whether you can accept standards and quality improvements.
Turn improvement items into a trackable list and note the verification method (run the coordinate check again or re-check the source and version).
| Stage | What may be assessed | Observation evidence | Usage boundaries |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before applying | Check the job duties (leaning toward data collection and processing, mapping design and finished maps, three-dimensional mapping and photogrammetry, remote sensing and image analysis, or data governance and metadata), the data categories you are allowed to process independently and whether classified or restricted geographic information and the corresponding approval are involved, whether field work and on-site verification are required, and who provides data and software licences. | Material describing project experience, the data categories you can take on and a tool list; be able to explain how you ensure source judgment and coordinate verification are traceable. | Do not treat being able to produce a map with some mapping software as having the ability to judge spatial data quality and follow mapping standards; samples are only a reference for ability. |
| During the interview |
Output: a one-page task and authorization boundary comparison table, with the source noted for each item.
Output: a source, tool and software checklist.
Output: a coordinate, projection and unit verification record.
Output: a mapping standard and layout note.
Output: a sample inspection and revision record.
| Qualification / status | Who it mainly suits | Practical role in job hunting | Whether it is a general hiring threshold | Application / registration conditions | Investment level | Important limitations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Education (a surveying and mapping, geographic information or mapping-related major at bachelor's level or above) | Job seekers who want to enter this occupation | Affects hiring thresholds and professional direction, but does not determine the data categories you can process or the scope of work. | BLS gives a U.S. typical entry of a bachelor's degree; O*NET36%/30%/11% are judgments about the education new hires need, not the educational attainment of incumbents or a Chinese threshold. | The admission and completion requirements of specific degree programs were not verified; check them against the target school and position. |
Typical scope：Accountable for source judgment and coordinate and unit accuracy.
Readiness evidence：Source list, coordinate and unit verification exercises, and data standard excerpts.
Credential boundary：Suggested editorial path start: for the target role, check relevant coursework and spatial reference and data and mapping fundamentals; BLS gives a U.S. typical bachelor's degree, and no unified threshold for Chinese target-role education requirements was verified.
Next moves：Learn source checking, data organization and coordinate and unit verification under supervision and authorization.
Typical scope：Accountable for data quality and record completeness.
Readiness evidence：Reviewed source and version check records, coordinate verification records and editing records.
Credential boundary：Has source judgment experience and holds job authorization.
Next moves：Independently completes source and version checks, coordinate, projection and unit verification, feature extraction and editing.
Can complete data organization, graphic editing and map layout under supervision and authorization, and identify source and data usage boundaries that require asking for guidance.
Can independently complete source and version checks, coordinate, projection and unit verification, feature extraction and editing, mapping and self-checking.
Can take on data standards, mapping standards, quality self-checking and mentoring new staff, and handle revisions, corrections and delivery communication.
Can be responsible for project organization, data governance, the quality system and team management, and be accountable for delivery and compliance requirements.
United States · exact
Growth 7.4% (2025—2035)
Employment growth rate (about 900 annual openings)
BLS SOC17-1021: 2025 employment 14,700, 2035 projection 15,700, an official net change of 1,100 and growth of 7.4%, with about 900 average annual openings over 2025—2035, and 1.2% self-employed in 2025. The headcounts in the table are rounded and the endpoint difference cannot be used to override the official net change; openings include replacement needs from transfers out and labor force exits and do not equal net growth or an AI-driven change.
Does not establish：It is a statistic for the occupational group and does not constitute an employment guarantee for any individual institution; demand is affected by public projects and the spread of data technology and applications, and growth and annual openings are different measures.
United States · exact
2025 U.S. national annual wages at P10/P25/P50/P75/P90 were 53,740/65,670/81,390/101,960/126,950 USD; the corresponding hourly wages were 25.84/31.57/39.13/49.02/61.03 USD. Percentiles do not represent starting pay, seniority or an individual's take-home income.
Wage percentiles and median (annual and hourly)
BLS May 2025 OEWS data; this occupation page marks Bright Outlook and lists it as Job Zone Four (considerable preparation needed, SVP range 7.0 to below 8.0).
Does not establish：The median is not entry-level pay and does not constitute an individual job offer; percentile figures cannot be treated as a starting-pay promise; this occupation usually requires a four-year bachelor's degree or equivalent preparation, and training does not guarantee income at this level.
Chinese mainland · industry_proxy
Non-private 182,064 CNY/year and private 83,560 CNY/year (2025, scientific research and technical services); the precise occupational monthly wage distribution was not obtained.
Industry average annual wage reference and the precise occupation gap
The 2025 NBS average annual wage in scientific research and technical services: 182,064 yuan for urban non-private units and 83,560 yuan for private units (pretax). This is an industry reference matched to the surveying and geographic information professional services direction, mixing all positions in the industry, and is not the average or monthly wage range or personal offer for cartographers and photogrammetrists.
Does not establish：Industry averages are not precise occupational wages, and no occupational monthly wage, starting pay or ranking is added.
These are capability relationships, not automatic promotions or credential waivers.
Transfers：What transfers is spatial reference, data formats and data quality awareness.
Build next：You need to build up geographic information system operation and maintenance and data entry update and mapping standard ability.
View career profileTransfers：What transfers is basic knowledge of coordinate systems, projections, point positions and terrain features.
Build next：You need to build up field surveying, instrument operation, field precision and boundary work ability.
View career profileTransfers：What transfers is mapping standards, map presentation and data processing experience.
Build next：You need to build up graphic editing, data organization and surveying and mapping software assistant work ability.
View career profileTransfers：What transfers is reading image and raster data and awareness of precision and error.
Build next：You need to build up image processing, remote sensing information extraction and monitoring analysis methods.
View career profileTransfers：What transfers is data quality, verification and reproducible record-keeping habits.
Build next：You need to build up statistics, machine learning modeling and large-scale data analysis methods.
View career profileTransfers：What transfers is the ability to organize data models, fields and quality constraints.
Build next：You need to build up general database structure, access and integrity rules and data governance design ability.
View career profileTransfers：What transfers is data modeling, metadata and version management experience.
Build next：You need to build up data warehousing, data integration, data services and data governance ability.
View career profileTransfers：What transfers is spatial analysis, thematic mapping and source retrieval ability.
Build next：You need to build up geography, humanities and regional studies and socio-economic data analysis ability.
View career profileThe main risks include conclusions being distorted because source data versions and coverage are inconsistent or unreliable; positions and attributes being misplaced because of errors in coordinate systems, projections, units, elevation datums and scale conversion; finished products being unusable because features, attributes and annotations do not match the source; leakage and out-of-scope use of classified or restricted geographic information and client data; a responsibility vacuum caused by handing source judgment, accuracy statements and product signing to tools or unauthorized people; and making out-of-scope determinations about boundaries and ownership. Controls depend on checking sources and versions with documented evidence, dual verification of coordinate systems, projections, units and dimensions, consistency checks between mapping standards and map presentation, managing classified and restricted data according to institutional rules, and a clear version, correction and escalation path.
The fit signals are being able to check sources, versions, coordinate systems, projections and units clearly, being able to maintain detail accuracy while sitting and facing a screen for long periods, and being willing to document the basis for decisions and changes to standard and to escalate promptly when uncertain; the key is whether you have reviewable source and version check records, coordinate, projection and unit verification records, feature extraction and editing records and quality control records, rather than only being able to produce a map with some mapping software or a piece of project experience.
Data gathering and organization, drafting source lists and metadata, preliminary feature extraction screening, first drafts of map annotations and field mapping, organizing record and explanatory text, and organizing checklists and version records can all be assisted; source judgment, coordinate systems, projections, units and accuracy statements, feature representation and mapping standard decisions, completeness and accuracy determination, and professional signing and release are still checked and owned by authorized personnel.
The version, accuracy and coverage of source data, the actual conventions for coordinate systems, projections and elevation datums, the consistency of feature positions, attributes and annotations with the source, mapping standards and map presentation, product completeness and accuracy, and the interpretation of boundary and ownership evidence and product signing and release must all be completed and documented by authorized or qualified people.
You need to check separately the education and major threshold (O*NET lists it as Job Zone Four; in the education survey 36% think a postsecondary education certificate is needed, 30% think a bachelor's degree is needed and 11% think having attended college without earning a degree is enough), industry certification and apprenticeship experience (the occupation page lists 12 certifications and 2 registered apprenticeship positions), statutory qualification and practice eligibility (related to surveying and mapping and classified products), and job authorization and data usage scope; this occupation usually does not require a unified licence, and surveying and mapping activities, map compilation and classified surveying and mapping product management in Chinese mainland have separate public rules, and neither education nor training automatically grants data usage scope or the right to decide professional signing and product acceptance.
The O*NET work context shows: 98% work indoors every day, 83% sit continuously or almost continuously, 87% use email every day, 87% consider precision or accuracy extremely important, 71% have face-to-face discussions every day, 68% have telephone conversations every day, 56% are in contact with others continuously, 50% continuously handle and control objects and tools by hand, 46% consider coordinating or leading others extremely important, 37% face time pressure every day, 53% perform repetitive motions continuously, 24% are exposed to distracting or uncomfortable noise every day, and 42% consider the work highly automated.
Mainly indoor data processing and mapping, with delivery deadlines and project cycles bringing crunch periods, and field verification and following projects on location may occur; the work context shows 37% face time pressure every day, 83% sit continuously or almost continuously, 98% work indoors every day, 29% have a lot of freedom in how they make decisions and 51% have some freedom; the working style is built around checking sources and versions, verifying coordinates, projections and units, extracting and editing features, designing mapping standards and layouts, and checking completeness and accuracy.
This occupation page shows about 13,400 people in 2024, and BLS projects employment growth of 6% over 2024—2034 (Faster than average, 5% to 6%), with about 1,000 job openings per year (including replacement demand such as separations and retirements); the occupation page marks Bright Outlook. Demand is affected by public projects related to geographic information, surveying and mapping, territorial space and planning, updates in data collection technology such as remote sensing and drones, the spread of applications such as digital twins and location services, and the supply of people with spatial data quality and mapping standard ability. Switching to adjacent directions (information systems technologists and technicians, surveyors, surveying and mapping technicians, remote sensing scientists and remote sensing technologists, data scientists, database architects and others) requires building up the corresponding data scope and qualification and authorization evidence.
U.S. wages are the national BLS May 2025 OEWS framing shown on this occupation page (hourly median 39.13 USD, annual median 81,390 USD, hourly 10th to 90th percentile 25.84 to 61.03 USD, annual 10th to 90th percentile 53,740 to 126,950 USD); for Chinese mainland, the evidence route for this item did not obtain a precise national occupational wage framing for this occupation (the National Bureau of Statistics industry wage source was opened, but there is no precise national wage framing for this occupation), and this route requires showing the gap rather than using a proxy figure, so this page publishes no Chinese mainland figure; the two framings and periods differ and cannot be compared side by side or converted.
The technology list shows 24 software skills (Hot Technologies entry, of which ESRI ArcGIS software appears at a rate of 62%, while no frequency is marked for the others); the core abilities are coordinate system, projection, unit and elevation datum conversion, source data judgment and quality control, photogrammetry and remote sensing image interpretation, spatial database and mapping software operation, mapping standards and map presentation, and the public rules for managing surveying and mapping products, classified geographic information and map content.
Obtain, store and provide data according to institutional rules and permissions; when classified or restricted geographic information is involved, obtain approval first and register the usage scope; do not input such data into unapproved external tools or public platforms; before delivery, check features, attributes and annotations against a checklist for consistency with the source and keep version and modification records; determination of boundaries and ownership is left to the competent legal, administrative and ownership authorities or authorized bodies, and product release and professional signing follow institutional authorization; anomalous access or external transmission requests must be reported.
98% work indoors every day, 83% sit continuously or almost continuously, 56% are in contact with others continuously, 71% have face-to-face discussions every day, 46% consider coordinating or leading others extremely important and 37% face time pressure every day; you need to communicate with clients and user departments, survey and remote sensing field teams, software and data suppliers, adjacent professional roles and review and acceptance personnel, and complete mapping and inspection to source, standards and institutional rules while keeping evidence.
FermatMind career content editorial note: occupation tasks, statistics and regulation texts are verified against the original; AI use, behavior observation, development levels and transfer distance are editorial analysis and do not replace actual testing, recruitment or statutory requirements.
Verified against sources on 2026-10-09 this round; O*NET updated 2026, wages 2025, employment 2025—2035, Lightcast technology signals 2025, China unit wages 2025. Chinese law uses the official public texts of the 2017 Surveying and Mapping Law and the 2015 Map Regulation; specific implementation, target state licensing and certification program conditions were not verified.
Main sources: O*NET details, industry, Hot Technologies, certification and national wages; BLS SOC17-1021 projection table and OOH industry wages and licensing; National Bureau of Statistics 2025 unit wages; China's Surveying and Mapping Law and Regulation on Map Management. ILO working paper 140 is used for the exposure framework, and the published page of the occupational classification code does not prove that no sub-category exists.
Limitations：The task list describes the work of the occupational group and does not mean every position carries out all 16 tasks, nor does it constitute surveying and mapping and classified product related qualification or institutional job authorization and data usage scope.
Limitations：U.S. occupational classification does not directly prove position identity, qualifications and data usage arrangements in Chinese mainland; this occupation page marks Bright Outlook and lists it as Job Zone Four (considerable preparation needed, SVP range 7.0 to below 8.0).
Limitations：The industry distribution describes statistical categories (government 50%, professional, scientific and technical services 32%, other industries 18%) and is not used to infer wages or employment size by industry.
Limitations：This page lists 24 software skills (Hot Technologies entry, of which ESRI ArcGIS software appears in 62% of job postings, while no frequency is given for the others such as the Adobe series, Autodesk AutoCAD, Bentley MicroStation, Python and SQL); an unmarked rate does not mean a proficiency threshold, nor does it mean the position has been replaced.
Limitations：This occupation is listed as Job Zone Four (considerable preparation needed, SVP range 7.0 to below 8.0), and most occupations in this zone require a four-year bachelor's degree; the educational attainment is an estimate by respondents and does not constitute a recommendation for any program or institution.
Limitations：This page lists 12 certifications (including Certified Photogrammetrist (ASPRS), Certified Mapping Scientist, GIS/LIS (ASPRS), Certified Photogrammetric Technologist and Certified Mapping Scientist, Remote Sensing (ASPRS) from the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Geographic Information Systems Professional from the Geographic Information Systems Certification Institute, and GEOINT Professional Certification Cartography and GEOINT Professional Certification Imagery Science from the U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, among others), and lists 2 position titles approved by the U.S. Department of Labor for registered apprenticeship (Drafter, Cartographic and Geospatial Specialist); certification and apprenticeship experience are industry or professional recognition and do not equal statutory qualification or institutional job authorization and product signing permission.
Limitations：This framing gives a national hourly median of 39.13 USD and an annual median of 81,390 USD for this occupation, with hourly 10th, 25th, 75th and 90th percentiles of 25.84, 31.57, 49.02 and 61.03 USD and annual 10th, 25th, 75th and 90th percentiles of 53,740, 65,670, 101,960 and 126,950 USD; percentile figures are not a starting-pay promise.
Limitations：This occupation page lists it as Job Zone Four (SVP range 7.0 to below 8.0) and marks Bright Outlook; the employment and projection use the 2024—2034 framing shown on this page (about 13,400 people in 2024, growth of 6% (Faster than average, 5% to 6%), about 1,000 openings per year) and are statistics for the occupational group; the page does not publish a precise net change figure, and growth and annual openings are different measures.
Limitations：This release publishes average annual wages of urban employed persons by industry sector and unit type, and this round did not establish a wage distribution at the occupational level corresponding precisely to Cartographers and Photogrammetrists (17-1021.00); this evidence route records the precise occupational wage as no data that can be used safely, requires showing the gap rather than using a proxy figure, and this page therefore does not transcribe its values and only registers the source and the mapping boundary.
Limitations：This information is only used to explain the scope of the regulatory entry for the relevant technical regulations and policy catalogue; it does not replace item-by-item verification, nor does it constitute a compliance determination for any specific institution or individual.
Limitations：The shared occupational classification entry is for discovery only; its occupational sub-categories have no one-to-one correspondence with cartographers and photogrammetrists, and judgment must be based on the position's actual duties and qualifications, and it does not establish an occupational wage statistical framing.
Limitations：The task exposure index does not provide job-count projections for a single occupation, and is not an adoption rate or unemployment rate.
Limitations：An editorial compilation record used to explain the framing and gaps; not a source of fact.
Limitations：The work context describes the distribution of working conditions across the occupational group and does not represent the specific arrangements of any single position.
Limitations：This page is the official wage lookup entry; this page does not use it to infer an individual's take-home income, nor as a job offer.
Limitations：The related occupation list is used to explain identity boundaries and adjacent directions (including information systems technologists and technicians, surveyors, surveying and mapping technicians and remote sensing related occupations), and does not mean that data scope or professional signing and acceptance responsibility can be exchanged.
Limitations：The custom profile is used to explain the range of officially selectable fields; it does not set a personal competence threshold, nor does it constitute surveying and mapping and classified product related qualification or institutional job authorization and data usage scope.
Limitations：2025 U.S. national annual wages at P10/P25/P50/P75/P90 were 53,740/65,670/81,390/101,960/126,950 USD; the corresponding hourly wages were 25.84/31.57/39.13/49.02/61.03 USD. Percentiles do not represent starting pay, seniority or an individual's take-home income.
Limitations：Median for this occupation in five industries: federal 109300, local 82200, architecture and engineering 81080, management, scientific and technical consulting 79030, state 77610 USD/year; licensing varies by state, employer and duties, and certification is usually optional.
Limitations：16 tasks, 11 core, 3 supplemental and 2 new; 26 software categories; 46% consider coordinating others extremely important, 87% precision; the 36/30/11 education requirement judgments are not attainment, and the Job Zone4 general training statement does not replace the None typical entry-level preparation recorded for this occupation.
Limitations：Government 48%, professional, scientific and technical services 34%, other 18%; not a wage distribution.
Limitations：24 specific technologies, ArcGIS62% for one, and the others frequency Not available; different from the 26 software categories, and not a threshold for all positions.
Limitations：12 program names; the detail page lists 2 additional registered apprenticeship occupation titles. Specific conditions, costs and maintenance were not verified and do not replace statutory licensing.
Limitations：Article 7 unit qualification, Article 13 technical processing of classified products, Articles 15—16 review of publicly released maps and who must submit them; simple scenic area, street block and subway maps are excepted. Internal authorization cannot replace statutory review.
Limitations：Articles 27—29 unit qualification, Articles 30—31 personnel conditions and certificates, Article 34 external provision of classified products, Article 39 unit responsibility for product quality. Specific implementation conditions and approval for actual business are checked separately.
Limitations：National Bureau of Statistics 2025 average annual wages for scientific research and technical services: 182,064 CNY for urban non-private units and 83,560 CNY for private units (pre-tax). This is an industry reference matching the surveying and mapping and geographic information professional services direction; it mixes all positions within the industry and is not the average, monthly wage range or individual quote for cartographers and photogrammetrists. It covers legal entities with 5 or more urban employees and excludes self-employed individuals and freelancers; non-private and private are not upper and lower limits and do not explain individual wages.
U.S. SOC17-1021 wage percentiles, industry medians and employment projections are checked separately; the Chinese scientific research and technical services average serves as proxy background, and the precise occupational wage gap is retained. Unit qualifications, individual conditions, data licences, statutory map review, and position signing and acceptance are checked separately; internal authorization does not replace statutory conditions.
Big Five (English) · MBTI (English) · Enneagram (Chinese) · IQ (Chinese)
Cartographic design and map production
| Core purpose |
| Main subjects and basis | The subjects are aerial photographs and satellite imagery, ground survey records and point results, base maps and charts, boundary information contained in legal and administrative and ownership records, control point and elevation and terrain and surface feature data, and the spatial databases and maps and charts and three-dimensional terrain models and metadata compiled from them; the cooperating parties include the commissioning party and user departments, surveying and remote sensing crews, software and data suppliers, adjacent professional roles, and reviewers and acceptance personnel. The basis is the version and accuracy and coverage statements of the source data, the coordinate system and projection and elevation datum and unit provisions, the mapping standards for map content and purpose and scale, the public records of boundary and ownership basis, and the statutory requirements and institutional procedures for the management of survey results and classified geographic information and map content. | Main subjects and basis |
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| Core process | Gather and check source data, consult legal and administrative records, verify the coordinate system and projection and units, identify and orient control points and terrain features, extract and edit surface features, determine mapping standards and layout, build and update databases and metadata, compile and revise drawings, check completeness and accuracy, and record and hand over and archive. | Core process |
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| Main outputs | Source data and version check records, coordinate and projection and unit verification records, feature extraction and editing records, mapping standard and layout and legend notes, spatial database and metadata version records, finished maps and charts and three-dimensional terrain models, data quality and completeness check records, and revision and correction records and handover and archiving records. | Main outputs |
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| Accountable parties | This occupation may carry source selection and coordinate and projection verification and feature representation and map production and quality checking; a supplier's accuracy statement does not exempt the user from verification or the surveying unit from responsibility for deliverable quality. Legal determination of boundaries and signing and acceptance of deliverables follow statutory requirements and the division of position authority; public map review and approval of classified results are handled under Chinese regulations and cannot be uniformly reduced to an internal decision by authorized personnel. When a source or spatial reference is in doubt, pause your related processing and report. | Accountable parties |
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| Admission and permits | Independent tasks and data access and deliverable signing and external release must each be verified for legal conditions and unit qualifications and individual qualifications and data licenses and position authority; training records and written institutional authorization cannot by themselves create statutory qualifications or approvals. The BLS OOH notes that licensing requirements may vary by state and employer and duties, and that certification is usually optional; this round did not verify the specific requirements state by state and does not treat 'usually no uniform license' as a conclusion that no license is needed. Articles 27—29 of China's Surveying and Mapping Law require units to obtain the corresponding surveying qualification and work within the licensed scope; Articles 30—31 concern professional technical personnel practice qualification conditions and surveying work certificates respectively, and unit qualifications cannot replace individual conditions. Article 34 requires approval through statutory procedures when classified results are provided externally, and Article 39 requires surveying units to be responsible for deliverable quality. Article 7 of the Map Management Regulations sets the qualification of map compiling units; Article 13 requires lawful use of classified survey results that have undergone confidentiality technical processing by the designated competent department; Articles 15—16 require maps released to the public to be submitted for review to the competent department with review authority as provided, with the exception of maps with simple content such as scenic area maps and street maps and subway line maps. Internal authorization does not replace statutory review; the qualification grade and individual qualifications and confidentiality approval applicable to specific business and the target U.S. state rules must still be verified separately. | Admission and permits |
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| Conclusion boundaries | The compilation and verification records are used to trace source versions, spatial references, accuracy statements, reasons for adoption, and the revision process; the records do not equal a legal boundary determination or deliverable acceptance. The statutory review of public maps in China and the conditions for using classified results are verified separately, and internal institutional review does not replace competent department review. | Conclusion boundaries |
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Occupational framing
Education and training pathways
Methods and tools
Safety and work permits
Training and regulatory requirements
Pay and hours
| Independently completes source and version checks, coordinate, projection and unit verification, feature extraction and editing, mapping and self-checking. |
| Suggested editorial checks: source judgment accuracy, execution of coordinate, unit and mapping standards, and record-keeping and self-checking habits. |
| Submit a sample containing source and version check records, coordinate verification records and quality self-check records. |
| Classified data and external map release must satisfy both statutory conditions and institutional authorization; internal approval cannot replace statutory review. |
| Quality and product review position | Takes on data standards, mapping standards, quality self-checking, mentoring new staff, revisions, corrections and delivery communication. | Suggested editorial checks: project experience, quality standards and data governance and teamwork. | Submit material containing a checklist, revision records and standards notes. | Legal determinations about boundaries and ownership and product acceptance conclusions must still be borne by authorized bodies and authorized personnel; this position must not make out-of-scope determinations. |
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| Remote sensing and three-dimensional technology position | Takes on image processing, information extraction, stereoplotting, three-dimensional terrain models and point cloud data processing. | Suggested editorial checks: photogrammetry and remote sensing methods, understanding of precision, and dedicated software and scripting ability. | Submit a sample containing an image and point cloud processing workflow and precision and quality notes. | The accuracy statement of the data provider must be checked, and this occupation can still choose sources and judge suitability; the organization's responsibility for the quality of surveying and mapping products cannot be shifted entirely to the provider. |
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| Moving in from adjacent directions (information systems technologists and technicians, surveyors, surveying and mapping technicians, remote sensing scientists and remote sensing technologists, data scientists, database architects and others) | Map your existing experience onto the source judgment and coordinate, projection and mapping standard requirements for spatial data. | Suggested editorial checks: transferable data processing, spatial reference, quality and collaboration experience. | Submit a work description that translates your existing work experience into the language of spatial data, mapping and data quality. | A role change does not automatically bring data usage scope or professional signing and release permissions; they must be obtained under the target position's rules and institutional authorization. |
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Basic skills are led by reading comprehension (75), critical thinking (63), writing (63) and active listening (60), with mathematics 47 and science 22; transferable skills are led by complex problem solving (53), judgment and decision making (53) and coordination (50).
Work styles are led by attention to detail (100), dependability (73) and intellectual curiosity (71); the work context shows 83% sit continuously or almost continuously, 98% work indoors every day and 87% consider precision or accuracy extremely important.
Common tools and systems include survey records from total stations, levels and GNSS receivers, aerial photographs, satellite imagery and stereoplotting equipment, geographic information systems and computer-aided mapping software, spatial databases, scripting tools and metadata tools.
Recruiting frequency is not noted and does not mean the organization has deployed such systems or tools.
Keep records following the principle of source or verification plus the basis for judgment plus how it was handled, and avoid vague descriptions.
Do not package the exercise results as statutory qualification, institutional job authorization or data usage permission.
Explain which steps used tool assistance (data organization, preliminary feature screening and document recording) and which judgments must be made by a person (source judgment, coordinates, projections, units and precision, mapping standards, and completeness and accuracy determination).
| Be able to explain stopping first and re-checking sources, versions and accuracy statements, recording the differences and escalating, handling them within the authorized scope according to the confirmed framing, and how to report to the data governance lead when uncertain. |
| Do not promise accuracy and coverage that cannot be verified; a scenario answer does not mean you have obtained data usage scope or product signing permission. |
| Probation period | Take on data organization, graphic editing and map layout under supervision and authorization, and accept source, standards and quality checks. | Accurate source judgment, correct coordinates, projections and units, proper execution of mapping standards, complete records, and timely escalation of anomalies. | Do not publish products externally without authorization or use data beyond your authorization; when anomalies in sources or data conditions are found, stop first and report. |
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| Conversion to regular employment assessment | Mainly based on source judgment accuracy, mapping quality, data standards and records, and collaboration performance. | Can maintain source, standards and checking habits under delivery pressure, and can accept review comments and improve immediately. | Conversion to regular employment does not automatically expand data usage or signing permissions; individual conditions, unit qualifications, classified approval, statutory map review and internal permissions are checked separately. |
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Output: a data usage scope and escalation path note.
Output: a seven-day judgment record.
| Invest according to program length and tuition. |
| Education does not equal data usage scope or statutory qualification and professional signing permission. |
| On-the-job training (mainly source judgment, software and mapping standards) | All new hires | Determines whether you can independently take on source checking, coordinate verification, feature editing, mapping and self-checking. | BLS gives None as the typical on-the-job training for this occupation; organizations may provide additional data, confidentiality and tool training, which is not the same as a uniform multi-year on-the-job period. | Common forms are mentoring, following projects, internal assessment and product retrospectives. | Invest according to time on the job. | Training records do not automatically convert into a broader data usage scope or product signing permission. |
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| Industry certification and apprenticeship experience (such as Certified Photogrammetrist (ASPRS) and Geographic Information Systems Professional) | Incumbents and those who want to improve their professional recognition | Affects professional recognition and competitiveness for some positions. | BLS OOH says certification is usually optional; O*NET lists 12 certifications and 2 additional apprenticeship occupation titles, which is not a common threshold for all programs. | Insufficient evidence: enrollment, prerequisites, assessment, costs, open status and maintenance requirements were not verified program by program. | Invest according to training, exam and maintenance costs. | Industry certification and apprenticeship experience do not equal statutory qualification or institutional job authorization and product signing permission. |
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| Surveying and mapping and classified product related qualifications and confidentiality training | People and units that take part in surveying and mapping activities or handle classified and restricted geographic information | Determines whether the related work can be carried out compliantly and whether the corresponding data can be accessed and used. | China's Surveying and Mapping Law, Articles 27—29, requires units to obtain the corresponding surveying and mapping qualification and to work within the licensed scope; Articles 30—31 concern the practice qualification conditions of professional and technical personnel and surveying and mapping work certificates respectively, and unit qualification cannot replace individual conditions. Article 34 requires that classified products be provided externally according to statutory procedure for approval, and Article 39 requires surveying and mapping units to be responsible for product quality. Article 7 of the Regulation on Map Management sets out the qualification of map compilation units; Article 13 requires lawful use of classified surveying and mapping products that have undergone confidentiality technical processing by the designated competent department; Articles 15—16 require maps released to the public to be submitted for review to the competent department with review authority as required, except for simple maps such as scenic area maps, street block maps and subway line maps. Internal authorization does not replace statutory review; the qualification level applicable to specific business, individual qualifications, confidentiality approval and the target U.S. state rules still need to be checked separately. | The specific unit qualification level, individual practice conditions, work certificates and classified approval procedures are checked separately according to the actual business, and completing training alone does not show that they are met. | Invest according to institutional and compliance costs. | Without qualification and authorization you must not carry out the related work or use restricted data in violation of the rules; when anomalies are found, stop and escalate. |
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| Data security and confidentiality management training | People who handle commissioned data and internal maps | Determines whether data can be obtained, stored and provided according to the rules. | It comes under the organization's data and confidentiality management system and the commissioning contract requirements. | Training is usually required separately by data category and permission, and records must be kept. | Invest according to training and refresher training. | Do not input restricted data into unapproved external tools or public platforms; anomalies must be reported. |
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| Surveying and mapping and geographic information service business qualification | Organizations that carry out surveying and mapping and geographic information related professional work | Determines whether the organization can take on the corresponding professional work. | Chinese unit surveying and mapping qualifications follow Articles 27—29 of the Surveying and Mapping Law; personnel conditions follow Articles 30—31 separately, and unit qualification is not treated as individual qualification. | Commonly based on requirements for units with the corresponding conditions, professional and technical personnel, equipment and management conditions. | Invest according to institutional and compliance costs. | An individual position cannot replace the organization's business qualification; business matters are handled according to the requirements of the organization and the competent department. |
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The BLS OOH notes that licensing requirements may vary by state and employer and duties, and that certification is usually optional; this round did not verify the specific requirements state by state and does not treat 'usually no uniform license' as a conclusion that no license is needed. Articles 27—29 of China's Surveying and Mapping Law require units to obtain the corresponding surveying qualification and work within the licensed scope; Articles 30—31 concern professional technical personnel practice qualification conditions and surveying work certificates respectively, and unit qualifications cannot replace individual conditions. Article 34 requires approval through statutory procedures when classified results are provided externally, and Article 39 requires surveying units to be responsible for deliverable quality. Article 7 of the Map Management Regulations sets the qualification of map compiling units; Article 13 requires lawful use of classified survey results that have undergone confidentiality technical processing by the designated competent department; Articles 15—16 require maps released to the public to be submitted for review to the competent department with review authority as provided, with the exception of maps with simple content such as scenic area maps and street maps and subway line maps. Internal authorization does not replace statutory review; the qualification grade and individual qualifications and confidentiality approval applicable to specific business and the target U.S. state rules must still be verified separately.
Before starting work, check item by item the data categories you are allowed to process independently, the required approval and training, whether field work and on-site presence are involved, who provides data and software licences, product signing and release permissions and the review process, and keep written confirmation.
Typical scope：Accountable for data standards and quality execution.
Readiness evidence：Data standards documents, checklists and revision records.
Credential boundary：Has several years of project and data standards experience.
Next moves：Takes on data standards, quality self-checking, mentoring new staff, revisions and corrections.
Typical scope：Accountable for project delivery and data governance as a whole.
Readiness evidence：Project organization documents and data governance and quality system management records.
Credential boundary：Has project organization, data governance and quality management experience.
Next moves：Responsible for project organization, data governance, the quality system and team management.
Typical scope：Accountable for map presentation and standards execution.
Readiness evidence：Layout and legend exercises, standard excerpts and design notes.
Credential boundary：Suggested editorial path start: for the target role, check relevant coursework and spatial reference and data and mapping fundamentals; BLS gives a U.S. typical bachelor's degree, and no unified threshold for Chinese target-role education requirements was verified.
Next moves：Learn layout, legend and annotation standards and map layout under supervision and authorization.
Typical scope：Accountable for mapping quality and standards consistency.
Readiness evidence：Reviewed mapping standards, layout notes and quality self-check records.
Credential boundary：Has mapping standards experience and holds job authorization.
Next moves：Independently completes map content, layout, scale, projection and color standards, mapping and self-checking.
Typical scope：Accountable for the feasibility of standards and mapping quality.
Readiness evidence：Standards development documents, consistency checks and mentoring records.
Credential boundary：Has several years of mapping project and standards development experience.
Next moves：Takes on developing mapping standards, controlling map consistency and mentoring new staff.
Typical scope：Accountable for delivery quality and client relationships as a whole.
Readiness evidence：Project, delivery quality and client communication management records.
Credential boundary：Has project, delivery and quality management experience.
Next moves：Responsible for mapping project organization, delivery quality, client communication and team management.
Typical scope：Accountable for inspection records and version standards.
Readiness evidence：Checklists, version records and record organization exercises.
Credential boundary：Suggested editorial path start: for the target role, check relevant coursework and spatial reference and data and mapping fundamentals; BLS gives a U.S. typical bachelor's degree, and no unified threshold for Chinese target-role education requirements was verified.
Next moves：Learn completeness and accuracy checks and version and record organization under supervision and authorization.
Typical scope：Accountable for product quality and traceability.
Readiness evidence：Reviewed inspection, revision and handover records.
Credential boundary：Has quality inspection experience and holds job authorization.
Next moves：Independently completes completeness and accuracy checks, revisions, corrections and handover.
Typical scope：Accountable for data governance and standards execution.
Readiness evidence：Data dictionary, metadata and version management records and mentoring records.
Credential boundary：Has several years of quality and data governance experience.
Next moves：Takes on data dictionaries, metadata, version management standards and mentoring new staff.
Typical scope：Accountable for delivery quality, compliance and cost as a whole.
Readiness evidence：Quality system, delivery and cost management records.
Credential boundary：Has quality system, delivery and cost management experience.
Next moves：Responsible for the quality system, delivery, cost, safety management and team organization.
Limitations：BLS SOC17-1021: employment was 14,700 in 2025 and is projected to be 15,700 in 2035, an official net change of 1,100, or 7.4% growth; about 900 openings per year on average over 2025—2035, and the self-employed share was 1.2% in 2025. Table figures are rounded, so endpoint differences must not override the official net change; openings include replacement demand from workers transferring out or exiting the labor force, and are not the same as net new additions or AI-caused change. BLS classifies the typical entry-level preparation for SOC17-1021 as a bachelor's degree, no related work experience and no typical on-the-job training; OOH notes that people usually study cartography, geography, geomatics, surveying or a related field. The majority of four-year degrees plus several years of experience or training shown for O*NET Job Zone4 is a zone-level general description and cannot replace the classification for this occupation; the education figures of 36%/30%/11% are respondents' judgments about the education new hires need (postsecondary certificate/bachelor's degree/some college, no degree) and are not the educational attainment of incumbents. The certification directory lists 12 items, and the detail page additionally lists two registered apprenticeship occupation titles, Drafter, Cartographic and Geospatial Specialist; the specific open programs, enrollment, costs and maintenance conditions were not verified.
Limitations：Editorial ratings use the existing occupational responsibilities and AI task analysis on this page. They are not adoption rates, measured effects, job-disappearance or personal-unemployment probabilities, or official scores from Stanford or another external institution. No measured time weights or future robot deployment are assumed.
