Overview
In this career, your responsibilities may include:
- Assisting surveyors, cartographers, and photogrammetrists in measuring land and making maps.
- Using technological equipment and Geographic Information System (GIS) technology to gather data in the field and record it, and using that data to create maps.
Job Titles
In your job search, you may find listings for this career under different titles. You can find some examples of these, as well as more information about this career, at Career One Stop.
Academic Requirements
Typically requires an associate degree. Obtaining a bachelor’s degree would allow you to work as a Surveyor or Cartographer or Photogrammetrist, if you do not already have the U.S. equivalent of a bachelor’s degree. Your associate degree might give you advanced standing or transfer credit toward a bachelor’s degree, reducing the time it would take you to graduate.
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Certification
Certification is not required, but could make employers more likely to hire you or offer you a higher salary.
Mapping technicians may be eligible for one of the following credentials from the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS), if you have 3-6 years of related work experience:
- Certified Remote Sensing Technologist
- Certified GIS/LIS Technologist
- Certified Lidar Technologist
- Certified UAS Technologist
Mapping technicians may be eligible for GISP Certification from the GIS Certification Institute if you have 4 years of related work experience.
Surveying technicians may be eligible for the Certified Survey Technician (CST) credential from the National Society of Professional Surveyors, available at four levels requiring between 0-5 years of related work experience.
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Licensure
No licensure is required to work as a Surveying and Mapping Technician.
Contact us with any questions you might have.