Employment of surveying and mapping technicians is expected to grow 16 percent from 2010 to 2020, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Recent advancements in mapping technology have led to new uses for maps and a need for more of the data used to build maps. As a result, surveying and mapping technicians should have more work.
The digital revolution in mapmaking has created a need to harmonize property maps made the traditional way, with maps based on data fed into a GIS. Owners of private property will need to hire surveyors and surveying technicians to gather data in the field.
Cities, towns, and counties are finding that the data gathered by surveying and mapping technicians are crucial in implementing systems integration, the process of putting onto one map all the information about wires, pipes, and other underground infrastructure. That way, a city, town, or county can upgrade the entire infrastructure a street at the same time, resulting in savings for the local government.
The prevalence of smart phones and other mobile devices with Global Positioning System (GPS) technology has greatly increased the use of maps for finding businesses and other destinations. Surveying and mapping technicians will be needed to provide the data for these maps and to ensure that they are accurate.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition