Can Agents Work?

Jobs / Architecture and engineering / 17-3031.00

Surveying and Mapping Technicians

Perform surveying and mapping duties, usually under the direction of an engineer, surveyor, cartographer, or photogrammetrist, to obtain data used for construction, mapmaking, boundary location, mining, or other purposes. May calculate mapmaking information and create maps from source data, such as surveying notes, aerial photography, satellite data, or other maps to show topographical features, political boundaries, and other features. May verify accuracy and completeness of maps.

US jobs
58,010
Median wage
$54,240 a year
Job family
Architecture and engineering

Can agents do the work of surveying and mapping technicians?

We read the evidence for the whole job family, Architecture and engineering: Some tasks (first measured in the last 12 months)

Agents complete 20% or more of the tasks (or projects) on a direct benchmark.

Evidence: HWE-Bench, 79.9% of tasks completed.

Direct evidence that disagrees: Parametric CAD Bench V3, 9% of tasks fully completed (Perfect tasks).

0% of this occupation's work, by O*NET work activities, is measured by a direct benchmark.

  • 27%Assess characteristics of land or propertyNot measured
  • 18%Create visual designs or displaysNot measured
  • 17%Gather data about operational or development activitiesNot measured
  • 4%Evaluate designs, specifications, or other technical dataNot measured
  • 4%Monitor operations to ensure compliance with regulations or standardsNot measured
  • 4%Document technical designs, procedures, or activitiesNot measured
  • 3%Analyze environmental or geospatial dataNot measured
  • 3%Design computer or information systems or applicationsNot measured

Benchmarks for the job family

These cover work in architecture and engineering, not always this occupation's tasks.

Direct evidence

Work benchmarks mapped primary to this family. They set the step when they report how many tasks agents complete.

Also relevant

These benchmarks cover part of this family's work, or have no result yet. They do not set its step.

Context only

These benchmarks span many occupations, or they test how agents behave. They give context but do not set the step.

Typical tasks

From O*NET 31.0. Core tasks first. Few of these tasks have a benchmark today.

  • Set out and recover stakes, marks, or other monumentation.
  • Search for section corners, property irons, or survey points.
  • Calculate latitudes, longitudes, angles, areas, or other information for mapmaking, using survey field notes or reference tables.
  • Enter Global Positioning System (GPS) data, legal deeds, field notes, or land survey reports into geographic information system (GIS) workstations so that information can be transformed into graphic land descriptions, such as maps and drawings.
  • Adjust and operate surveying instruments such as prisms, theodolites, electronic distance measuring equipment, or electronic data collectors.
  • Check all layers of maps to ensure accuracy, identifying and marking errors and making corrections.
  • Collect information needed to carry out new surveys, using source maps, previous survey data, photographs, computer records, or other relevant information.
  • Record survey measurements or descriptive data, using notes, drawings, sketches, or inked tracings.
  • Conduct surveys to ascertain the locations of natural features and man-made structures on the Earth's surface, underground, and underwater, using electronic distance-measuring equipment, such as GPS, and other surveying instruments.
  • Prepare topographic or contour maps of land surveyed, including site features and other relevant information, such as charts, drawings, and survey notes.
  • Supervise or coordinate activities of workers engaged in surveying, plotting data, drafting maps, or producing blueprints, photostats, or photographs.
  • Compile information necessary to stake projects for construction, using engineering plans.
Other job titles for this occupation (44)

Field Surveyor · Land Survey Technician (Land Survey Tech) · Land Surveyor · Mapping Editor · Mapping Technician (Mapping Tech) · Photogrammetric Technician (Photogrammetric Tech) · Rodman · Stereoplotter Operator · Survey Technician (Survey Tech) · Surveying Technician (Surveying Tech) · Compass Operator · Field Map Technician (Field Map Tech) · Field Survey Technician (Field Survey Tech) · Geodetic Computator · GIS Mapping Technician (Geographic Information Systems Mapping Technician) · Instrument Man (I-Man) · Instrument Operator · Instrument Person · Instrument Rodman · Instrumentation Technician (Instrumentation Tech) · Land Surveying Survey Worker · Map Compiler · Map Drafter · Map Editor · Mineral Surveying Technician (Mineral Surveying Tech) · Photogrammetric Stereo Compiler · Stereo Compiler · Stereo Map Plotter Operator · Stereo Plotter Operator · Survey CAD Technician (Survey Computer-Aided Design Technician) · Survey Field Technician (Survey Field Tech) · Survey Instrument Operator · Survey Instrument Person · Survey Rodman · Surveying Crew Rodman · Surveyor Helper · Surveyor Instrument Assistant · Surveyor Rod Helper · Technical Illustrations Map Inker (Tax Map Tech) · Topographic Computator · Topographical Drafter · Topography Technician (Topography Tech) · Transit Survey Worker · Utility Mapping Technician (Utility Mapping Tech)