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Date: 08/11/2025

Cartographers and Photogrammetrists

Research, study, and prepare maps and other spatial data in digital or graphic form for one or more purposes, such as legal, social, political, educational, and design purposes. May work with Geographic Information Systems (GIS). May design and evaluate algorithms, data structures, and user interfaces for GIS and mapping systems. May collect, analyze, and interpret geographic information provided by geodetic surveys, aerial photographs, and satellite data.

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  • Work Activities
  • Skills
  • WorkKeys®
  • Abilities
  • Knowledge
  • Career Video
  • Pay
  • Ohio Employment Trends
  • Typical Education
  • Personality
  • Tools
  • Technology
  • Tags
  • Build and update digital databases.
  • Determine guidelines that specify which source material is acceptable for use.
  • Delineate aerial photographic detail, such as control points, hydrography, topography, and cultural features, using precision stereoplotting apparatus or drafting instruments.
  • Compile data required for map preparation, including aerial photographs, survey notes, records, reports, and original maps.
  • Examine and analyze data from ground surveys, reports, aerial photographs, and satellite images to prepare topographic maps, aerial-photograph mosaics, and related charts.
  • Identify, scale, and orient geodetic points, elevations, and other planimetric or topographic features, applying standard mathematical formulas.
  • Determine map content and layout, as well as production specifications such as scale, size, projection, and colors, and direct production to ensure that specifications are followed.
  • Inspect final compositions to ensure completeness and accuracy.
  • Revise existing maps and charts, making all necessary corrections and adjustments.
  • Select aerial photographic and remote sensing techniques and plotting equipment needed to meet required standards of accuracy.
  • Travel over photographed areas to observe, identify, record, and verify all relevant features.
  • Study legal records to establish boundaries of local, national, and international properties.
  • Prepare and alter trace maps, charts, tables, detailed drawings, and three-dimensional optical models of terrain using stereoscopic plotting and computer graphics equipment.
  • Collect information about specific features of the Earth, using aerial photography and other digital remote sensing techniques.
  • Select aerial photographic and remote sensing techniques and plotting equipment needed to meet required standards of accuracy.

Work Activities

Work Activities

  • Build and update digital databases.
  • Determine guidelines that specify which source material is acceptable for use.
  • Delineate aerial photographic detail, such as control points, hydrography, topography, and cultural features, using precision stereoplotting apparatus or drafting instruments.
  • Compile data required for map preparation, including aerial photographs, survey notes, records, reports, and original maps.
  • Examine and analyze data from ground surveys, reports, aerial photographs, and satellite images to prepare topographic maps, aerial-photograph mosaics, and related charts.
  • Identify, scale, and orient geodetic points, elevations, and other planimetric or topographic features, applying standard mathematical formulas.
  • Determine map content and layout, as well as production specifications such as scale, size, projection, and colors, and direct production to ensure that specifications are followed.
  • Inspect final compositions to ensure completeness and accuracy.
  • Revise existing maps and charts, making all necessary corrections and adjustments.
  • Select aerial photographic and remote sensing techniques and plotting equipment needed to meet required standards of accuracy.
  • Travel over photographed areas to observe, identify, record, and verify all relevant features.
  • Study legal records to establish boundaries of local, national, and international properties.
  • Prepare and alter trace maps, charts, tables, detailed drawings, and three-dimensional optical models of terrain using stereoscopic plotting and computer graphics equipment.
  • Collect information about specific features of the Earth, using aerial photography and other digital remote sensing techniques.
  • Select aerial photographic and remote sensing techniques and plotting equipment needed to meet required standards of accuracy.

Skills

  • Installation

    Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.

  • Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • Management of Material Resources

    Managing equipment and materials.

  • Learning Strategies

    Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.

  • Systems Analysis

    Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.

  • Programming

    Writing computer programs.

  • Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • Systems Evaluation

    Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

  • Operations Monitoring

    Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.

  • Critical Thinking

    Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

  • Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.

  • Operation and Control

    Using equipment or systems.

  • Equipment Selection

    Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.

  • Active Learning

    Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.

  • Coordination

    Changing what is done based on other people's actions.

  • Service Orientation

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • Management of Personnel Resources

    Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.

  • Time Management

    Managing your time and the time of other people.

  • Active Listening

    Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

  • Science

    Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.

  • Equipment Maintenance

    Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.

  • Troubleshooting

    Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.

  • Quality Control Analysis

    Testing how well a product or service works.

  • Monitoring

    Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.

  • Repairing

    Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.

  • Mathematics

    Using math to solve problems.

  • Reading Comprehension

    Reading work-related information.

  • Technology Design

    Making equipment and technology useful for customers.

  • Social Perceptiveness

    Understanding people's reactions.

  • Judgment and Decision Making

    Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.

  • Operations Analysis

    Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.

  • Management of Financial Resources

    Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.

  • Negotiation

    Bringing people together to solve differences.

  • Complex Problem Solving

    Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

WorkKeys®

Applied Math
5
Workplace Documents
5
Graphic Literacy
5

Abilities

  • Oral Comprehension

    Listening and understanding what people say.

  • Dynamic Flexibility

    Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.

  • Visualization

    Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.

  • Wrist-Finger Speed

    Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.

  • Speed of Closure

    Quickly knowing what you are looking at.

  • Fluency of Ideas

    Coming up with lots of ideas.

  • Speed of Limb Movement

    Quickly moving your arms and legs.

  • Gross Body Coordination

    Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.

  • Depth Perception

    Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.

  • Auditory Attention

    Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.

  • Time Sharing

    Doing two or more things at the same time.

  • Selective Attention

    Paying attention to something without being distracted.

  • Far Vision

    Seeing details that are far away.

  • Near Vision

    Seeing details up close.

  • Explosive Strength

    Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.

  • Oral Expression

    Communicating by speaking.

  • Sound Localization

    Noticing the direction that a sound came from.

  • Reaction Time

    Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.

  • Deductive Reasoning

    Using rules to solve problems.

  • Glare Sensitivity

    Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.

  • Written Comprehension

    Reading and understanding what is written.

  • Hearing Sensitivity

    Telling the difference between sounds.

  • Flexibility of Closure

    Seeing hidden patterns.

  • Speech Clarity

    Speaking clearly.

  • Spatial Orientation

    Knowing where things are around you.

  • Control Precision

    Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.

  • Night Vision

    Seeing at night or under low light.

  • Trunk Strength

    Using your lower back and stomach.

  • Dynamic Strength

    Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.

  • Arm-Hand Steadiness

    Keeping your arm or hand steady.

  • Multilimb Coordination

    Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.

  • Written Expression

    Communicating by writing.

  • Peripheral Vision

    Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.

  • Memorization

    Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.

  • Speech Recognition

    Recognizing spoken words.

  • Perceptual Speed

    Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

  • Response Orientation

    Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.

  • Mathematical Reasoning

    Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.

  • Originality

    Creating new and original ideas.

  • Gross Body Equilibrium

    Keeping your balance or staying upright.

  • Finger Dexterity

    Putting together small parts with your fingers.

  • Extent Flexibility

    Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.

  • Number Facility

    Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.

  • Information Ordering

    Ordering or arranging things.

  • Category Flexibility

    Grouping things in different ways.

  • Static Strength

    Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.

  • Rate Control

    Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.

  • Manual Dexterity

    Holding or moving items with your hands.

  • Stamina

    Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.

  • Problem Sensitivity

    Noticing when problems happen.

  • Visual Color Discrimination

    Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.

  • Inductive Reasoning

    Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.

Knowledge

  • Food Production

    Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.

  • Economics and Accounting

    Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

  • Building and Construction

    Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.

  • Administrative

    Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

  • History and Archeology

    Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.

  • Medicine and Dentistry

    Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.

  • Sales and Marketing

    Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

  • Customer and Personal Service

    Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

  • Sociology and Anthropology

    Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.

  • Psychology

    Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

  • Communications and Media

    Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

  • Physics

    Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.

  • Foreign Language

    Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

  • Personnel and Human Resources

    Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

  • Computers and Electronics

    Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

  • Law and Government

    Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

  • Administration and Management

    Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

  • Production and Processing

    Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

  • English Language

    Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

  • Education and Training

    Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

  • Public Safety and Security

    Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

  • Chemistry

    Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

  • Philosophy and Theology

    Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.

  • Engineering and Technology

    Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.

  • Design

    Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

  • Mechanical

    Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

  • Telecommunications

    Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

  • Therapy and Counseling

    Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

  • Geography

    Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.

  • Biology

    Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

  • Mathematics

    Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

  • Transportation

    Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

  • Fine Arts

    Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

Career Video

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Additional videos and more information available on CareerOneStop

Pay

  • Typical Salary
  • $113,420
    $80,290
    $58,880
    Ohio
    US
    $121,440
    $78,380
    $50,500
  • Typical Hourly Wage
  • $55
    $39
    $28
    Ohio
    US
    $58
    $38
    $24

Ohio Employment Trends

  • Currently Employed 240
  • Yearly Projected Openings 20

Typical Education

Personality

Conventional: People interested in this work like activities that include data, detail, and regular routines.They do well at jobs that need:
  • Attention to Detail
  • Dependability
  • Cooperation
  • Adaptability/Flexibility
  • Innovation
  • Initiative

Tools

  • Aircraft guidance systems
  • Compasses
  • Computer servers
  • Curves
  • Digital camcorders or video cameras
  • Digital cameras
  • Digital image printers
  • Drafting kits or sets
  • Film editors
  • Global positioning system GPS receiver
  • Infrared imagers
  • Laminators
  • Laser printers
  • Levels
  • Map measurers
  • Notebook computers
  • Personal computers
  • Photographic enlargers
  • Plotter printers
  • Protractors
  • Radarbased surveillance systems
  • Scales
  • Scanners
  • Stencils or lettering aids
  • T squares
  • Templates
  • Theodolites
  • Triangles

Technology

  • Analytical or scientific software
  • Cloud-based data access and sharing software
  • Computer aided design CAD software
  • Data base management system software
  • Data base user interface and query software
  • Data compression software
  • Desktop publishing software
  • Development environment software
  • Document management software
  • Electronic mail software
  • Enterprise application integration software
  • Enterprise resource planning ERP software
  • Flight control software
  • Geographic information system
  • Graphics or photo imaging software
  • Information retrieval or search software
  • Internet browser software
  • Map creation software
  • Object or component oriented development software
  • Office suite software
  • Operating system software
  • Platform interconnectivity software
  • Presentation software
  • Spreadsheet software
  • Web page creation and editing software
  • Web platform development software
  • Word processing software

Tags

  • Apprenticeships are available for this occupation. These programs can help you get hands-on experience and build your skills.
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