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AI exposure Architecture and engineering

Will AI replace surveying and mapping technicians?

Surveying and Mapping Technicians. US occupation 17-3031.

0.0%

of the time surveying and mapping technicians spend on their work goes on tasks where AI is already being used to do that work.of surveying and mapping technicians' working hours go on tasks AI has already started taking off their plate.

Ranked 346 of 756 US occupations. No AI use seen in the work yet, along with 410 other occupations.No handover started yet, along with 410 other occupations.

Average US job 7.7%

Among the least exposed jobs there are.Still waiting for liberation.

What AI already does for surveying and mapping techniciansWhat surveying and mapping technicians no longer do alone

O*NET lists 30 tasks for surveying and mapping technicians. None of them shows meaningful AI use at work yet.

What it does not touch, yetWhat still needs a human

30 of the 30 tasks show no AI use at work in the data.

  • Adjust and operate surveying instruments such as prisms, theodolites, electronic distance measuring equipment, or electronic data collectors.Core task
  • Analyze aerial photographs to detect and interpret significant military, industrial, resource, or topographical data.Core task
  • Answer questions and provide information to the public or to staff members regarding assessment maps, surveys, boundaries, easements, property ownership, roads, zoning, or similar matters.Core task
  • Calculate latitudes, longitudes, angles, areas, or other information for mapmaking, using survey field notes or reference tables.Core task
  • Check all layers of maps to ensure accuracy, identifying and marking errors and making corrections.Core task
  • Collect information needed to carry out new surveys, using source maps, previous survey data, photographs, computer records, or other relevant information.Core task
Show the other 24
  • Compare survey computations with applicable standards to determine adequacy of data.Core task
  • Compare topographical features or contour lines with images from aerial photographs, old maps, or other reference materials to verify the accuracy of their identification.Core task
  • Compile information necessary to stake projects for construction, using engineering plans.Core task
  • Complete detailed source and method notes describing the location of routine or complex land parcels.Core task
  • 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.Core task
  • Design or develop information databases that include geographic or topographic data.Core task
  • Determine scales, line sizes, or colors to be used for hard copies of computerized maps, using plotters.Core task
  • 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.Core task
  • Identify and compile database information to create requested maps.Core task
  • Monitor mapping work or the updating of maps to ensure accuracy, inclusion of new or changed information, or compliance with rules and regulations.Core task
  • Operate and manage land-information computer systems, performing tasks such as storing data, making inquiries, and producing plots and reports.Core task
  • Perform calculations to determine earth curvature corrections, atmospheric impacts on measurements, traverse closures or adjustments, azimuths, level runs, or placement of markers.Core task
  • Position and hold the vertical rods, or targets, that theodolite operators use for sighting to measure angles, distances, and elevations.Core task
  • Prepare topographic or contour maps of land surveyed, including site features and other relevant information, such as charts, drawings, and survey notes.Core task
  • Produce or update overlay maps to show information boundaries, water locations, or topographic features on various base maps or at different scales.Core task
  • Provide assistance in the development of methods and procedures for conducting field surveys.Core task
  • Record survey measurements or descriptive data, using notes, drawings, sketches, or inked tracings.Core task
  • Research and combine existing property information to describe property boundaries in relation to adjacent properties, taking into account parcel splits, combinations, or land boundary adjustments.Core task
  • Search for section corners, property irons, or survey points.Core task
  • Set out and recover stakes, marks, or other monumentation.Core task
  • Supervise or coordinate activities of workers engaged in surveying, plotting data, drafting maps, or producing blueprints, photostats, or photographs.Core task
  • Trace contours or topographic details to generate maps that denote specific land or property locations or geographic attributes.Core task
  • Trim, align, and join prints to form photographic mosaics, maintaining scaled distances between reference points.Core task
  • Prepare cost estimates for mapping projects.

How that compares

Among the 34 architecture and engineering occupations, surveying and mapping technicians rank 34. The group averages 3.8%, and its most exposed job is Computer Hardware Engineers at 14.5%. The average US occupation sits at 7.7%.

All 756 occupations, ranked

Level with 0.0%

  1. 346Subway and Streetcar Operators 0.0%
  2. 346Surgical Assistants 0.0%
  3. 346Surgical Technologists 0.0%

What this does and does not mean

Exposure is observed use, not a forecast. Anthropic maps work conversations with Claude onto the tasks O*NET lists for each job and asks, of the tasks AI could speed up, which are actually being used for at work. A use that does the task outright counts in full and a use that assists a person counts half. The task scores are averaged into the occupation figure by the share of time spent on each task.

A high figure means AI is already part of how this work gets done. It does not mean anyone has been replaced. Anthropic's own reading of the labour market finds no systematic rise in unemployment among exposed workers so far, and about 14% fewer 22 to 25 year olds starting exposed jobs.No measurable rise in unemployment among exposed workers so far, and about 14% fewer 22 to 25 year olds starting these jobs. Gap years for everyone. Labor market impacts, 5 March 2026.

Task list and titles from O*NET 31.0 by the US Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. Scores from the Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY). Checked 1 November 2026. How the ranking works.