Photo: Tomwsulcer (CC0)
Job description
Technicians gather geospatial data using tools like aerial photography, radio wave detection, and thermal sensors, then check that data for accuracy before it goes into an analysis system. A lot of the work is adjustment and cleanup: manipulating raw data to make it easier to interpret and using software to select the right image displays or processing routines for the task at hand. Technicians often prepare flight plans or sensor configurations ahead of a mission and consult closely with the scientists, surveyors, and engineers who will use the finished data.
Pros
- Solid demand with 10,600 jobs nationwide and pay reaching over $100k
- Faster than average projected growth (3.5%)
- Significant independent judgment applied to day-to-day data and imagery work
Cons
- Requires a bachelor's degree to break in
- Precision and accuracy are essential, leaving little room for error
- Entry-level pay starts well below the ceiling, around $39k
A typical day
The day begins with a data-processing queue: yesterday's drone flight over a construction corridor produced 1,400 images, and the technician feeds them through photogrammetry software, checking ground control point residuals before the orthomosaic goes to the client. Mid-morning is field prep for tomorrow — charging batteries, checking airspace authorizations, laying out the flight plan grid. The afternoon splits between quality control on a LiDAR point cloud (misclassified vegetation cleaned from the ground model) and organizing the data library that keeps every scene findable and documented. A processing job fails at 3pm; the fix is a corrupted image and a re-run, caught because the technician checks everything twice.
Tasks at the job
- Collect geospatial data, using technologies such as aerial photography, light and radio wave detection systems, digital satellites, or thermal energy systems.
- Verify integrity and accuracy of data contained in remote sensing image analysis systems.
- Integrate remotely sensed data with other geospatial data.
- Consult with remote sensing scientists, surveyors, cartographers, or engineers to determine project needs.
- Adjust remotely sensed images for optimum presentation by using software to select image displays, define image set categories, or choose processing routines.
- Manipulate raw data to enhance interpretation, either on the ground or during remote sensing flights.
Workplace & working conditions
Work happens indoors in a climate-controlled setting, and most of the day is spent sitting at a desk.
There's a regular, moderate amount of time pressure, and you're expected to exercise significant independent judgment day to day. Precision and accuracy are essential to the work.
Education necessary or common
Bachelor's degree
Common college majors
Licenses & certifications
- FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot
- GIS certificates (Esri or community college)
- ASPRS technician certification (later)
Career path
Related fields
Courses to take
- Computer Science — processing pipelines and file wrangling
- Geometry — coordinate systems and measurement
- AP Physics — how sensors capture the world
- Environmental Science — the subject matter of much of the data
- Drafting/CAD — mapping outputs feed design work
Clubs, activities & competitions
- Drone club or personal drone projects
- Science Olympiad — remote sensing event
- Robotics team — sensor and data experience
- GIS or computer science club
First steps you can take now
- Study for the FAA Part 107 drone license — eligible at 16
- Process free drone imagery with WebODM (open source) into a real map
- Learn QGIS basics with a free tutorial series
- Look up geospatial technician programs at community colleges
