🏗️Engineering & Architecture
Geodesist / Cartographer
Surveys land and produces maps
Takes precise measurements of the Earth's surface and produces maps and plans for construction and land management.
What they do
- ▹Carries out topographic and geodetic surveys of the land
- ▹Processes data from GPS/GLONASS receivers and total stations
- ▹Compiles maps, site plans and digital terrain models
- ▹Marks land parcel and object boundaries on the ground
Skills you need
- ▹Working with surveying equipment and GPS
- ▹GIS software (AutoCAD Civil 3D, QGIS)
- ▹Precision in measurement and calculation
- ▹Physical stamina for fieldwork
- ▹Knowledge of land law
Focus on these subjects at school
MathematicsGeographyDrafting
Where they work
- ▹State land and cadastre agency
- ▹Design-and-survey organizations
- ▹Construction companies running survey support
- ▹Private surveying and cadastre firms
- ▹Mapping and topographic enterprises
Pros
- + In demand in construction, land cadastre and land management
- + Combines field trips with desk-based data processing
Challenges
- − Fieldwork in any weather and in hard-to-reach terrain
- − A measurement error can trigger a boundary dispute
Programs that lead to this profession
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