Calculate mapmaking information from field notes, and draw and verify accuracy of topographical maps.

Conventional - Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

1. Check all layers of maps to ensure accuracy, identifying and marking errors and making corrections.

2. Determine scales, line sizes, and colors to be used for hard copies of computerized maps, using plotters.

3. Monitor mapping work and the updating of maps to ensure accuracy, the inclusion of new or changed information, and compliance with rules and regulations.

4. Identify and compile database information to create maps in response to requests.

5. Produce and update overlay maps to show information boundaries, water locations, and topographic features on various base maps and at different scales.

6. Trace contours and topographic details to generate maps that denote specific land and property locations and geographic attributes.

7. Lay out and match aerial photographs in sequences in which they were taken, and identify any areas missing from photographs.

8. Compare topographical features and contour lines with images from aerial photographs, old maps, and other reference materials to verify the accuracy of their identification.

9. Compute and measure scaled distances between reference points to establish relative positions of adjoining prints and enable the creation of photographic mosaics.

10. Research resources such as survey maps and legal descriptions to verify property lines and to obtain information needed for mapping.

11. Form three-dimensional images of aerial photographs taken from different locations, using mathematical techniques and plotting instruments.

Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.

Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Troubleshooting - Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.

Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed

Education: Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree. Some may require a bachelor's degree.

Training: Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers.

The college search results are undergraduate programs associated with Mapping Technicians. Further education may also be required to pursue this career.

The training search results include both short and long-term programs associated with Mapping Technicians, and may be more appropriate for adult and non-traditional students. Further training may also be required to pursue this career.

In NY the average wage for this occupation was:

$27,070 (per year) for entry level workers, and $48,280 (per year) for experienced workers.

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Based on the total number of annual openings and its growth rate, the employment prospects for this occupation are described as Favorable.

During 2006, there were approximately 2,040 Mapping Technicians employed in NY.

We estimate that in 2016 there will be 2,310  employed in NY. This represents an increase of 30 job(s) each year, and a total of 40 job openings each year.

Wave Hill Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Internship - Wave Hill and Lehman College collaborate to provide a summer opportunity combined with academic studies in Basic Mapping Science, including Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Site visits to environmentally significant locations and small work crews prune or clear excess vegetation, plant native species, fortify hillsides, and repair woodland trails to prevent erosion along the Hudson River. Lehman College's Department of Environmental, Geographic and Geological Sciences offers laboratory sessions and lectures by graduate students for three college credits, tuition-free.

Surveying, Mapping, and Drafting Technicians - Visit this link for information on this career in the military.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Summer 2006 College Experience - GIS Summer 2006 College Experience is an ideal way to learn new skills, check out careers in GIS, take part in a project team, get your own handheld GPS unit to keep and earn college credit!

U.S. Geological Survey(USGS): Science for a Changing World - USGS is an unbiased, multi-disciplinary science organization that focuses on biology, geography, geology, geospatial information, and water, and are dedicated to the timely, relevant, and impartial study of the landscape, our natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten us.

Learning at the Marian Koshland Science Museum Webquests - The Koshland Science Museum has created online webquest activities for students interested in learning more about issues presented in the exhibits of Global Warming and Genetic Disease.

Spatial Information Technology Center (SITC) - SITC is a collaborative effort between FMCC and NASA. Spatial information refers to data that is connected to a geographic location. Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Remote Sensing, and Global Positioning Systems (GPS) are technologies for collecting, analyzing, and displaying spatial information.

Xpeditions Geography Standards in Your Classroom Lesson Plans - Xpeditions is home to the U.S. National Geography Standards. The Lesson Plans are teacher-tested, sorted by standard and grade level.

Learning at the Marian Koshland Science Museum - The Marian Koshland Science Museum has identified unique, inquiry-based activities that can be used in the classrooms. They are related to its Global Warming and Infectious Disease exhibits that are designed for middle and high-school students and adhere to the National Academies' National Science Education Standards.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Summer 2006 College Experience - GIS Summer 2006 College Experience is an ideal way to learn new skills, check out careers in GIS, take part in a project team, get your own handheld GPS unit to keep and earn college credit!

American Design Drafting Association (ADDA) - The American Design Drafting Association (ADDA) is a professional membership and educational society dedicated to serving the professional growth and advancement of the individual working in the design drafting community. ADDA is the only membership organization dedicated exclusively to the professional designer/drafter in all disciplines.

Surveyors, cartographers, photogrammetrists, and surveying technicians - Visit this link for additional information on this career from the Occupational Outlook Handbook; a publication produced and maintained by the United States Department of Labor.

Cornell University Cooperative Extension New York City 4 H Youth Favorite Places - 4 H Youth Favorite Places (YFP) is an activity designed to help teach youth about Geographic Information Systems/Global Positioning System (GIS/GPS) as well as provide a service to their community, in which youth "map" their favorite places in their community.

Appraisers, Real Estate - Appraise real property to determine its value for purchase, sales, investment, mortgage, or loan purposes.

Cartographers and Photogrammetrists - Collect, analyze, and interpret geographic information provided by geodetic surveys, aerial photographs, and satellite data. Research, study, and prepare maps and other spatial data in digital or graphic form for 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.

Surveyors - Make exact measurements and determine property boundaries. Provide data relevant to the shape, contour, gravitation, location, elevation, or dimension of land or land features on or near the earth's surface for engineering, mapmaking, mining, land evaluation, construction, and other purposes.

Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers - Determine the location and plan the extraction of coal, metallic ores, nonmetallic minerals, and building materials, such as stone and gravel. Work involves conducting preliminary surveys of deposits or undeveloped mines and planning their development; examining deposits or mines to determine whether they can be worked at a profit; making geological and topographical surveys; evolving methods of mining best suited to character, type, and size of deposits; and supervising mining operations.

Civil Drafters - Prepare drawings and topographical and relief maps used in civil engineering projects, such as highways, bridges, pipelines, flood control projects, and water and sewerage control systems.

Surveying Technicians - Adjust and operate surveying instruments, such as the theodolite and electronic distance-measuring equipment, and compile notes, make sketches and enter data into computers.

Range Managers - Research or study range land management practices to provide sustained production of forage, livestock, and wildlife.

City and Regional Planning Aides - Compile data from various sources, such as maps, reports, and field and file investigations, for use by city planner in making planning studies.