Where a geographic information systems specialist can go next
5 destinations recorded, ranked by how much of the target role a geographic information systems specialist already meets. The closer to the top of Table 1, the less there is to learn.
Geographic information systems specialists use specialised computer systems, engineering measures, and geological concepts to process land, geographic, and geospatial information into visually detailed digital maps and geomodels of a reservoir. They convert technical information like soil density and properties into digital representations to be used by engineers, governments and interested stakeholders.
Also known as Earth Observation expert, GIS specialist, geomatics technician, GIS technician, geographic information systems consultant, GIS application specialist, specialist in geographic information systems, GIS data specialist, GIS mapping technician, geographic information systems expert, geographic information systems adviser, GIS analyst.
Professionals 43 skills on file 5 career moves 0 above 60% overlap Closest: cartographer, 59%
- 70% and above · short step
- 50 to 70% · real move
- Below 50% · substantial retraining
Table 2 · A bigger jump
Possible, but expect real retraining rather than a sideways step.
Table 3 · What the job itself asks for
A geographic information systems specialist needs 20 required skills and areas of knowledge. These 10 are the ones fewest other jobs share, so they say the most about the work.
- geological mapping natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
- compile GIS-data information skills
- geomatics natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
- collect mapping data information skills
- perform surveying calculations information skills
- process collected survey data information skills
- create GIS reports information skills
- create thematic maps working with computers
- environmental design engineering, manufacturing and construction
- surveying engineering, manufacturing and construction
Table 4 · Jobs that lead here
The reverse view: occupations whose skills already cover much of what a geographic information systems specialist does. The figure is how much of this job each one brings.
- land surveyor 64% covered · difficulty 41.6
- surveying technician 64% covered · difficulty 41.6
- cartographer 64% covered · difficulty 42.4
- hydrographic surveyor 61% covered · difficulty 44
- hydrographic surveying technician 59% covered · difficulty 46.1
- remote sensing technician 56% covered · difficulty 48.7
- geology technician 43% covered · difficulty 60.1
Look up another occupation
Geographic information systems specialist is filed under Professionals, ISCO major group 2. The full index lists all ten groups.
How these figures were compiled
Overlap is how much of the target role is already part of a geographic information systems specialist’s work. It is directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. Every entry above opens the full comparison for that move: what carries over, what is missing, and where to start. The full method.