Cartographer to hydrographic surveying technician
A cartographer already meets 44% of what the hydrographic surveying technician role asks for. The move turns on 12 required skills not yet in the profile.
62.4/ 100
1 How much of what a hydrographic surveying technician is expected to do is already part of a cartographer’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the hydrographic surveying technician role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A hydrographic surveying technician role treats 9 of its required skills as things a cartographer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- cartography
- collect mapping data
- geodesy
- geomatics
- mathematics
- perform surveying calculations
What stands in the way is 12 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 20 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A hydrographic surveying technician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a cartographer background worth leading with.
- already held geomatics natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
- already held collect mapping data information skills
- already held geodesy natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
- already held perform surveying calculations information skills
- already held process collected survey data information skills
- already held create GIS reports information skills
All 20 carried skills, including the 9 the hydrographic surveying technician role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 25 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn conduct underwater surveys required
- still to learn document survey operations required
- still to learn record survey data required
- still to learn prepare surveying report required
- optional, not held collect geological data optional
- optional, not held interpret geophysical data optional
- optional, not held analyse scientific data optional
- optional, not held apply scientific methods optional
- optional, not held conduct research before survey optional
- still to learn morphology required
- still to learn bathymetry required
- still to learn hydrography required
- still to learn survey techniques required
- optional, not held oceanography optional
- still to learn assist hydrographic surveys required
- still to learn operate surveying instruments required
- still to learn adjust surveying equipment required
- optional, not held operate marine machinery systems optional
- optional, not held operate marine communication systems optional
- still to learn write work-related reports required
- optional, not held prepare geological map sections optional
- optional, not held provide information on geological characteristics optional
- optional, not held write technical reports optional
- optional, not held vessel safety equipment optional
- optional, not held develop geological databases optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a hydrographic surveying technician role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 20 skills that carry over
- already held cartography knowledge
- already held collect mapping data skill
- already held geodesy knowledge
- already held geomatics knowledge
- already held mathematics knowledge
- already held perform surveying calculations skill
- already held surveying knowledge
- already held surveying methods knowledge
- already held topography knowledge
- already held apply digital mapping skill
- already held assist scientific research skill
- already held collect data using GPS skill
- already held create GIS reports skill
- already held create thematic maps skill
- already held geographic information systems knowledge
- already held geography knowledge
- already held geology knowledge
- already held process collected survey data skill
- already held use CAD software skill
- already held use geographic information systems skill
13 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held collect geological data optional
- optional, not held develop geological databases optional
- optional, not held interpret geophysical data optional
- optional, not held operate marine machinery systems optional
- optional, not held prepare geological map sections optional
- optional, not held provide information on geological characteristics optional
- optional, not held vessel safety equipment optional
- optional, not held analyse scientific data optional
- optional, not held apply scientific methods optional
- optional, not held conduct research before survey optional
- optional, not held oceanography optional
- optional, not held operate marine communication systems optional
- optional, not held write technical reports optional
29 held skills the hydrographic surveying technician role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role ICT system programming knowledge
- not needed by the target role apply desktop publishing techniques skill
- not needed by the target role archive scientific documentation skill
- not needed by the target role compile GIS-data skill
- not needed by the target role conduct field work skill
- not needed by the target role conduct quantitative research skill
- not needed by the target role conduct scholarly research skill
- not needed by the target role design customised maps skill
- not needed by the target role design graphics skill
- not needed by the target role desktop publishing knowledge
- not needed by the target role draft legends skill
- not needed by the target role empirical analysis knowledge
- not needed by the target role execute analytical mathematical calculations skill
- not needed by the target role handle geospatial technologies skill
- not needed by the target role identify customer's needs skill
- not needed by the target role improve user-friendliness skill
- not needed by the target role legal research knowledge
- not needed by the target role operate scientific measuring equipment skill
- not needed by the target role perform scientific research skill
- not needed by the target role photogrammetry knowledge
- not needed by the target role remote sensing techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role report analysis results skill
- not needed by the target role scientific research methodology knowledge
- not needed by the target role solve location and navigation problems by using GPS tools skill
- not needed by the target role study aerial photos skill
- not needed by the target role use digital illustration techniques skill
- not needed by the target role use software for data preservation skill
- not needed by the target role use spreadsheets software skill
- not needed by the target role use traditional illustration techniques skill
6 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn morphology required
- still to learn bathymetry required
- still to learn hydrography required
- still to learn survey techniques required
- optional, not held vessel safety equipment optional
- optional, not held oceanography optional
Common questions about this move
Can a cartographer become a hydrographic surveying technician?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A cartographer already covers 44% of what a hydrographic surveying technician is expected to do: 20 skills carry over, 9 of which the hydrographic surveying technician role treats as required.
What skills does a cartographer need to become a hydrographic surveying technician?
12 required skills are missing, plus 13 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is morphology.
How hard is the move from cartographer to hydrographic surveying technician?
Its learning distance is 62.4 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.