Career Overlap Transition record
RecordMove

Cartographer to surveying technician

A cartographer already meets 48% of what the surveying technician role asks for. The move turns on 12 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional
From cartographer
48 % overlap
Partial match
To surveying technician
22 You already bring
12 Still to learn
46 Skills in the target role2
Learning distance Substantial retraining

58.2/ 100

1 How much of what a 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 surveying technician role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

A surveying technician role treats 11 of its required skills as things a cartographer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

  • cartography
  • geodesy
  • geographic information systems
  • geomatics
  • mathematics
  • perform scientific research

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

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 22 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A 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.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held geomatics natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
  • already held compile GIS-data information skills
  • 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

All 22 carried skills, including the 11 the surveying technician role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 24 missing skills fall into 8 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.

Skill to pick up Tier
01 information skills 5 required, 4 supplementary
  • still to learn compare survey computations required
  • still to learn conduct land surveys required
  • still to learn interpret geophysical data 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 conduct research before survey optional
  • optional, not held determine property boundaries optional
  • optional, not held value properties optional
02 working with machinery and specialised equipment 3 required
  • still to learn operate surveying instruments required
  • still to learn adjust surveying equipment required
  • still to learn calibrate precision instrument required
03 engineering, manufacturing and construction 1 required, 4 supplementary
  • still to learn technical drawings required
  • optional, not held engineering processes optional
  • optional, not held quantity surveying optional
  • optional, not held civil engineering optional
  • optional, not held engineering principles optional
04 working with computers 1 required, 1 supplementary
  • still to learn use technical drawing software required
  • optional, not held develop geological databases optional
05 assisting and caring 1 required
  • still to learn ensure compliance with safety legislation required
06 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 1 required
  • still to learn survey techniques required

2 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a 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

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 22 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held cartography knowledge
  • already held geodesy knowledge
  • already held geographic information systems knowledge
  • already held geomatics knowledge
  • already held mathematics knowledge
  • already held perform scientific research skill
  • already held perform surveying calculations skill
  • already held process collected survey data skill
  • already held surveying knowledge
  • already held surveying methods knowledge
  • already held topography knowledge
  • already held apply digital mapping skill
  • already held collect data using GPS skill
  • already held collect mapping data skill
  • already held compile GIS-data skill
  • already held create GIS reports skill
  • already held create thematic maps skill
  • already held geography knowledge
  • already held geology knowledge
  • already held use CAD software skill
  • already held use geographic information systems skill
  • already held use spreadsheets software skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
Skill to pick up Tier
07 communication, collaboration and creativity 2 supplementary
  • optional, not held prepare geological map sections optional
  • optional, not held adjust engineering designs optional
08 business, administration and law 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held urban planning law optional
12 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to pick up Tier
  • optional, not held collect geological data optional
  • optional, not held develop geological databases optional
  • optional, not held engineering processes optional
  • optional, not held prepare geological map sections optional
  • optional, not held quantity surveying optional
  • optional, not held adjust engineering designs optional
  • optional, not held civil engineering optional
  • optional, not held conduct research before survey optional
  • optional, not held determine property boundaries optional
  • optional, not held engineering principles optional
  • optional, not held urban planning law optional
  • optional, not held value properties optional
27 held skills the surveying technician role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • 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 assist scientific research 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 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 traditional illustration techniques skill
7 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to pick up Tier
  • still to learn survey techniques required
  • still to learn technical drawings required
  • optional, not held engineering processes optional
  • optional, not held quantity surveying optional
  • optional, not held civil engineering optional
  • optional, not held engineering principles optional
  • optional, not held urban planning law optional
Index

Other moves recorded from cartographer

Full index of moves from cartographer

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a cartographer become a surveying technician?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. A cartographer already covers 48% of what a surveying technician is expected to do: 22 skills carry over, 11 of which the surveying technician role treats as required.

What skills does a cartographer need to become a surveying technician?

12 required skills are missing, plus 12 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is compare survey computations.

How hard is the move from cartographer to surveying technician?

Its learning distance is 58.2 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

Note

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.