Geology technician to remote sensing technician
A geology technician already meets 41% of what the remote sensing technician role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.
59.8/ 100
1 How much of what a remote sensing technician is expected to do is already part of a geology technician’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 remote sensing technician role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A remote sensing technician role treats 7 of its required skills as things a geology technician already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- collect data using GPS
- execute analytical mathematical calculations
- geodesy
- geographic information systems
- mathematics
- study aerial photos
What stands in the way is 10 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 17 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A remote sensing technician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a geology technician background worth leading with.
- already held geodesy natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
- already held study aerial photos information skills
- already held develop geological databases working with computers
- already held prepare geological map sections communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held create GIS reports information skills
- already held create thematic maps working with computers
All 17 carried skills, including the 7 the remote sensing technician role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 24 missing skills fall into 7 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 collect real-time geolocation information required
- still to learn log transmitter readings required
- still to learn interpret visual literacy required
- still to learn keep task records required
- still to learn study radar images required
- optional, not held research remote sensing technologies optional
- optional, not held collect mapping data optional
- optional, not held compile GIS-data optional
- optional, not held conduct research on climate processes optional
- still to learn geography required
- still to learn geomatics required
- still to learn remote sensing techniques required
- optional, not held Earth science optional
- still to learn photogrammetry required
- still to learn surveying required
- optional, not held topography optional
- optional, not held civil engineering optional
- optional, not held engineering principles optional
- optional, not held create cadastral maps optional
- optional, not held use CAD software optional
- optional, not held solve location and navigation problems by using GPS tools optional
- optional, not held operate remote sensing equipment optional
- optional, not held computer simulation optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a remote sensing technician role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 collect real-time geolocation information practise this
- 02 log transmitter readings practise this
- 03 geography study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 17 skills that carry over
- already held collect data using GPS skill
- already held execute analytical mathematical calculations skill
- already held geodesy knowledge
- already held geographic information systems knowledge
- already held mathematics knowledge
- already held study aerial photos skill
- already held use geographic information systems skill
- already held apply digital mapping skill
- already held assist scientific research skill
- already held cartography knowledge
- already held create GIS reports skill
- already held create thematic maps skill
- already held develop geological databases skill
- already held geology knowledge
- already held geophysics knowledge
- already held interpret geophysical data skill
- already held prepare geological map sections skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held create strategic maps optional
14 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held research remote sensing technologies optional
- optional, not held solve location and navigation problems by using GPS tools optional
- optional, not held topography optional
- optional, not held Earth science optional
- optional, not held civil engineering optional
- optional, not held collect mapping data optional
- optional, not held compile GIS-data optional
- optional, not held computer simulation optional
- optional, not held conduct research on climate processes optional
- optional, not held create cadastral maps optional
- optional, not held create strategic maps optional
- optional, not held engineering principles optional
- optional, not held operate remote sensing equipment optional
- optional, not held use CAD software optional
41 held skills the remote sensing technician role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on geology for mineral extraction skill
- not needed by the target role apply safety procedures in laboratory skill
- not needed by the target role apply scientific methods skill
- not needed by the target role apply statistical analysis techniques skill
- not needed by the target role archive scientific documentation skill
- not needed by the target role assess environmental impact skill
- not needed by the target role assist with geophysical surveys skill
- not needed by the target role collect geological data skill
- not needed by the target role collect samples skill
- not needed by the target role collect samples for analysis skill
- not needed by the target role conduct field work skill
- not needed by the target role conduct soil sample tests skill
- not needed by the target role environmental legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role geochemistry knowledge
- not needed by the target role geological time scale knowledge
- not needed by the target role investigate soil stability skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with geology professionals skill
- not needed by the target role maintain cores skill
- not needed by the target role monitor geotechnical structures skill
- not needed by the target role negotiate land access skill
- not needed by the target role operate scientific measuring equipment skill
- not needed by the target role percolation knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform laboratory tests skill
- not needed by the target role perform sample testing skill
- not needed by the target role physics knowledge
- not needed by the target role plan geotechnical investigations in the field skill
- not needed by the target role prepare samples for testing skill
- not needed by the target role prepare scientific reports skill
- not needed by the target role prepare surveying report skill
- not needed by the target role process data skill
- not needed by the target role provide information on geological characteristics skill
- not needed by the target role provide technical expertise skill
- not needed by the target role record test data skill
- not needed by the target role scientific research methodology knowledge
- not needed by the target role statistics knowledge
- not needed by the target role test raw minerals skill
- not needed by the target role train employees skill
- not needed by the target role troubleshoot skill
- not needed by the target role use spreadsheets software skill
- not needed by the target role work ergonomically skill
1 further entry not listed here
10 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 geography required
- still to learn geomatics required
- still to learn photogrammetry required
- still to learn remote sensing techniques required
- still to learn surveying required
- optional, not held topography optional
- optional, not held Earth science optional
- optional, not held civil engineering optional
- optional, not held computer simulation optional
- optional, not held engineering principles optional
Common questions about this move
Can a geology technician become a remote sensing technician?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A geology technician already covers 41% of what a remote sensing technician is expected to do: 17 skills carry over, 7 of which the remote sensing technician role treats as required.
What skills does a geology technician need to become a remote sensing technician?
10 required skills are missing, plus 14 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is collect real-time geolocation information.
How hard is the move from geology technician to remote sensing technician?
Its learning distance is 59.8 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.