Hydrographic surveyor to cartographer
A hydrographic surveyor already meets 55% of what the cartographer role asks for. The move turns on 5 required skills not yet in the profile.
51.2/ 100
1 How much of what a cartographer is expected to do is already part of a hydrographic surveyor’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 cartographer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A cartographer role treats 12 of its required skills as things a hydrographic surveyor already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply digital mapping
- cartography
- collect mapping data
- compile GIS-data
- create GIS reports
- create thematic maps
What stands in the way is 5 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 22 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A cartographer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a hydrographic surveyor background worth leading with.
- already held compile GIS-data information skills
- 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
All 22 carried skills, including the 12 the cartographer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 27 missing skills fall into 10 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 draft legends required
- still to learn improve user-friendliness required
- optional, not held identify customer's needs optional
- optional, not held use traditional illustration techniques optional
- optional, not held design customised maps optional
- optional, not held design graphics optional
- still to learn execute analytical mathematical calculations required
- optional, not held archive scientific documentation optional
- optional, not held conduct field work optional
- optional, not held conduct quantitative research optional
- optional, not held conduct scholarly research optional
- optional, not held perform scientific research optional
- optional, not held report analysis results optional
- still to learn handle geospatial technologies required
- optional, not held use digital illustration techniques optional
- optional, not held apply desktop publishing techniques optional
- optional, not held use software for data preservation optional
- optional, not held use spreadsheets software optional
- still to learn empirical analysis required
- optional, not held ICT system programming optional
- optional, not held desktop publishing optional
- optional, not held solve location and navigation problems by using GPS tools optional
- optional, not held operate scientific measuring equipment optional
4 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a cartographer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 draft legends practise this
- 02 improve user-friendliness practise this
- 03 handle geospatial technologies practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 22 skills that carry over
- already held apply digital mapping skill
- already held cartography knowledge
- 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 geographic information systems knowledge
- already held geography knowledge
- already held geomatics knowledge
- already held mathematics knowledge
- already held topography knowledge
- already held use geographic information systems skill
- already held assist scientific research skill
- already held collect data using GPS skill
- already held geodesy knowledge
- already held geology knowledge
- already held perform surveying calculations skill
- already held process collected survey data skill
- already held study aerial photos skill
- already held surveying knowledge
- already held surveying methods knowledge
- already held use CAD software skill
The 4 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held legal research optional
- optional, not held scientific research methodology optional
- optional, not held photogrammetry optional
- optional, not held remote sensing techniques optional
22 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held ICT system programming optional
- optional, not held identify customer's needs optional
- optional, not held solve location and navigation problems by using GPS tools optional
- optional, not held use digital illustration techniques optional
- optional, not held use traditional illustration techniques optional
- optional, not held apply desktop publishing techniques optional
- optional, not held archive scientific documentation optional
- optional, not held conduct field work optional
- optional, not held conduct quantitative research optional
- optional, not held conduct scholarly research optional
- optional, not held design customised maps optional
- optional, not held design graphics optional
- optional, not held desktop publishing optional
- optional, not held legal research optional
- optional, not held operate scientific measuring equipment optional
- optional, not held perform scientific research optional
- optional, not held photogrammetry optional
- optional, not held remote sensing techniques optional
- optional, not held report analysis results optional
- optional, not held scientific research methodology optional
- optional, not held use software for data preservation optional
- optional, not held use spreadsheets software optional
22 held skills the cartographer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role adjust surveying equipment skill
- not needed by the target role advise architects skill
- not needed by the target role assist hydrographic surveys skill
- not needed by the target role bathymetry knowledge
- not needed by the target role calibrate electronic instruments skill
- not needed by the target role collect geological data skill
- not needed by the target role compare survey computations skill
- not needed by the target role conduct research before survey skill
- not needed by the target role conduct underwater surveys skill
- not needed by the target role design scientific equipment skill
- not needed by the target role develop geological databases skill
- not needed by the target role document survey operations skill
- not needed by the target role hydrography knowledge
- not needed by the target role hydrology knowledge
- not needed by the target role interpret geophysical data skill
- not needed by the target role oceanography knowledge
- not needed by the target role operate surveying instruments skill
- not needed by the target role prepare geological map sections skill
- not needed by the target role prepare surveying report skill
- not needed by the target role provide information on geological characteristics skill
- not needed by the target role record survey data skill
- not needed by the target role steer vessels 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.
- still to learn empirical analysis required
- optional, not held ICT system programming optional
- optional, not held desktop publishing optional
- optional, not held legal research optional
- optional, not held photogrammetry optional
- optional, not held remote sensing techniques optional
- optional, not held scientific research methodology optional
Common questions about this move
Can a hydrographic surveyor become a cartographer?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A hydrographic surveyor already covers 55% of what a cartographer is expected to do: 22 skills carry over, 12 of which the cartographer role treats as required.
What skills does a hydrographic surveyor need to become a cartographer?
5 required skills are missing, plus 22 optional ones. They fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is draft legends.
How hard is the move from hydrographic surveyor to cartographer?
Its learning distance is 51.2 out of 100, which is the moderate 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.