land surveyor

What the work can involve

Land surveyors work before and during construction, mapping or boundary work. They gather measurements with surveying instruments, GPS, aerial photos or GIS tools, then turn field data into drawings, calculations, maps and reports.

Skills and specializations

Key skills include geomatics, surveying methods, GIS data, GPS collection, cadastral maps, technical drawings and instrument calibration. Specialization can move toward construction surveying, property boundaries, photogrammetry, geodesy, geological data or civil engineering support.

Salary context

Salary context depends on field responsibility, precision requirements, equipment complexity, report ownership and whether the role signs off survey data used by architects, engineers or property decisions.

Career paths

Experience can grow from field measurement and data processing into project survey lead, GIS reporting, cadastral mapping, construction coordination, geospatial analysis or advisory work with architects and engineers.

Good to know

Look for the equipment, data outputs and site context named in a vacancy. GPS collection, CAD, GIS reports, boundary work and construction surveys point to different daily routines.

Editorial note

This guide is editorial career context. It is not official labour-market statistics or role-specific salary data.

Alternative labels

Occupation group

Cartographers and surveyors (2165)

Source facts