Life, Physical, and Social Science · Holland code CRI

Remote Sensing Technicians

Apply remote sensing technologies to assist scientists in areas such as natural resources, urban planning, or homeland security. May prepare flight plans or sensor configurations for flight trips.

Also called: Digital Cartographic Technician, Geospatial Extractor, Meteorologist Liaison, Research Associate.

O*NET 19-4099.03

At a glance

US median annual pay: $62,280; Middle half earn $48,030 to $79,780. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Bachelor's Degree; 62% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 4 of 5; Considerable preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Collect geospatial data, using technologies such as aerial photography, light and radio wave detection systems, digital satellites, or thermal energy systems.
Verify integrity and accuracy of data contained in remote sensing image analysis systems.
Correct raw data for errors due to factors such as skew or atmospheric variation.
Integrate remotely sensed data with other geospatial data.
Consult with remote sensing scientists, surveyors, cartographers, or engineers to determine project needs.
Adjust remotely sensed images for optimum presentation by using software to select image displays, define image set categories, or choose processing routines.
Manipulate raw data to enhance interpretation, either on the ground or during remote sensing flights.
Merge scanned images or build photo mosaics of large areas, using image processing software.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Critical Thinking3.8 / 5
Reading Comprehension3.5 / 5
Speaking3.5 / 5
Mathematics3.5 / 5
Active Listening3.4 / 5
Monitoring3.4 / 5

Knowledge areas

Geography4.3 / 5
Computers and Electronics4.2 / 5
Mathematics3.5 / 5
Customer and Personal Service3.5 / 5
Engineering and Technology3.5 / 5
Production and Processing3.3 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic68
Investigative60
Artistic19
Social9
Enterprising12
Conventional71

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

seismologist · DE Seismologe/Seismologin · FR sismologue
geochemist · DE Geochemiker/Geochemikerin · FR géochimiste
geophysicist · DE Geophysiker/Geophysikerin · FR géophysicien/géophysicienne
geographic information systems specialist · DE Experte Geoinformationssysteme/Expertin Geoinformationssysteme · FR cartographe géomaticien/cartographe géomaticienne
hydrographic surveyor · DE Hydrograf/Hydrografin · FR hydrographe
geographer · DE Geograf/Geografin · FR géographe

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Chartered surveyors (2454)67,300 employed
Building and civil engineering technicians (3114)20,100 employed
Laboratory technicians (3111)51,100 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Technicians and associate professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Technicians and associate professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€50,992
Austria	€46,986
Germany	€44,473
Netherlands	€42,448
Ireland	€41,613
Sweden	€41,155
Italy	€34,882
France	€34,816
Spain	€29,757
Portugal	€18,080
Poland	€12,108

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the middle third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of +0.45. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (19-4099).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test