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- Surveyor - Cartographer: How to Begin a Career in Cartography
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Surveyor - Cartographer: How to Begin a Career in Cartography
As a cartographer, you will use cutting edge tools to create graphic representations of geographical areas, population densities, patterns of land-use, and more. The training to become a cartographer has gone down the high-tech road in recent years, making advanced education more necessary. This article discusses the work and educational requirements of a career in cartography.
Cartographer Job Description
A cartographer works in the surveying field and compiles geographic, political, and cultural information in order to prepare maps of large areas. As a cartographer, your primary focus will be to measure, map, and chart the surface of a given geographical area. This work involves research into geographical formations and localities, compiling data and producing maps and other topographical graphic representations. You will gather, analyze and deliver interpretations of spatial measurements such as latitude, longitude, elevation, and distance. You will also work with information about populations, patterns and cycles of land-use, rain and snowfall, and particulars about the ages, incomes, and lifestyles of the inhabitants of your subject area.
Educational Requirements for Cartographers
In most cases, cartographers need a to have a bachelor's degree in cartography. Other acceptable degrees include geography, surveying, engineering, forestry, or any of the physical sciences. A scientific approach to information is the sought after quality. More and more, cartographers need to have specialized education beyond high school, during which time a program offering hands on experience is preferable.
Coursework
Coursework in a cartography degree program may include:
- Statistics
- Geography
- Computer Assisted Design
- Biology
- Environmental Science
- Satellite Assisted Navigation
- Topographical Surveying
Reasons to Earn a Cartography Degree
The field of cartography demands a lot of technical training and savvy. Computers are fast becoming the norm, with advanced software and field-grade hardware emerging as the tools of the trade. Global Positioning System, also called GPS, and Geographic Information System (GIS) are among the latest technologies to be employed in the production of cartographic materials.
Salary Information
Median annual earnings of cartographers were about $46,000 in 2004, while the highest paid earned as much as $74,000
Career Outlook
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, employment of cartographers should enjoy steady growth through the year 2014. Since new technologies are changing and shaping the way cartography is done, those with bachelor's level education and strong technical skills will have the edge when competing for jobs. Traditional surveying services are being replaced by the geographical data available through applied technologies, so cartographers who understand geographic and land information systems have an advantage.
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