Photogrammetrist Job Description
A photogrammetrist is a person who makes maps using photographs. Such professionals belong to a group responsible for measuring and mapping the Earth's surface, and are essential for determining geographic characteristics of boundaries, natural features and constructed features that comprise it. Photogrammetrists work in places as disparate as architectural firms, oil and gas companies and federal government agencies.
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Photography
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Photogrammetrists rely on a variety of imaging tools: aerial cameras, satellites and Light Detecting and Ranging, or LiDAR, which is a remote sensing technology that uses laser scanning to determine geographical height or elevation. Photogrammetrists also rely on geographical reports and records, survey notes and even older maps.
Processing
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The information photogrammetrists collect to analyze and interpret can be put into two classifications: spatial data, which includes latitude, longitude, elevation and distance; and nonspatial data, which includes demographics, land-use patterns, population density and annual precipitation levels. The information is used to create maps, which are increasingly in digital format using geographic information systems, or GIS. Photogrammetrists make sure that the maps are complete and accurate, and make revisions or adjustments based on new data.
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Photogrammetrists vs. Cartographers
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Photogrammetrists are often lumped together with cartographers. In a sense, that is understandable; cartographers are professionals responsible for making maps. Photogrammetry is a specialty within cartography because photogrammetrists make maps but use photographic images to do so.
Requirements
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Although some people get into the field as an assistant for photogrammetrists, employers are increasingly showing preference to candidates who have an associate or bachelor's degree in GIS, cartography, geography or a related field. The American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing offers certification for photogrammetrists.
Salary and Job Outlook
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According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the mean annual salary for photogrammetrists was around $59,000 in 2009. The federal agency expects employment to grow by 19 percent between 2008 and 2018, which it estimates as a faster rate than that of the overall U.S. workforce.
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