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Are you fascinated by the earth and its dynamics? Are you a problem solver who enjoys working with computers and the latest technology? Then a career as a surveyor, cartographer or GIScience specialist may appeal to you.
''Careers in these fields provide opportunities to work in multidisciplinary teams, use and develop sophisticated software applications, and solve real-world problems related to mining, planning, natural resource management, urban development and construction,'' says A/Professor Graeme Wright, Executive Dean of Science and Engineering at Curtin University of Technology.
Surveyors collect and measure the spatial information about the land and environment that allows GIS specialists and cartographers to analyse and model the data, construct maps (and other data forms) and interpret the information.
Understanding The Lie Of The Land
Surveyors are the professional experts in land measurement and management of geographic information. Today, the field of surveying is so broad that students can choose from a number of specialist areas:
* cadastral/land surveying (marking out property boundaries),
* engineering surveying (surveying routes for railways, roads, pipelines, canals, sewers and tunnels),
* geodetic surveying (using signals from satellites and other technology to locate positions on the earth),
* hydrographic surveying (gathering information about waterways, rivers, harbours and oceans),
* mine surveying (using measurements for safe and efficient mining operations), and
* photogrammetry (extracting spatial information from aerial or terrestrial photographs and from digital imaging systems using satellite and airborne sensors).
If you have a particular interest in mapping and managing geographic information, then a career as a cartographer will suit you. Studying to become a cartographer/mapping scientist prepares you for an environment where computers are used to produce maps and digital databases using geological, mining, topographical and statistical information.
GIScience provides the tools, skills and information needed to answer questions about our physical, human and economic environment, and how our actions affect the natural environment. In this relatively new and emerging field, GIScience specialists manipulate spatial information and analyse data to project and present different outcomes. This information can then be used to solve problems where the spatial distribution of geographic information is important.
Cartographers and GIScience specialists primarily work in offices in cities and major regional centres. Surveyors often work outdoors, travelling extensively throughout Australia and overseas. These are usually full-time occupations, Monday to Friday 9-5, with variations when working on site. Interesting career options are available to those in these three professions: locally, interstate and overseas.
Likewise, the demand for GIScience specialists is well above average as the demand for new skills related to technological advances and information technology continues to exceed the availability of skilled workers.
Surveying, cartography and GIScience opportunities exist with local, state and federal governments. They also exist in the private sector in surveying, mapping and land management companies, the mining and petroleum industries, in specialist software development and in environmental management and research agencies.
A degree in one of these fields also equips you with the necessary skills to work in education, general science, information technology and business.
Salaries begin around $42,000 and, in some cases, can exceed $90,000 a year.
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