Geospatial Job Titles and Fields
Before setting out to pursue any academic major/minor or Area of Study, knowing something about a field or discipline is critical for success within that field or discipline. All careers have aspects which are inherently geographical. Everything has a "site" and a "situation." Most, if not all, career fields have questions involving "where something is" and "why is that something there." Site refers to the "where" and situation refers to the "why." Below, is a list of careers and disciplines where geospatial technologies are usually part of the minimum job requirements.
Job Titles
- Business Market Analyst
- Cartographer
- Computer Programmer
- Crime Analyst
- Demographer
- Economic Development Specialist
- Emergency Preparedness Specialist
- Environmental Scientist
- Geographer
- Geospatial Analyst
- GIS Analyst
- GIS Consultant
- GIS Coordinator
- GIS Developer
- GIS Instructor
- GIS Programmer
- GIS Project Manager
- GIS Sales & Marketing
- GIS Software Engineer
- GIS Spatial Analyst
- GIS Specialist
- GIS Supervisor
- GIS Technical Writer
- GIS Tech Lead
- GIS Technician
- GIS Tester
- GIS Web Administrator
- Hydrologist
- Imagery Acquisition Specialist
- LiDAR Project Manager
- Public Health Specialist
- Political Strategist
- Research Program Manager
- Scientist
- Surveyor
- Wildlife Biologist
Fields
All students should be aware most fields will require them to use a considerable portion of the knowledge gained while in school. Daily use of word processing, spreadsheets, databases, email, perhaps even social media is not uncommon. Furthermore, geospatial technologies are becoming part of many fields and disciplines, from the use of smartphones, tablets, and laptops to collect field information, to the mapping of disease outbreaks, potholes on city streets, to helping restaurants and other entertainment venues attract more visitors. Below are a few representative fields in which geospatial technologies are playing an increasingly role.
- Anthropology
- Biology
- Conservation
- Demography
- Economic Development
- Education
- Emergency Planning
- Engineering
- Federal, Regional, & Local Government
- Geology
- Marketing
- Military
- Planning
- Public Health
- Research
- Safety
- Surveying and Mapping
- Utilities