Surveying, Mapping and Geographic Information Engineers and Technicians Digital occupation Green occupation

How to become a Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing Engineer

Official Chinese title (2022 occupational classification): 摄影测量与遥感工程技术人员

Uses optical and other sensors to capture images, observations and position and time data on objects, and works out and presents their shape, size, position, nature and changes.

Main tasks

Collecting remote sensing data and supporting measurements of targets from aircraft, spacecraft, ground observation platforms and remote sensing equipment
Directing image processing such as photo control surveys, aerial triangulation and stereo mapping
Interpreting and analysing remote sensing images, extracting terrain and thematic features, and organising the production of topographic maps and digital image products at various scales
Processing and interpreting image data to follow how the subject of study changes over time
Checking and signing off survey results

Ways in

University: Engineering degrees, Offered by 105 universities in China Related undergraduate subject classes in the Ministry of Education catalogue (2025): Surveying and Mapping (0812); Electronic Information (0807); majors such as Remote Sensing Science and Technology, National Geographic Conditions Monitoring, Geospatial Information Engineering, Surveying and Mapping Engineering, Navigation Engineering, Communication Engineering. Matched to the occupation by Peernovo.
Vocational majors: Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Navigation and Location Services (420309). Vocational major 420309 Navigation and Location Services (导航与位置服务), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Surveying and Geographic Information Data Acquisition and Processing; Drone Photogrammetry.; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing Technology (420304). Vocational major 420304 Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing Technology (摄影测量与遥感技术), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Surveying and Geographic Information Data Acquisition and Processing; Drone Photogrammetry; Real Estate Data Collection and Database Building.; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Satellite Communication and Navigation Technology (510304). Vocational major 510304 Satellite Communication and Navigation Technology (卫星通信与导航技术), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Telecommunications Professional Qualification; Surveying and Geographic Information Data Acquisition and Processing; Intelligent Surveying and Geographic Information Applications.; Vocational bachelor (职业本科) major: Smart Forestry Technology (210201). Vocational major 210201 Smart Forestry Technology (智慧林业技术), 4 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Forest Firefighter; Environmental Impact Assessment Engineer; Drone Piloting; Surveying and Geographic Information Data Acquisition and Processing.; Vocational bachelor (职业本科) major: Surveying and Mapping Engineering Technology (220302). Vocational major 220302 Surveying and Mapping Engineering Technology (测绘工程技术), 4 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Surveying and Geographic Information Data Acquisition and Processing; Real Estate Data Collection and Database Building; Drone Photogrammetry.
National qualification: Licence to practise: Registered Surveyor. You need this qualification to work in the job. Listed in the national vocational qualifications catalogue (国家职业资格目录, 2021) as Registered Surveyor (注册测绘师), run by Ministry of Natural Resources; Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. Peernovo links it to this occupation.

Pay · AI and this job

Median pay in China: CN¥79,500 a year (2025).
Middle half: CN¥55,200 to CN¥123,700. One in ten earn less than CN¥42,000 and one in ten more than CN¥192,300.
This is the figure for the mid group Engineering and Technical Personnel, not for this job alone.
National figure: wage prices of enterprise employees from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS) enterprise pay survey. The public sector and the self-employed are not covered.
Guangzhou only: median CN¥104,534 a year (2025), middle half CN¥97,447 to CN¥134,200.
This is the figure for the minor group Surveying, Mapping and Geographic Information Engineers and Technicians, not for this job alone.
Generative AI could change some tasks in this job, by the ILO's global estimate.

Who does this work

The census group Engineering and Technical Personnel holds 2.35% of everyone employed in China; 17.1% of its workers are women (2020 Census).
48.9% are under 35, 45.1% are 35 to 54 and 6% are 55 or older. The middle age band is 35 to 39.
Census figures for the whole mid group (2020 long-form sample), not for this job alone.

Questions people ask

How do I become a Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing Engineer?

Ways in include: Engineering degrees; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Navigation and Location Services (420309); Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing Technology (420304).

How much does a Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing Engineer earn in China?

Across China, the median pay of enterprise employees is CN¥79,500 a year (Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS), 2025). The public sector and the self-employed are not covered. It is the figure for the mid group Engineering and Technical Personnel. In Guangzhou alone it is CN¥104,534 a year (2025).

Will AI change the work of a Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing Engineer?

Generative AI could change some tasks in this job, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS): 2025 enterprise pay survey information: wage prices of enterprise employees by occupation mid group, and digital occupations (P10 to P90 annual CNY) (2025 (published 2026-07-08)), retrieved 5 October 2026
Guangzhou Human Resources and Social Security Bureau: Guangzhou 2025 labour market wage prices (P10 to P90 annual CNY by occupation) (2025 (enterprise pay survey)), retrieved 4 October 2026
National Bureau of Statistics of China: China Population Census Yearbook 2020, long-form tables 4-6 and 4-7 (employed by occupation mid group, sex, age) (2020 Census long form (10% sample)), retrieved 4 October 2026
International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, State Administration for Market Regulation, National Bureau of Statistics: Occupational Classification of the People's Republic of China, 2022 edition (public consultation draft) (2022 public consultation draft (1,636 occupations; final edition 1,639)), retrieved 4 October 2026

Sources: Occupational Classification of the People's Republic of China (2022 edition, public consultation draft), Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, State Administration for Market Regulation and National Bureau of Statistics; Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, 2025 enterprise pay survey information; Guangzhou Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, 2025 labour market wage prices; National Bureau of Statistics of China (www.stats.gov.cn), 2020 Population Census yearbook; Ministry of Education, vocational education major profiles (2022 revision) and undergraduate major catalogue (2025); Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, national vocational qualifications catalogue (2021); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Figures processed by Peernovo. English text, translations and the matching of occupations to ISCO-08, majors, degree fields and qualifications by Peernovo.

Descriptions and tasks are Peernovo's own words, written from the facts in the Occupational Classification of the People's Republic of China (2022 edition). Job titles and work types are the classification's own.

Updated 5 October 2026