Architects, surveyors, planners and designers

How to become a cartographer or surveyor

Official title: Cartographers and surveyors

Also called: Aerial surveyor, Cadastral surveyor, Cartographer, Hydrographic surveyor, Land surveyor, Mine surveyor, Photogrammetrist

Cartographers and surveyors determine the exact position of, or prepare and revise digital, graphic and pictorial maps, charts or other visual representation of, natural and constructed features and boundaries of land, seas, underground areas and celestial bodies, applying scientific and mathematical principles.

Main tasks

Surveying, measuring and describing land surfaces, mines, underground surfaces, sea, river and lake beds
Noting exact position of various features and recording survey data in digital form
Making charts and maps to be used in determining navigable waters and channels and in planning construction of marine structures
Planning and conducting aerial photographic surveys
Designing, compiling and revising maps and charts using aerial and other photographs, satellite imagery, survey documents and data, existing maps and records, reports and statistics
Undertaking research and development of surveying and photogrammetric measurement systems, cadastral systems and land information systems
Studying and advising on technical, aesthetic and economic aspects of map production
Maintaining technical liaison and consultancy with other relevant specialists

Ways in

University: Architecture & Built Environment degrees, Offered by 9 universities in Hong Kong
Licence or registration: Registering body: Surveyors Registration Board. Law: Surveyors Registration Ordinance (測量師註冊條例), Cap. 417. Summary by Peernovo; check the body's current rules.

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

Median pay: HK$48,000 a month
About 1,542,900 people in 2025, and about 1,639,100 projected by 2028. (+6.2%)
Generative AI could change some tasks in this job, by the ILO's global estimate.

Questions people ask

How do I become a cartographer or surveyor?

Ways in include: Architecture & Built Environment degrees.

Do you need a degree to become a cartographer or surveyor?

Usually. 88% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Will AI change the work of a cartographer or surveyor?

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

Sources

Census and Statistics Department (2021 Population Census): 2021 Population Census, Interactive Data Dissemination Service: working population by occupation (38 groups) and sex, age, education, income; median income and field of education (9 groups) (2021 Population Census), retrieved 4 October 2026
Census and Statistics Department (General Household Survey): Median monthly employment earnings by occupation (9 groups), excluding foreign domestic helpers (Table 210-06317A); employed persons by occupation, age and sex (210-06307A) and by industry (210-06308A) (2025 annual (series to 2026-07)), retrieved 4 October 2026
Labour and Welfare Bureau; tables published by C&SD: Mid-term Update of Manpower Projection to 2028: supplementary statistical tables (5 occupation groups, 17 selected industries) (2025 to 2028 (published 2026-09)), 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

Updated 4 October 2026