How to become a hydrographic surveyor
Official title: Hydrographic surveyor
Also called: Hydraulic surveyor, Hydraulic surveyor
Hydrographic surveyor specialises in surveying sea, river and lake beds to delineate underwater topographic features for purposes including chart making. He/she determines navigable channels and plans construction and repair of harbours, piers, break waters and other marine structures.
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
- 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
- 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 2 universities in Singapore
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Median pay: $65,400 a year. The middle half earn $47,700 to $94,584 a year.
- Generative AI could change some tasks in this job, by the ILO's global estimate.
Related jobs
- Land surveyor
- Building architect
- Landscape architect
- Landscape designer
- Fashion designer
- Product/Industrial designer
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Questions people ask
How do I become a hydrographic surveyor?
Ways in include: Architecture & Built Environment degrees.
How much does a hydrographic surveyor earn in Singapore?
Median full-time pay is $65,400 a year (Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg)). The middle half earn $47,700 to $94,584.
Will AI change the work of a hydrographic surveyor?
Generative AI could change some tasks in this job, by the ILO's global estimate.
Sources
- Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg): Resident Occupational Wages (Occupational Wage Survey) (June 2024 (data.gov.sg update 2026-04-01)), Singapore Open Data Licence v1.0, 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