Cartographer Duties & Responsibilities
The role and function of a Cartographer includes the following duties and responsibilities:
- Design, maintenance and manipulation of geographical information (GI) databases;
- Working with geographical information systems (GIS) to see, model and analyse landscape features;
- Designing maps, graphics, illustrations and layouts;
- Communicating information through the use of colour, symbols, style and other means;
- Analysing and evaluating mappable information;
- Liaising with surveyors and designers;
- Researching, selecting and evaluating map source data for use in the preparation or revision of maps and charts to various scales;
- Using desktop publishing packages to edit and formulate information;
- Capturing, maintaining and outputting digital geographic data;
- Keeping up to date with emerging specialist software;
- Operating a photogrammetric plotting instrument or a digital photogrammetric workstation (DPW), which views the photographs stereoscopically, or in a 3D format;
- Collating data provided by remote sensing techniques (the means by which spatial and environmental data about the earth are acquired by sensors located in satellites and aircraft);
- Using computers to compile and produce graphs for specialist and general users;
- Checking and appraising the content and accuracy of maps, charts and printing proofs;
- Managing projects, staff and resources, particularly as seniority increases.
- Generalising map data to allow for a reduction in scale (derived mapping);
- Similar roles in this field are that of a photogrammatrist and a remote sensing scientist. Both these occupations involve the use of technology to analyse and interpret information.
Note that this is not an exhaustive list of Cartographer duties and responsibilities. Job functions for specific Cartographer roles may vary, depending on the industry and type of employer.
