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Future U.S. Workforce for Geospatial Intelligence (2013)

Chapter: Appendix D: Data on Occupations

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Suggested Citation: "Appendix D: Data on Occupations." National Research Council. 2013. Future U.S. Workforce for Geospatial Intelligence. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18265.

Appendix D

Data on Occupations

TABLE D.1 2010 Bureau of Labor Statistics Codes and Descriptions of 36 Occupations That Are Relevant to NGA

Code	Title	Description
15-1111	Computer and information research scientists	Conduct research into fundamental computer and information science as theorists, designers, or inventors. Develop solutions to problems in the field of computer hardware and software
15-1121	Computer systems analysts	Analyze science, engineering, business, and other data processing problems to implement and improve computer systems. Analyze user requirements, procedures, and problems to automate or improve existing systems and review computer system capabilities, workflow, and scheduling limitations. May analyze or recommend commercially available software
15-1131	Computer programmers	Create, modify, and test the code, forms, and script that allow computer applications to run. Work from specifications drawn up by software developers or other individuals. May assist software developers by analyzing user needs and designing software solutions. May develop and write computer programs to store, locate, and retrieve specific documents, data, and information
15-1132	Software developers, applications	Develop, create, and modify general computer applications software or specialized utility programs. Analyze user needs and develop software solutions. Design software or customize software for client use with the aim of optimizing operational efficiency. May analyze and design databases within an application area, working individually or coordinating database development as part of a team. May supervise computer programmers
15-1799	Computer occupations, all other	All computer specialists not listed separately (e.g., computer laboratory technician)
15-2021	Mathematicians	Conduct research in fundamental mathematics or in application of mathematical techniques to science, management, and other fields. Solve problems in various fields using mathematical methods
15-2031	Operations research analysts	Formulate and apply mathematical modeling and other optimizing methods to develop and interpret information that assists management with decision making, policy formulation, or other managerial functions. May collect and analyze data and develop decision support software, service, or products. May develop and supply optimal time, cost, or logistics networks for program evaluation, review, or implementation
15-2041	Statisticians	Develop or apply mathematical or statistical theory and methods to collect, organize, interpret, and summarize numerical data to provide usable information. May specialize in fields such as biostatistics, agricultural statistics, business statistics, or economic statistics. Includes mathematical and survey statisticians. Excludes survey researchers
15-2091	Mathematical technicians	Apply standardized mathematical formulas, principles, and methodology to technological problems in engineering and physical sciences in relation to specific industrial and research objectives, processes, equipment, and products
15-2099	Mathematical science occupations, all other	All mathematical scientists not listed separately (e.g., harmonic analyst)

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Code	Title	Description
17-1021	Cartographers and photogrammetrists	Collect, analyze, and interpret geographic information provided by geodetic surveys, aerial photographs, and satellite data. Research, study, and prepare maps and other spatial data in digital or graphic form for legal, social, political, educational, and design purposes. May work with Geographic Information Systems (GIS). May design and evaluate algorithms, data structures, and user interfaces for GIS and mapping systems
17-1022	Surveyors	Make exact measurements and determine property boundaries. Provide data relevant to the shape, contour, gravitation, location, elevation, or dimension of land or land features on or near the earth’s surface for engineering, mapmaking, mining, land evaluation, construction, and other purposes
17-2011	Aerospace engineers	Perform engineering duties in designing, constructing, and testing aircraft, missiles, and spacecraft. May conduct basic and applied research to evaluate adaptability of materials and equipment to aircraft design and manufacture. May recommend improvements in testing equipment and techniques
17-2061	Computer hardware engineers	Research, design, develop, or test computer or computer-related equipment for commercial, industrial, military, or scientific use. May supervise the manufacturing and installation of computer or computer-related equipment and components. Excludes software developers, applications and software developers, systems software
17-2071	Electrical engineers	Research, design, develop, test, or supervise the manufacturing and installation of electrical equipment, components, or systems for commercial, industrial, military, or scientific use. Excludes computer hardware engineers
17-2199	Engineers, all other	All engineers not listed separately (e.g., photonics engineer, optical engineer)
17-3031	Surveying and mapping technicians	Perform surveying and mapping duties, usually under the direction of an engineer, surveyor, cartographer, or photogrammetrist to obtain data used for construction, mapmaking, boundary location, mining, or other purposes. May calculate mapmaking information and create maps from source data, such as surveying notes, aerial photography, satellite data, or other maps to show topographical features, political boundaries, and other features. May verify accuracy and completeness of maps. Excludes surveyors; cartographers and photogrammetrists; and geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers
19-2011	Astronomers	Observe, research, and interpret astronomical phenomena to increase basic knowledge or apply such information to practical problems
19-2012	Physicists	Conduct research into physical phenomena, develop theories on the basis of observation and experiments, and devise methods to apply physical laws and theories. Excludes biochemists and biophysicists
19-2021	Atmospheric and space scientists	Investigate atmospheric phenomena and interpret meteorological data, gathered by surface and air stations, satellites, and radar to prepare reports and forecasts for public and other uses. Includes weather analysts and forecasters whose functions require the detailed knowledge of meteorology
19-2041	Environmental scientists and specialists, including health	Conduct research or perform investigation for the purpose of identifying, abating, or eliminating sources of pollutants or hazards that affect either the environment or the health of the population. Using knowledge of various scientific disciplines, may collect, synthesize, study, report, and recommend action based on data derived from measurements or observations of air, food, soil, water, and other sources. Excludes zoologists and wildlife biologists, conservation scientists, forest and conservation technicians, fish and game wardens, and forest and conservation workers
19-2042	Geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers	Study the composition, structure, and other physical aspects of the Earth. May use geological, physics, and mathematics knowledge in exploration for oil, gas, minerals, or underground water; or in waste disposal, land reclamation, or other environmental problems. May study the Earth’s internal composition, atmospheres, oceans, and its magnetic, electrical, and gravitational forces. Includes mineralogists, crystallographers, paleontologists, stratigraphers, geodesists, and seismologists
19-2043	Hydrologists	Research the distribution, circulation, and physical properties of underground and surface waters; and study the form and intensity of precipitation, its rate of infiltration into the soil, movement through the Earth, and its return to the ocean and atmosphere
19-2099	Physical scientists, all other	All physical scientists not listed separately
19-3041	Sociologists	Study human society and social behavior by examining the groups and social institutions that people form, as well as various social, religious, political, and business organizations. May study the behavior and interaction of groups, trace their origin and growth, and analyze the influence of group activities on individual members
19-3051	Urban and regional planners	Develop comprehensive plans and programs for use of land and physical facilities of local jurisdictions, such as towns, cities, counties, and metropolitan areas continued

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Code	Title	Description
19-3091	Anthropologists and archeologists	Study the origin, development, and behavior of human beings. May study the way of life, language, or physical characteristics of people in various parts of the world. May engage in systematic recovery and examination of material evidence, such as tools or pottery remaining from past human cultures, in order to determine the history, customs, and living habits of earlier civilizations
19-3092	Geographers	Study the nature and use of areas of the Earth’s surface, relating and interpreting interactions of physical and cultural phenomena. Conduct research on physical aspects of a region, including land forms, climates, soils, plants, and animals, and conduct research on the spatial implications of human activities within a given area, including social characteristics, economic activities, and political organization, as well as researching interdependence between regions at scales ranging from local to global
19-3093	Historians	Research, analyze, record, and interpret the past as recorded in sources, such as government and institutional records, newspapers and other periodicals, photographs, interviews, films, electronic media, and unpublished manuscripts, such as personal diaries and letters
19-3094	Political scientists	Study the origin, development, and operation of political systems. May study topics, such as public opinion, political decision making, and ideology. May analyze the structure and operation of governments, as well as various political entities. May conduct public opinion surveys, analyze election results, or analyze public documents. Excludes survey researchers
19-3099	Social scientists and related workers, all other	All social scientists and related workers not listed separately
19-4093	Forest and conservation technicians	Provide technical assistance regarding the conservation of soil, water, forests, or related natural resources. May compile data pertaining to size, content, condition, and other characteristics of forest tracts, under the direction of foresters; or train and lead forest workers in forest propagation, fire prevention and suppression. May assist conservation scientists in managing, improving, and protecting rangelands and wildlife habitats. Excludes conservation scientists and foresters
19-4099	Life, physical, and social science technicians, all other	All life, physical, and social science technicians not listed separately
25-4021	Librarians	Administer libraries and perform related library services. Work in a variety of settings, including public libraries, educational institutions, museums, corporations, government agencies, law firms, nonprofit organizations, and healthcare providers. Tasks may include selecting, acquiring, cataloguing, classifying, circulating, and maintaining library materials, and furnishing reference, bibliographical, and readers’ advisory services. May perform in-depth, strategic research, and synthesize, analyze, edit, and filter information. May set up or work with databases and information systems to catalogue and access information
27-1014	Multi-media artists and animators	Create special effects, animation, or other visual images using film, video, computers, or other electronic tools and media for use in products or creations, such as computer games, movies, music videos, and commercials
43-9111	Statistical assistants	Compile and compute data according to statistical formulas for use in statistical studies. May perform actuarial computations and compile charts and graphs for use by actuaries

SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics Standard Occupational Classification, 2010 version, <http://bls.gov/oes/>.

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TABLE D.2 Employment and Salary of NGA-Relevant Occupations


Occupation	Number of Jcbs (2010)^a			Mean Annual Salary (2010)
Occupation	All Sectors^b	Private Sector	Federal Government	All Sectors	Private Sector	Federal Government

15-1111 Computer and information research scientists	24,900	18,180	6,080	$103,150	$104,110	$102,070
15-1121 Computer systems analysts	495,800	442,120	660	$81,250	$82,800	$79,750
15-1131 Computer programmers	333,620	308,360	60	$74,900	$75,840	$88,790
15-1132 Software developers, applications	499,280	476,080	—	$90,410	$91,290	—
15-1799 Computer occupations, all other	183,110	97,910	68,600	$79,790	$75,050	$90,480
15-2021 Mathematicians	2,830	1,420	1,020	$100,260	$103,080	$106,950
15-2031 Operations research analysts	62,210	50,070	4,670	$76,980	$77,250	$105,840
15-2041 Statisticians	22,830	13,530	4,650	$76,070	$77,730	$93,770
15-2091 Mathematical technicians	960	440	70	$49,170	$60,240	$34,030
15-2099 Mathematical science occupations, all other	1,290	870	210	$70,760	$78,590	$52,370
17-1021 Cartographers and photogrammetrists	11,670	7,280	670	$60,970	$61,790	$82,980
17-1022 Surveyors	43,950	38,680	480	$58,140	$56,860	$82,230
17-2011 Aerospace engineers	78,450	68,720	9,220	$99,000	$97,680	$110,780
17-2061 Computer hardware engineers	66,960	62,100	4,430	$101,600	$101,790	$102,200
17-2071 Electrical engineers	148,770	140,260	4,260	$87,770	$88,040	$89,410
17-2199 Engineers, all other	139,610	105,620	25,490	$91,770	$88,800	$108,690
17-3031 Surveying and mapping technicians	53,870	42,620	1,340	$40,370	$39,210	$47,350
19-2011 Astronomers	1,840	950	440	$93,340	$86,520	$132,010
19-2012 Physicists	16,860	11,680	3,210	$112,020	$117,050	$113,470
19-2021 Atmospheric and space scientists	8,640	4,210	3,010	$88,010	$83,250	$95,760
19-2041 Environmental scientists and specialists, including health	81,690	39,960	5,850	$67,810	$70,950	$95,680
19-2042 Geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers	30,830	23,870	2,460	$93,380	$97,890	$95,580
19-2043 Hydrologists	6,910	3,390	2,000	$79,280	$82,070	$82,900
19-2099 Physical scientists, all other	24,690	11,650	8,460	$95,780	$100,030	$104,620
19-3041 Sociologists	3,710	2,400	—	$80,130	$84,350	—
19-3051 Urban and regional planners	38,830	8,880	750	$66,020	$73,110	$88,740
19-3091 Anthropologists and archeologists	5,100	3,060	1,360	$58,040	$53,130	$71,940
19-3092 Geographers	1,300	340	770	$72,890	$72,200	$76,770
19-3093 Historians	3,320	1,140	760	$57,840	$58,080	$88,130
19-3094 Political scientists	4,470	1,360	2,610	$107,930	$109,990	$115,890
19-3099 Social scientists and related workers, all other	28,420	8,160	15,260	$77,890	$78,240	$83,170
19-4093 Forest and conservation technicians	32,290	1,060	25,070	$36,860	$37,420	$36,680
19-4099 Life, physical, and social science technicians, all other	55,360	32,840	7,660	$45,980	$46,430	$51,890
25-4021 Librarians	148,240	30,020	1,720	$56,360	$55,040	$80,500
27-1014 Multi-media artists and animators	26,560	25,760	—	$63,440	$63,750	—
43-9111 Statistical assistants	15,490	7,280	2,190	$37,090	$41,850	$34,340

Total	2,704,660	2,092,270	215,490

a Estimates include workers who are paid a wage or salary. They do not include the self-employed, owners and partners in unincorporated firms, household workers, or unpaid family workers.

^b Sectors include federal government, state government, local government, and private companies.

SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, occupational employment statistics from May 2010, <www.bls.gov/oes/>.

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TABLE D.3 Percent of U.S. Citizens Employed in NGA-Relevant Occupations in 2010 That Are Serving or Have Served in the Military

Occupation Tide	Percent Serving or Served in Military
Computer and information research scientists	9.7
Computer systems analysts	10.6
Computer programmers	10.2
Software developers, applications and systems software	9.7
Computer occupations, all other	15.6
Operations research analysts	18.3
Miscellaneous mathematical science occupations, including mathematicians and statisticians	6.1
Surveyors, cartographers, and photogrammetrists	11.1
Aerospace engineers	15.1
Computer hardware engineers	9.8
Electrical and electronics engineers	15.6
Surveying and mapping technicians	16.2
Astronomers and physicists	11.3
Atmospheric and space scientists	39.5
Environmental scientists and geoscientists	9.4
Physical scientists, all other	5.4
Miscellaneous social scientists, including survey researchers and sociologists	15.7
Miscellaneous life, physical, and social science technicians, including social science research assistants	8.0
Librarians	2.3
Artists and related workers	6.0
Statistical assistants	7.3

SOURCE: Data from the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2010 Public Use Microdata Sample. Includes those employed as of the survey reference period. Occupation titles are based on the 2010 Census occupational classification system (and are consistent with the 2010 Standard Occupation Code system).

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TABLE D.4 Annual Average Unemployment Rates for Wage and Salary Workers in NGA-Relevant Occupations


	Unemployment Rate^b

Occupation Title^a	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010

Computer scientists and systems analysts	2.5	2.1	2.2	6.0	5.9
Computer programmers	2.4	2.2	3.5	4.8	5.8
Computer software engineers	2.1	1.7	1.7	4.2	4.5
Mathematicians	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA
Operations research analysts	1.5	1.5	1.5	2.8	1.9
Statisticians	1.8	NA	2.6	3.1	0.8
Surveyors, cartographers, and photogrammetrists	1.6	4.3	3.2	7.4	2.2
Aerospace engineers	1.3	0.6	1.3	1.6	4.7
Computer hardware engineers	1.2	2.6	1.5	5.4	4.3
Electrical and electronics engineers	1.7	0.9	2.3	6.6	5.5
Surveying and mapping technicians	6.9	3.5	6.9	11.2	15.0
Astronomers and physicists	2.3	5.1	5.0	NA	3.1
Atmospheric and space scientists	17.0	1.0	NA	NA	NA
Environmental scientists and geoscientists	1.3	2.8	1.3	4.7	2.3
Physical scientists, all other	0.9	1.0	1.9	2.7	2.7
Sociologists	NA	0.7	NA	NA	6.7
Urban and regional planners	2.8	0.8	0.9	5.0	1.2
Miscellaneous social scientists and related workers	5.8	6.9	4.3	6.0	5.1
Other life, physical, and social science technicians	2.0	1.2	1.4	7.4	6.5
Librarians	1.6	1.0	3.4	4.1	2.5
Artists and related workers	5.4	5.8	8.1	7.8	13.8
Statistical assistants	2.3	2.9	2.6	10.7	6.8
Management, professional, and related occupations^c	2.1	2.1	2.7	4.7	4.8

NOTE: NA = not available

aOccupation titles are based on the 2002 Census occupational classification system (and are consistent with the 2000 Standard Occupation Code system).

^bThe unemployment rate is the percentage of the labor force that is unemployed. It is calculated by dividing the number of people who are unemployed (i.e., people without jobs who are looking for work) by the number of people in the labor force (i.e., employed people plus unemployed people). To estimate unemployment rates by occupation, those employed are classified according to their current occupation, and those who are unemployed are classified according to the occupation of their last job held. See <http://www.bls.gov/cps/cps_htgm.pdf> for more detail on how the government calculates the unemployment rate.

^cIncluded as a benchmark.

SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, <www.bls.gov/cps/home.htm>.

TABLE D.5 Percent of Workforce That Are U.S. Citizens for NGA-Relevant Occupations


	Percent U.S. Citizens
Occupation	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009

Computer scientists and systems analysts	89.6	90.0	89.3	89.9	89.9
Computer programmers	89.1	88.6	89.4	89.3	89.3
Computer software engineers	77.9	76.8	79.2	79.0	79.5
Miscellaneous mathematical science occupations, including mathematicians and statisticians	85.8	86.2	85.7	87.1	87.6
Operations research analysts	95.2	95.6	95.9	95.9	95.0
Surveyors, cartographers, and photogrammetrists	97.6	97.7	97.2	98.0	96.0
Aerospace engineers	94.6	94.8	96.5	96.3	96.9
Computer hardware engineers	78.4	87.0	86.5	85.4	88.4
Electrical and electronics engineers	88.9	90.3	90.5	90.6	90.6
Surveying and mapping technicians	98.3	97.2	98.3	97.7	97.1
Astronomers and physicists	91.3	85.2	84.1	83.4	85.9
Atmospheric and space scientists	90.6	99.1	98.9	95.7	95.0
Environmental scientists and geoscientists	95.4	95.5	94.8	95.6	95.1
Physical scientists, all other	78.4	77.0	78.5	76.2	76.3
Urban and regional planners	96.6	98.6	95.0	97.0	96.5
Miscellaneous social scientists, including sociologists	92.9	93.5	93.8	96.3	95.8
Miscellaneous life, physical, and social science technicians	93.0	92.4	92.5	92.5	93.4
Librarians	97.7	97.7	98.1	97.1	97.7
Artists and related workers	92.9	94.0	93.3	93.2	93.2
Statistical assistants	97.1	97.5	97.2	96.2	97.0

SOURCE: Data from the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, Public Use Microdata Samples (2005-2009). Includes those employed as of the survey reference period. Occupation titles are based on the 2002 Census occupational classification system (and are consistent with the 2000 Standard Occupation Code system).