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Remote Sensing Scientists and Technologists

Apply remote sensing principles and methods to analyze data and solve problems in areas such as natural resource management, urban planning, or homeland security. May develop new sensor systems, analytical techniques, or new applications for existing systems.
  • Summary

  • Details

  • Work Activities

    • Design or implement strategies for collection, analysis, or display of geographic data.
    • Direct all activity associated with implementation, operation, or enhancement of remote sensing hardware or software.
    • Set up or maintain remote sensing data collection systems.
    • Attend meetings or seminars or read current literature to maintain knowledge of developments in the field of remote sensing.
    • Collect supporting data, such as climatic or field survey data, to corroborate remote sensing data analyses.
    • Analyze data acquired from aircraft, satellites, or ground-based platforms, using statistical analysis software, image analysis software, or Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
    • Apply remote sensing data or techniques, such as surface water modeling or dust cloud detection, to address environmental issues.
    • Prepare or deliver reports or presentations of geospatial project information.
    • Use remote sensing data for forest or carbon tracking activities to assess the impact of environmental change.
    • Train technicians in the use of remote sensing technology.
    • Integrate other geospatial data sources into projects.
    • Develop automated routines to correct for the presence of image distorting artifacts, such as ground vegetation.
    • Develop or build databases for remote sensing or related geospatial project information.
    • Collect supporting data, such as climatic or field survey data, to corroborate remote sensing data analyses.
    • Process aerial or satellite imagery to create products such as land cover maps.
    • Compile and format image data to increase its usefulness.
    • Direct installation or testing of new remote sensing hardware or software.
    • Manage or analyze data obtained from remote sensing systems to obtain meaningful results.
    • Conduct research into the application or enhancement of remote sensing technology.
    • Organize and maintain geospatial data and associated documentation.
    • Attend meetings or seminars or read current literature to maintain knowledge of developments in the field of remote sensing.
    • Recommend new remote sensing hardware or software acquisitions.

    Skills

    • Systems Evaluation
      • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
    • Installation
      • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
    • Systems Analysis
      • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
    • Operations Analysis
      • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
    • Service Orientation
      • Looking for ways to help people.
    • Operation and Control
      • Using equipment or systems.
    • Instructing
      • Teaching people how to do something.
    • Active Learning
      • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
    • Critical Thinking
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
    • Science
      • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
    • Writing
      • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
    • Time Management
      • Managing your time and the time of other people.
    • Negotiation
      • Bringing people together to solve differences.
    • Monitoring
      • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
    • Active Listening
      • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
    • Coordination
      • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
    • Equipment Maintenance
      • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
    • Judgment and Decision Making
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
    • Social Perceptiveness
      • Understanding people's reactions.
    • Speaking
      • Talking to others.
    • Management of Material Resources
      • Managing equipment and materials.
    • Quality Control Analysis
      • Testing how well a product or service works.
    • Technology Design
      • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
    • Complex Problem Solving
      • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
    • Operations Monitoring
      • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
    • Management of Personnel Resources
      • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
    • Management of Financial Resources
      • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
    • Learning Strategies
      • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
    • Mathematics
      • Using math to solve problems.
    • Programming
      • Writing computer programs.
    • Troubleshooting
      • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
    • Reading Comprehension
      • Reading work-related information.
    • Equipment Selection
      • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
    • Persuasion
      • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
    • Repairing
      • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.

    Abilities

    • Auditory Attention
      • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
    • Response Orientation
      • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
    • Inductive Reasoning
      • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
    • Written Expression
      • Communicating by writing.
    • Depth Perception
      • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
    • Reaction Time
      • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
    • Oral Comprehension
      • Listening and understanding what people say.
    • Time Sharing
      • Doing two or more things at the same time.
    • Information Ordering
      • Ordering or arranging things.
    • Near Vision
      • Seeing details up close.
    • Trunk Strength
      • Using your lower back and stomach.
    • Gross Body Coordination
      • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
    • Night Vision
      • Seeing at night or under low light.
    • Peripheral Vision
      • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
    • Wrist-Finger Speed
      • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
    • Written Comprehension
      • Reading and understanding what is written.
    • Memorization
      • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
    • Flexibility of Closure
      • Seeing hidden patterns.
    • Explosive Strength
      • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
    • Selective Attention
      • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
    • Problem Sensitivity
      • Noticing when problems happen.
    • Fluency of Ideas
      • Coming up with lots of ideas.
    • Sound Localization
      • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
    • Multilimb Coordination
      • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
    • Dynamic Strength
      • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
    • Speech Recognition
      • Recognizing spoken words.
    • Stamina
      • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
    • Originality
      • Creating new and original ideas.
    • Gross Body Equilibrium
      • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
    • Perceptual Speed
      • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
    • Visual Color Discrimination
      • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
    • Dynamic Flexibility
      • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Static Strength
      • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
    • Finger Dexterity
      • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
    • Spatial Orientation
      • Knowing where things are around you.
    • Extent Flexibility
      • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
      • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
    • Speech Clarity
      • Speaking clearly.
    • Speed of Closure
      • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
    • Speed of Limb Movement
      • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
    • Oral Expression
      • Communicating by speaking.
    • Mathematical Reasoning
      • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
    • Number Facility
      • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
    • Glare Sensitivity
      • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
    • Category Flexibility
      • Grouping things in different ways.
    • Far Vision
      • Seeing details that are far away.
    • Control Precision
      • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
    • Deductive Reasoning
      • Using rules to solve problems.
    • Rate Control
      • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
    • Manual Dexterity
      • Holding or moving items with your hands.
    • Visualization
      • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
    • Hearing Sensitivity
      • Telling the difference between sounds.

    Knowledge

    • Communications and Media
      • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
    • Mechanical
      • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
    • Building and Construction
      • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
    • Medicine and Dentistry
      • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
    • Therapy and Counseling
      • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
    • Psychology
      • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
    • History and Archeology
      • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
    • Economics and Accounting
      • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
    • Transportation
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
    • Sociology and Anthropology
      • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
    • Mathematics
      • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
    • Administration and Management
      • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
    • Law and Government
      • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
    • Computers and Electronics
      • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
    • English Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
    • Foreign Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
    • Public Safety and Security
      • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
    • Sales and Marketing
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
    • Customer and Personal Service
      • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
    • Biology
      • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
    • Physics
      • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
    • Food Production
      • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
    • Education and Training
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
    • Engineering and Technology
      • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
    • Design
      • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
    • Production and Processing
      • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
    • Administrative
      • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
    • Telecommunications
      • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
    • Fine Arts
      • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
    • Philosophy and Theology
      • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
    • Personnel and Human Resources
      • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
    • Geography
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
    • Chemistry
      • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

    Education

    Education
    Bachelor's degree
    Work Experience
    No work experience
    Training
    No on-the-job training

    Pay

    Washington Annual Salary
    135080/yr
    Washington Hourly Wage
    64.94/hr

    Washington Employment Trends

    Currently Employed
    380
    Yearly Projected Openings
    30

    Personality

    Investigative: People interested in this work like activities that include ideas, thinking, and figuring things out. They do well at jobs that need:
    • Analytical Thinking
    • Attention to Detail
    • Integrity
    • Achievement/Effort
    • Persistence
    • Adaptability/Flexibility

    Tools

    • Aerial cameras
    • Aircraft guidance systems
    • Airships
    • Anemometers
    • Area lighting
    • Desktop computers
    • Frequency analyzers
    • Gas generators
    • Global positioning system GPS receiver
    • Infrared imagers
    • Infrared spectrometers
    • Landing gear assemblies
    • Mainframe computers
    • Multimeters
    • Personal computers
    • Radarbased surveillance systems
    • Spectrographs
    • Tablet computers
    • Two way radios

    Technology

    • Analytical or scientific software
    • Application server software
    • Aviation ground support software
    • Business intelligence and data analysis software
    • Charting software
    • Cloud-based management software
    • Computer based training software
    • Configuration management software
    • Customer relationship management CRM software
    • Data base management system software
    • Data base user interface and query software
    • Development environment software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Enterprise application integration software
    • Expert system software
    • File versioning software
    • Geographic information system
    • Graphics or photo imaging software
    • Internet browser software
    • Map creation software
    • Medical software
    • Mobile location based services software
    • Object or component oriented development software
    • Object oriented data base management software
    • Office suite software
    • Operating system software
    • Presentation software
    • Process mapping and design software
    • Program testing software
    • Project management software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Storage networking software
    • Video creation and editing software
    • Web platform development software
    • Word processing software