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AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Remote Sensing Scientists and Technologists?
Task-level automation exposure for Remote Sensing Scientists and Technologists: 24 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
55%
weighted task index
24 of 24 tasks scored
Median Salary
$122,570 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
Low
22,300 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
+2.1%
employment change
1,400 openings a year · BLS line item
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 40 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$68,670 – $156,730
Highest medians
District of Columbia $156,730
Minnesota $147,890
North Dakota $147,650
Maryland $141,290
South Carolina $141,130
Lowest medians
Indiana $68,670
Wyoming $69,240
Iowa $80,810
Kentucky $81,260
Louisiana $94,320
State figures come from the 19-2099 row in the May 2025 state panel. States where the estimate was suppressed or too small to publish are absent.
What the score is made of
Each task is mapped to its work activities, scored for AI automation potential, and weighted by how important those activities are to the job. These are the components.
Automation potential 55%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 11%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 71%
Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.
Routine administration 9%
Share in documenting, recording, and administrative activities.
Rewritten by O*NET 0%
Share of weighted tasks O*NET rewrote in a recent update. Reported, not folded into the score.
Consequence of error 8/100
Low
O*NET's own rating of how serious an uncorrectable mistake would be here — respondents, not us. Deliberately not in the index: the score measures what AI can do with the task content, and multiplying it by stakes would be our judgment dressed as data.
Constituent Task Mix
24 tasks for this occupation, weighted by work-activity importance. Shares below are of total task weight, not task count.
High exposure (≥ 60% of the task is automatable) 54%
12 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 28%
7 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 18%
5 tasks
How would you survive?
Move your week away from the high-exposure tasks and toward the ones that need judgment. The simulator recalculates the index as you shift the mix.
Simulate Upskilling →Emerging & rewritten tasks
Tasks O*NET added or rewrote for this occupation in its recent updates (05/2025 – 08/2026), with who proposed them. Additions are not in the scored task inventory — they are new work O*NET is still measuring, so they appear here and nowhere in the index. A Revision replaces a task that is scored, which is why only those move the "Rewritten by O*NET" share.
- New 05/2025 · AI/SME
Develop protocols and procedures for planning and executing drone-based remote sensing missions to ensure they comply with standards and requirements.
Constituent Tasks
#18270 · Core · 70% automatable
Manage or analyze data obtained from remote sensing systems to obtain meaningful results.
data analysis — Geological/geographic data analysis with human review
Analyze geological or geographical data.
#18256 · Core · 70% automatable
Analyze data acquired from aircraft, satellites, or ground-based platforms, using statistical analysis software, image analysis software, or Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
data analysis — Geological/geographic data analysis with human review
Analyze geological or geographical data.
#18258 · Core · 70% automatable
Integrate other geospatial data sources into projects.
data analysis — Geological/geographic data analysis with human review
Analyze geological or geographical data.
#18260 · Core · 82% automatable
Organize and maintain geospatial data and associated documentation.
data analysis — Record research or operational data into schemas
Record research or operational data.
#18265 · Core · 72% automatable
Compile and format image data to increase its usefulness.
text generation — Generative image tools produce visuals; human curates
Create images or other visual displays.
#18259 · Core · 72% automatable
Prepare or deliver reports or presentations of geospatial project information.
text generation — Reports drafted; presentations need human delivery
Prepare scientific or technical reports or presentations.
#18267 · Core · 55% automatable
Discuss project goals, equipment requirements, or methodologies with colleagues or team members.
interpersonal — Discussing design features with staff is relational exchange
Collaborate with others to develop or refine designs. Discuss design or technical features of products or services with technical personnel.
#18261 · Core · 78% automatable
Process aerial or satellite imagery to create products such as land cover maps.
data analysis — Geographic data compilation, human checks quality
Compile geographic or related data.
#18262 · Core · 48% automatable
Design or implement strategies for collection, analysis, or display of geographic data.
decision support — Method development needs empirical validation
Develop environmental research methods.
#18257 · Core · 65% automatable
Develop or build databases for remote sensing or related geospatial project information.
text generation — Technical DB design drafted; domain validation human
Develop technical or scientific databases.
#18264 · Core · 9% automatable
Collect supporting data, such as climatic or field survey data, to corroborate remote sensing data analyses.
situated mobility — Field data collection requires being in the field
Collect geographical or geological field data. Collect environmental data or samples.
#18271 · Core · 54% automatable
Monitor quality of remote sensing data collection operations to determine if procedural or equipment changes are necessary.
data analysis — Analyzes survey/physical data; human checks quality
Assess equipment functioning. Analyze physical, survey, or geographic data.
#18277 · Core · 40% automatable
Train technicians in the use of remote sensing technology.
interpersonal — Technical procedure training needs live demonstration and correction
Train personnel in technical or scientific procedures.
#18276 · Core · 8% automatable
Set up or maintain remote sensing data collection systems.
physical manipulation — Physical lab equipment setup
Set up laboratory or field equipment.
#18263 · Core · 32% automatable
Direct all activity associated with implementation, operation, or enhancement of remote sensing hardware or software.
interpersonal — Directing technical operations needs human accountability
Direct technical activities or operations.
#18273 · Core · 50% automatable
Attend meetings or seminars or read current literature to maintain knowledge of developments in the field of remote sensing.
information retrieval — AI can search and summarize literature, human curates
Review professional literature to maintain professional knowledge. Attend conferences or workshops to maintain professional knowledge.
#18266 · Core · 65% automatable
Conduct research into the application or enhancement of remote sensing technology.
decision support — Technology evaluation aided; strategic judgment human
Evaluate new technologies or methods.
#18275 · Core · 65% automatable
Recommend new remote sensing hardware or software acquisitions.
decision support — New-tech advice needs organizational context judgment
Advise others on the development or use of new technologies.
#19774 · Core · 50% automatable
Use remote sensing data for forest or carbon tracking activities to assess the impact of environmental change.
decision support — Synthesizes research; field application and validation human
Apply knowledge or research findings to address environmental problems.
#18268 · Core · 62% automatable
Develop automated routines to correct for the presence of image distorting artifacts, such as ground vegetation.
text generation — Scientific code drafted; domain validation by humans
Develop software or applications for scientific or technical use.
#18269 · Core · 60% automatable
Develop new analytical techniques or sensor systems.
decision support — Specs drafted; human validates feasibility
Develop specifications for new products or processes. Develop technical specifications for systems or equipment.
#18274 · Core · 10% automatable
Participate in fieldwork.
situated mobility — Field data collection requires being in the field
Collect geographical or geological field data.
#19773 · Core · 50% automatable
Apply remote sensing data or techniques, such as surface water modeling or dust cloud detection, to address environmental issues.
decision support — Synthesizes research; field application and validation human
Apply knowledge or research findings to address environmental problems.
#18272 · Core · 32% automatable
Direct installation or testing of new remote sensing hardware or software.
interpersonal — Directing technical operations needs human accountability
Direct technical activities or operations.
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How this was scored
- 1. Tasks. O*NET task statements for this occupation, from a release whose newest record is dated 08/2026.
- 2. Work activities. Each task maps to 1–5 Detailed Work Activities; each activity belongs to one of 41 Generalized Work Activities that O*NET rates for importance (1–5) in this occupation.
- 3. Automation potential. Every work activity carries one score for how far current AI can perform it end-to-end. Tasks inherit the mean of their activities.
- 4. Weighting. Task weight = 0.35 + 0.65 × (importance − 1)/4, scaled by how often the task is performed and by 0.7 for Supplemental tasks. Importance is the task's own O*NET rating where it exists (18,369 of 18,838 tasks); the rest inherit their work activities' importance. The index is the weighted mean.
Check: across the 910 occupations where O*NET also rates how far machine speed sets the pace, this index moves opposite to it (Spearman ρ = -0.49). The more a job is paced by equipment, the less of its task content AI can address — the relationship you would expect if the scoring is working.
Sources · O*NET 31.0 (task records to 08/2026) · BLS OEWS May 2025 · BLS projections 2025-2035 · rubric v2.1 · tasks for O*NET, not a forecast
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