Jobs / Science and research / 19-2099.01
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.
- US jobs
- 22,300 (SOC 19-2099 group, "Physical Scientists, All Other")
- Median wage
- $122,570 a year
- Job family
- Science and research
Can agents do the work of remote sensing scientists and technologists?
We read the evidence at the level of the job family, Science and research:
- Task levelPartialThin evidence. CORE-Bench asks agents to reproduce the results of published papers in computer science, social science, and medicine from the authors' code and data. Princeton's HAL team declared it solved in December 2025: Claude Code with Claude Opus 4.5 scored 95.5% after manual regrading. No benchmark in our collection tests new experiments or lab work.
- Project levelNot yetThin evidence. On PaperBench, where agents replicate machine learning papers from scratch, the best official result is 26.0% (o1, April 2025). On a small subset, ML PhDs scored 41.4% against o1's 26.6%. No newer official results exist, and no benchmark tests research projects in other sciences.
Benchmarks for the job family
These cover work in science and research, not always this occupation's tasks.
- 95.5%Claude Code + Claude Opus 4.5 (after manual regrading) · 3 Dec 2025Solved
Typical tasks
From O*NET 31.0. Core tasks first. Few of these tasks have a benchmark today.
- Manage or analyze data obtained from remote sensing systems to obtain meaningful results.
- Analyze data acquired from aircraft, satellites, or ground-based platforms, using statistical analysis software, image analysis software, or Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
- Integrate other geospatial data sources into projects.
- Organize and maintain geospatial data and associated documentation.
- Compile and format image data to increase its usefulness.
- Prepare or deliver reports or presentations of geospatial project information.
- Discuss project goals, equipment requirements, or methodologies with colleagues or team members.
- Process aerial or satellite imagery to create products such as land cover maps.
- Design or implement strategies for collection, analysis, or display of geographic data.
- 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.
- Monitor quality of remote sensing data collection operations to determine if procedural or equipment changes are necessary.
Other job titles for this occupation (47)
Geospatial Intelligence Analyst · Image Scientist · Remote Sensing Analyst · Remote Sensing Scientist · Research Scientist · Scientist · Sensor Specialist · All Source Intelligence Analyst · Commercial Drone Operator · Commercial Drone Pilot · Drone Operator · Drone Pilot · Geospatial Image Analyst · Imagery Remote Sensing Scientist · LIDAR Analyst (Light Detection and Ranging Analyst) · LIDAR Scientist (Light Detection and Ranging Scientist) · MASINT Analyst (Measurement and Signatures Intelligence Analyst) · Microwave Remote Sensing Scientist · Radar Exploitation Scientist · Radar Scientist · Remote Pilot · Remote Pilot in Command (RPIC) · Remote Sensing Certified Mapping Scientist · Remote Sensing Engineer · Remote Sensing Research Scientist · Remote Sensing Specialist · Remote Sensing Technologist · Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems Controller (RPAS Controller) · Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems Operator (RPAS Operator) · Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems Pilot (RPAS Pilot) · Sensor Assembler · Signal Intelligence Analyst (SIGINT Analyst) · Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operator (sUAS Operator) · Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Pilot (sUAS Pilot) · Spectral Scientist · Thermal Intelligence Analyst · Unmanned Aerial Systems Operator (UAS Operator) · Unmanned Aerial Systems Pilot (UAS Pilot) · Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Operator (UAV Operator) · Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Pilot (UAV Pilot) · Unmanned Aircraft Operator (UA Operator) · Unmanned Aircraft Pilot (UA Pilot) · Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operator (UAS Operator) · Unmanned Aircraft Systems Pilot (UAS Pilot) · Unmanned Systems Operator · Unmanned Systems Pilot · Weather Algorithm Scientist