Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between imagery analysts and geospatial analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an imagery analyst and a geospatial analyst. Additionally, a geospatial analyst has an average salary of $62,823, which is higher than the $60,703 average annual salary of an imagery analyst.
The top three skills for an imagery analyst include geospatial data, geospatial intelligence and imagery exploitation. The most important skills for a geospatial analyst are geospatial data, geospatial analysis, and remote sensing.
| Imagery Analyst | Geospatial Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $60,703 | $62,823 |
| Hourly rate | $29.18 | $30.20 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 4,449 | 1,496 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
An imagery analyst is responsible for interpreting information by analyzing photographs and images to provide solutions for industrial and community issues. Imagery analysts must have excellent technical skills and the knowledge of computer navigation to utilize various software tools and applications to generate clear results and analysis. They help environmental organizations to identify potential concerns needing immediate resolution by analyzing satellites and other technological equipment. An imagery analyst must have excellent organizational and critical-thinking skills to access images and provide comprehensive evidence and research to support claims.
A geospatial analyst specializes in analyzing aerial imagery to develop geographic data that provides essential information about a ground or land's condition. They can find employment in different fields and industries such as agriculture, urban planning, mining, and even military intelligence. Although the extent of their duties varies upon their organization of employment, they typically involve creating maps and reports that highlight essential information, identifying geographical elements and structures, and providing recommendations to solve different issues and concerns.
Imagery analysts and geospatial analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Imagery Analyst | Geospatial Analyst | |
| Average salary | $60,703 | $62,823 |
| Salary range | Between $42,000 And $86,000 | Between $48,000 And $81,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Annapolis, MD |
| Highest paying state | - | Maryland |
| Best paying company | - | Gap Inc. |
| Best paying industry | - | Professional |
There are a few differences between an imagery analyst and a geospatial analyst in terms of educational background:
| Imagery Analyst | Geospatial Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Intelligence Operations | Geography |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between imagery analysts' and geospatial analysts' demographics:
| Imagery Analyst | Geospatial Analyst | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 73.4% Female, 26.6% | Male, 73.0% Female, 27.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.7% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 2.9% White, 63.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 12.9% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 2.9% White, 63.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |