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Lidar technician vs instrument technician

The differences between lidar technicians and instrument technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a lidar technician and an instrument technician. Additionally, a lidar technician has an average salary of $64,037, which is higher than the $56,918 average annual salary of an instrument technician.

The top three skills for a lidar technician include GIS, extraction and CAD. The most important skills for an instrument technician are patients, surgical instruments, and cleanliness.

Lidar technician vs instrument technician overview

Lidar TechnicianInstrument Technician
Yearly salary$64,037$56,918
Hourly rate$30.79$27.36
Growth rate--
Number of jobs14,91645,965
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 78%Associate Degree, 48%
Average age5050
Years of experience1212

Lidar technician vs instrument technician salary

Lidar technicians and instrument technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Lidar TechnicianInstrument Technician
Average salary$64,037$56,918
Salary rangeBetween $42,000 And $97,000Between $38,000 And $83,000
Highest paying City-Palo Alto, CA
Highest paying state-Hawaii
Best paying company-Phillips 66
Best paying industry-Manufacturing

Differences between lidar technician and instrument technician education

There are a few differences between a lidar technician and an instrument technician in terms of educational background:

Lidar TechnicianInstrument Technician
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 78%Associate Degree, 48%
Most common majorGeographyElectrical Engineering
Most common collegeUniversity of California, BerkeleyNortheastern University

Lidar technician vs instrument technician demographics

Here are the differences between lidar technicians' and instrument technicians' demographics:

Lidar TechnicianInstrument Technician
Average age5050
Gender ratioMale, 69.5% Female, 30.5%Male, 83.4% Female, 16.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 8.0% White, 70.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 8.0% White, 70.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage8%8%

Differences between lidar technician and instrument technician duties and responsibilities

Lidar technician example responsibilities.

  • Develop GIS datasets through detail feature extraction.
  • Experience at using MicroStation, InterPlot, Geopak, Textpad, and Decartes software.
  • Update and improve spatial and thematic accuracy of features within the GIS to match LiDAR base data.
  • Perform peer-reviews and map-editing using MicroStation software.
  • Assess contractor bid documents and prepare PowerPoint presentations for management by administering proposals to procurement in awarding work to eligible contractors.
  • Create georeferenced scan strips and exterior orientations using Linux base Toppit software.

Instrument technician example responsibilities.

  • Lead the planning and coordination of QC instrumentation and software qualification to be compliant with best practices.
  • Lead a team of 10 engineers to develop an infrare telescope that are launched on the NASA high-altitude balloonproject BRRISON/BOPPS.
  • Accomplish team sales of 464K in clinical chemistry and hematology instrumentation.
  • Adhere to safe work practices including lock out/tag out, OSHA regulations, NFPA, and NEC code regulations.
  • Clean and sterilize various surgical instruments for multiple surgery cases.
  • Skil in the installation, maintenance, electrical devices from 24 volt DC to 4160 VAC.
  • Show more

Lidar technician vs instrument technician skills

Common lidar technician skills
  • GIS, 28%
  • Extraction, 23%
  • CAD, 23%
  • Troubleshoot, 14%
  • Digital Terrain Models, 6%
  • Data Processing, 4%
Common instrument technician skills
  • Patients, 15%
  • Surgical Instruments, 8%
  • Cleanliness, 6%
  • Hand Tools, 5%
  • Control Systems, 5%
  • PLC, 4%

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