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Survey party chief vs instrument person

The differences between survey party chiefs and instrument people can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a survey party chief has an average salary of $45,923, which is higher than the $43,699 average annual salary of an instrument person.

The top three skills for a survey party chief include GPS, survey party and survey equipment. The most important skills for an instrument person are topographic surveys, data collection, and survey equipment.

Survey party chief vs instrument person overview

Survey Party ChiefInstrument Person
Yearly salary$45,923$43,699
Hourly rate$22.08$21.01
Growth rate1%4%
Number of jobs15,90135,373
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 38%High School Diploma, 38%
Average age4444
Years of experience6-

What does a survey party chief do?

Survey party chiefs are individuals distinguished from an engineering technician class. The chiefs supervise land surveys, plan, and assess the proposed field survey projects. They gather field data using the necessary equipment. Their job involves managing equipment logistics, travel-related budgets, and recruiting local staff. They perform work on several highway projects like fills and cuts, bridgework, and centerline layouts. Also, they execute data analysis and offer recommendations for the expansion of military bases and to achieve runway capabilities.

What does an instrument person do?

An instrument person is also called a survey party chief. They are responsible for preparing and conducting surveys before a particular land is constructed and developed. They usually oversee a group of professionals such as surveyors, contractors, project managers, engineers, and architects to ensure that all duties are done correctly and safely. They assign the staff to particular jobs based on their expertise and conduct a pre-survey before the project starts.

Survey party chief vs instrument person salary

Survey party chiefs and instrument people have different pay scales, as shown below.

Survey Party ChiefInstrument Person
Average salary$45,923$43,699
Salary rangeBetween $31,000 And $66,000Between $30,000 And $63,000
Highest paying CityJackson, NJ-
Highest paying stateCalifornia-
Best paying companyBowman Consulting Group-
Best paying industry--

Differences between survey party chief and instrument person education

There are a few differences between a survey party chief and an instrument person in terms of educational background:

Survey Party ChiefInstrument Person
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 38%High School Diploma, 38%
Most common majorSurveying, Mapping, And Hydraulic TechnologiesSurveying, Mapping, And Hydraulic Technologies
Most common collegePennsylvania State University-

Survey party chief vs instrument person demographics

Here are the differences between survey party chiefs' and instrument people' demographics:

Survey Party ChiefInstrument Person
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 96.7% Female, 3.3%Male, 95.8% Female, 4.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 5.0% White, 75.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 13.4% Asian, 3.2% White, 74.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage7%5%

Differences between survey party chief and instrument person duties and responsibilities

Survey party chief example responsibilities.

  • Utilize GPS technology to manage a two man robotic crew assign to residential/ commercial development projects.
  • Contribute to the development and maintenance of the GIS.
  • Shoot grade, and set centerline for carpenter's.
  • Provide daily support activities for desktop support, data network, and server management.
  • Record measurements and descriptive data in various forms and formats including SMI and TDS software.
  • Draft topographic, ALTA, preliminary/final plats for the survey department utilizing Carlson (CADD embed) software.
  • Show more

Instrument person example responsibilities.

  • Operate TopCon total stations with TDS-48 software.
  • Operate RTK equipment and Pro-XR global positioning systems.
  • Operate data collectors, total stations, theodolites and auto-levels.
  • Downloaded/Upload data from the HP48 (TDS) using TFR.
  • Work on various types of projects utilizing conventional and Topcon GPS system.
  • Experience with all total stations, TDS software, Recon, and HP48.
  • Show more

Survey party chief vs instrument person skills

Common survey party chief skills
  • GPS, 18%
  • Survey Party, 10%
  • Survey Equipment, 8%
  • Survey Data, 6%
  • Data Collection, 6%
  • Topographic Surveys, 5%
Common instrument person skills
  • Topographic Surveys, 10%
  • Data Collection, 9%
  • Survey Equipment, 9%
  • Trimble Gps, 7%
  • Robotic, 6%
  • Construction Layout, 6%

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