GIS Specialists
Overall Exposure
2025 vs 2023
Theoretical Exposure
68What AI could do
Observed Exposure
32What AI actually does
Automation Risk Score
39Displacement risk
3-Year Outlook (2025 → 2028)
Projected changes in AI automation metrics over the next 3 years based on estimated data.
Overall Exposure
2025 → 2028 (estimated)
Theoretical Exposure
2025 → 2028 (estimated)
Observed Exposure
2025 → 2028 (estimated)
Automation Risk
2025 → 2028 (estimated)
Exposure Metrics (2023 - 2028)
Task Breakdown
About This Occupation
If you work as a GIS Specialist, AI is reshaping your profession. With an automation risk of 39/100 and overall exposure at 51%, this role faces high transformation. The highest-impact area is collecting and processing geospatial data at 65% automation. This is classified as an 'augment' role. BLS projects +5% growth through 2034. Specialists who combine spatial analysis skills with AI-driven data processing and predictive modeling will be valued.
ISCO-08 classification
Software and Applications Developers and Analysts Not Elsewhere Classified
Indirect mapping — this occupation is linked to the ISCO unit group by a rule-based fallback.
Definition
ILO original text (English)
This unit group covers software and applications developers and analysts not classified elsewhere in Minor Group 251: Software and Applications Developers and Analysts. For instance, the group includes those professionals specializing in quality assurance including software testing.
Definition & vocabulary source
Source: International Labour Organization (ILO) — ISCO-08 Structure
License: ILO CC BY 4.0
Official occupational information
- ONET15-1243.01
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Manage web environment design, deployment, development and maintenance activities. Perform testing and quality assurance of web sites and web applications.
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Implement and administer enterprise-wide document management systems and related procedures that allow organizations to capture, store, retrieve, share, and destroy electronic records and documents.
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Computer Systems Engineers/Architects
Design and develop solutions to complex applications problems, system administration issues, or network concerns. Perform systems management and integration functions.
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Information Technology Project Managers
Plan, initiate, and manage information technology (IT) projects. Lead and guide the work of technical staff. Serve as liaison between business and technical aspects of projects. Plan project stages and assess business implications for each stage. Monitor progress to assure deadlines, standards, and cost targets are met.
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Business Intelligence Analysts
Produce financial and market intelligence by querying data repositories and generating periodic reports. Devise methods for identifying data patterns and trends in available information sources.
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Frequently Asked Questions
With an automation risk score of 39%, GIS Specialists faces a moderate level of AI-driven change. Some tasks can be automated, but many require human judgment, creativity, or interpersonal skills that AI cannot yet replicate. The role is more likely to evolve alongside AI than be replaced.
Our estimated AI automation risk score for GIS Specialists is 39% for 2025. Estimated overall AI exposure is 51%, with 68% theoretical exposure and 32% observed exposure. The estimated risk trend from 2023 to 2025 is +12 points. All of these are model-generated estimates, not measurements.
The tasks with the highest automation potential for GIS Specialists are: Collect and process geospatial data from multiple sources (65%), Create thematic maps and spatial visualizations (58%), Develop and maintain GIS databases and geodatabases (55%). These rates are our own estimates of how much of each task current AI systems can handle. They are not measurements and are not taken from any external dataset.
We estimate a +5% employment change for GIS Specialists between 2024 and 2034. This is our own estimate, not a figure published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Combined with an estimated overall AI exposure of 51%, this occupation faces both traditional labor market shifts and AI-driven transformation. Workers should monitor both employment trends and AI capability growth.
Since AI primarily augments capabilities in this role, professionals in GIS Specialists should embrace AI as a productivity multiplier. Focus on learning to use AI tools effectively, developing higher-order analytical and creative skills, and positioning yourself as someone who can leverage AI to deliver greater value.