AI exposure: Hydrologic Technicians
Collect and organize data concerning the distribution and circulation of ground and surface water, and data on its physical, chemical, and biological properties. Measure and report on flow rates and ground water levels, maintain field equipment, collect water samples, install and collect sampling equipment, and process samples for shipment to testing laboratories. May collect data on behalf of hydrologists, engineers, developers, government agencies, or agriculture.
Reading this score
computed43.3% of this occupation's weighted task load is exposed, which puts Hydrologic Technicians at the 77th percentile of 923 occupations. The capability is largely there. Its average task scores 2.6 out of 4 on what a current system can produce, and the frictions that hold other jobs in place are comparatively weak here.
What holds the line here is context. Across this occupation's 16 tasks it averages 1.66 out of 3, the highest of the five friction dimensions. In plain terms, the work depends on knowledge the model cannot hold. Much of this job runs on things that were never written down: what this particular organisation does, what happened last week, what the person across the table actually meant. That context is the barrier, and it erodes as systems are given more access.
The most exposed thing this job does is Write materials for research publications, at 76.7%. The least is Prepare, install, maintain, or repair equipment used for hydrologic study, at 0.0%. A gap of 76.7% between two parts of the same job is the reason this index publishes at task level. An occupation-wide number would have hidden both.
Within life, physical and social science occupations, this one is more exposed than most. The median across the 60 roles in the group is 35.8%, and only 14 of them score higher than this. Occupational families are not uniform, and the spread inside them is often wider than the gap between them.
What would move this score. Of 16 tasks, 11 are currently banded exposed, 1 assisted and 4 untouched. For that distribution to shift materially would take cheaper ways to verify output, since the cost of checking is currently doing more to hold this work in place than the cost of producing it. The score is re-computed every quarter against a fresh capability reference, and the change is published rather than quietly applied.
Task by task
16 tasks, O*NET 31.0| Task | Exposed | Assisted | Untouched | Importance | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Write materials for research publications, such as maps, tables, and reports, to disseminate findings. | 76.7% | 23.3% | 0.0% | – | exposed |
| Analyze ecological data about the impact of pollution, erosion, floods, and other environmental problems on bodies of water. | 73.3% | 26.7% | 0.0% | – | exposed |
| Perform quality control checks on data to be used by hydrologists. | 73.3% | 26.7% | 0.0% | – | exposed |
| Write groundwater contamination reports on known, suspected, or potential hazardous waste sites. | 73.3% | 26.7% | 0.0% | – | exposed |
| Estimate the costs and benefits of municipal projects, such as hydroelectric power plants, irrigation systems, and wastewater treatment facilities. | 66.7% | 33.3% | 0.0% | – | exposed |
| Locate and deliver information or data as requested by customers, such as contractors, government entities, and members of the public. | 64.2% | 23.3% | 12.5% | – | exposed |
| Investigate complaints or conflicts related to the alteration of public waters by gathering information, recommending alternatives, or preparing legal documents. | 58.3% | 29.2% | 12.5% | – | exposed |
| Develop computer models for hydrologic predictions. | 50.0% | 25.0% | 25.0% | – | exposed |
| Answer technical questions from hydrologists, policymakers, or other customers developing water conservation plans. | 45.0% | 30.0% | 25.0% | – | exposed |
| Apply research findings to minimize the environmental impacts of pollution, waterborne diseases, erosion, or sedimentation. | 40.0% | 35.0% | 25.0% | – | exposed |
| Investigate the properties, origins, or activities of glaciers, ice, snow, or permafrost. | 26.7% | 23.3% | 50.0% | – | exposed |
| Measure the properties of bodies of water, such as water levels, volume, and flow. | 20.0% | 5.0% | 75.0% | – | untouched |
| Provide real time data to emergency management and weather service personnel during flood events. | 13.3% | 36.7% | 50.0% | – | assisted |
| Collect water and soil samples to test for physical, chemical, or biological properties, such as pH, oxygen level, temperature, and pollution. | 11.7% | 13.3% | 75.0% | – | untouched |
| Assist in designing programs to ensure the proper sealing of abandoned wells. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | – | untouched |
| Prepare, install, maintain, or repair equipment used for hydrologic study, such as water level recorders, stream flow gauges, and water analyzers. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | – | untouched |
Task text and importance ratings sourced from O*NET 31.0. Shares computed. The occupation score is the importance-weighted mean. 16 task(s) lacked a usable O*NET weight and are shown but excluded from the weighting.
Where the score comes from
judgedEvery task is scored through the standardised work activities it maps to. These are this occupation’s averages on the six rubric dimensions. Capability is what AI can do; the other five are what stands in the way.
| Dimension | Mean | Scale |
|---|---|---|
| Capability | 2.62 | 0-4 |
| Embodiment | 1.03 | 0-3 |
| Presence | 0.47 | 0-3 |
| Accountability | 0.94 | 0-3 |
| Context | 1.66 | 0-3 |
| Verification cost | 1.50 | 0-3 |
What this means in practice
Where most of a role's weighted task load is exposed, the work that survives is usually the part of the job nobody wrote into the job description: deciding what should be produced rather than producing it, and being answerable for the result. The tasks lowest on this page are a better guide to where to spend your time than any general advice about the future of work.
Occupations either side of this one
The four closest scores in the same occupational family, then the four closest anywhere in the index.
Read this carefully. Exposure is not displacement. A high score means current AI systems can produce this work, not that anyone will stop paying a person to do it. Adoption depends on economics, regulation and inertia that this index deliberately does not model. How the score is built.