About the Role
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Information, Please See
https://illinoisjoblink.illinois.gov/jobs/13720162
Senior LiDAR Mapping Scientist
Prairie Engineers is a small business engineering, surveying and
mapping, and natural resources
firm serving federal, state, and private clients nationwide. We are
hiring a Senior LiDAR Mapping
Scientist to own LiDAR productionfrom acquisition specifications through
classified point
clouds, surfaces, accuracy assessment, and client deliveryand to build
that capability into a
repeatable practice.
You will lead oUice production and mentor UAV Pilots and existing
mapping staU who already field
collect LiDAR and perform basic geospatial production. You will set
methods, tool selection,
quality control, and level-of eUort estimates and will report directly
to our Mapping Discipline Lead
(who Additionally Oversees Hydrographic Survey, Subsurface Utility
Engineering (SUE), and
Geospatial practices). You also will support land survey, hydrographic
surveying, and engineering
staU on multidisciplinary projects.
The Opportunity
Field acquisition and partner manned-aerial collection are in place.
This role industrializes
classification, surface production, accuracy reporting, and production
standards so Prairie can
deliver mapping-grade products consistently across UAV, mobile,
terrestrial, SLAM, and partner
aerial datasets. Anticipated Salary Range is \$80,000/year to
\$135,000/year depending on ability,
experience, certifications, and education.
What You Will Do
Specify internal acquisition methods and/or vendor/flight requirements
for UAV, airborne,
mobile, SLAM, and terrestrial LiDAR and limited photogrammetry projects
Process, calibrate, classify, and deliver point clouds and derived
surfaces (DEM/DSM,
breaklines, contours, hydro-flattening)
Design Quality Control workflows; assess vertical/horizontal accuracy
against ASPRS
Positional Accuracy Standards and project specifications
Diagnose failed trajectories, weak control, datum issues,
classification errors, and surface
artifacts. Identify root causes and implement practical corrections
before data delivery
Prepare level-of-eUort and cost estimates for mapping task orders and
proposals
Mentor junior mapping scientists and technicians and develop
repeatable production
standards along with support for hydrographic, GIS, engineering, and
other staU on
multidisciplinary projects
Tools and Deliverables
Prairie acquires data with NDAA-compliant LiDAR sensors flown on Blue
List sUAS platforms, plus
mobile, terrestrial, and SLAM systems. We partner with other mapping
firms for larger manned-
aerial LiDAR and imagery.
Current production tools include the Terrasolid Suite (TerraScan and
related modules), Spatial
Explorer Pro, Phoenix Lidar Mill, LP360, Global Mapper, TopoDOT,
Pix4Dmatic, ArcGIS Pro, Civil 3D
and Recap, Bentley Open Roads Designer, HyPack/HySweep, Applanix PosPac.
You will own
recommendations to improve this suite for eUiciency and accuracy.
Deliverables include design-scale topographic mapping, transportation
corridor mapping,
levee/flood mapping, and occasional topo-bathymetric LiDAR tied to
in-house hydrographic
survey.
What You Bring
8+ years producing mapping-grade LiDAR products for design or
engineering clients not
Visualization Alone. Additional Photogrammetric Experience a Plus.
Demonstrated classification, surface modeling, and written accuracy
reporting. Additional
Experience With Python, Scripting, Batch Processing, Or Other Geospatial
workflow
automation is a plus.
Experience estimating mapping scopes for government and private
clients
Comfort working directly with licensed surveyors, pilots, and design
engineers. Federal A-E
or state DOT mapping experience is a plus
Bachelors degree in geomatics, photogrammetry, surveying, geography,
or a related field
preferred; equivalent production experience accepted.
ASPRS Certified Mapping Scientist - LiDAR (CMS-LiDAR) or ASPRS
Certified
Photogrammetrist (CP) strongly preferred.
How You Align
People Focused: Professional, respectful, and team-oriented, with a
strong work ethic and the
ability to collaborate internally and externally.
Can Do Attitude: Positively engages with challenges, facilitates
problem-solving, and takes
initiative to deliver solutions.
Responsive: Communicates openly, proactively, and promptly, with
excellent verbal and written
communication skills.
Why Prairie
Prairie Engineers is small enough that this role shapes our mapping
practice and large enough to
pursue substantial, technically complex mapping work. We hold prime
surveying and mapping
contracts in multiple USACE Districts, prime state DOT and DNR
contracts, and have performed
mapping wor