Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services NAICS 541360

Feb 23, 2026 - API-led Coalition Pushing For Expanded Offshore Leasing

• The American Petroleum Institute and more than 80 energy and manufacturing groups are urging the Interior Department to expand and maintain broad offshore leasing in its draft federal program, World Oil reports. Expanded offshore leasing would increase demand for geophysical surveying and mapping services, especially in regions like the South‑Central Gulf, Atlantic, Pacific, and Alaska, creating new exploration frontiers requiring seismic imaging, subsurface mapping, environmental baseline studies, and geohazard assessments. Industry groups emphasized that offshore production remains a major contributor to US energy supply and benefits from existing infrastructure and experienced workforces, conditions that typically accelerate exploration cycles and increase the volume of pre‑development geophysical work. If the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management adopts a more predictable, wide‑ranging leasing schedule, surveying firms could see stronger multi‑year project pipelines, improved utilization rates, and greater investment in advanced seismic and remote‑sensing technologies.
• The US Geological Survey is using funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to collect high-resolution geophysical data focused on areas with potential for critical mineral resources in western Texas, including a portion of the North American Cordilleran Alkaline Igneous Belt, which stretches from the eastern edge of Alaska down through the Rocky Mountains and into Mexico. The project, part of the Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI), is modernizing the nation’s subsurface data and vastly expanding the quality and scope of foundational geoscience information. For geophysical surveying and mapping firms, the investment could lead to expanded contract and service opportunities as USGS partners with state surveys and private contractors to collect airborne and other geophysical data. Firms with expertise in airborne surveys, data processing, radiometric and magnetic mapping, and GIS analytics stand to benefit from increased demand for advanced mapping work.

• Trump administration cuts to federal spending threaten to slow or stop geological mapping work by the US Geological Survey (USGS) in nearly two dozen states, The New York Times reported in June. Geologists told NYT that no states have received their 2025 mapping money. Moreover, Trump’s proposed budget would cut funding to the USGS by nearly 40%, crippling its ability to produce geological maps for years to come, according to NYT. Mineral-rich states, including Colorado, Idaho, and Montana – where Trump wants to increase mining and oil and gas activity – all face cuts to local survey offices. Critics say the cuts are counterproductive and that geologic mapping is fundamental to US infrastructure and well worth federal investment. A recent report found that about $2 billion in investments in geological mapping from 1994 to 2009 yielded tens of billions of dollars in value to industries that use them.
• Employment by surveying and mapping services firms grew 1.2% in November compared to a year ago, while the average industry wage jumped 8.2% over the same period to $36.68 per hour, down a bit from its peak in August, according to the latest US Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Record high producer prices for engineering services firms, up 2.9% year over year in November, have helped to offset swelling payrolls. However, a slowdown in US oil production due to tariff-induced economic uncertainty and falling oil prices may slow demand from energy producers for geophysical surveying and mapping services. In December, the price per barrel of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil was below the critical $60 mark but rebounded in January. When oil prices are low, demand for the industry’s services declines.