Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services NAICS 541360

Dec 23, 2025 - Mapping Critical Mineral Resources

• 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.

• The Trump administration has moved to open 23 million acres of Alaskan Wilderness to drilling by repealing protections imposed by the Biden administration, The New York Times reports. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the previous administration exceeded its authority when it banned oil and gas drilling in the area known as the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. The petroleum reserve, established over a century ago as an energy warehouse for the US Navy, is estimated to contain more than 8 billion barrels of recoverable oil. The Bureau of Land Management has released a draft environmental assessment to propose reopening up to 82% of the reserve to oil and gas leasing and exploration and development. The proposal comes partly in response to Trump’s January executive order, “Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential," the Interior statement said. The area is home to ConocoPhillips’ Willow oil field, approved under Biden.
• Employment by surveying and mapping services firms grew 4.6% in August compared to a year ago, while the average industry wage jumped 10.1% over the same period to a new high of $36.84 per hour, according to the latest US Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Record high producer prices for engineering services firms, up 2.7% year over year in September, 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. When oil prices are low, demand for the industry’s services declines.