Surveying and mapping services, 2015

Released: 2016-11-22

Survey and mapping service industries, which include geophysical and non-geophysical surveying and mapping, reported a combined $2.4 billion in operating revenue in 2015, down 18.7% from 2014.

Alberta, which accounted for 47.6% of the total operating revenue for these combined industries, was heavily affected by the decrease in oil and gas prices. The operating revenue of surveying and mapping firms in Alberta decreased by 28.3% from 2014.

Ontario represented the second largest share of the combined industry operating revenue at 17.8%, followed by Quebec (12.7%) and British Columbia (11.6%).

In 2015, survey and mapping service industries reported $2.2 billion in operating expenses, down 14.8% from the previous year. This resulted in a profit margin of 8.2%, down from 12.3% in 2014.

The largest expense item—salaries, wages, commissions and benefits—represented 49.6% of total operating expenses. The cost of goods sold (8.7%) was the second largest expense item.

Sales to the business sector accounted for 72.8% of total sales in 2015. The remaining client base was split among individuals and households (9.6%), governments, not-for-profit organizations and public institutions (8.9%) and clients outside Canada (8.7%).

Geophysical surveying services, characterized by locating and measuring the extent of sub-surface resources, represented 25.2% of the industry's sales in 2015, down from 31.7% in 2014. Industry sales from non-geophysical surveying services, which focuses on surveying the earth's surface (including the sea floor), accounted for 65.2% of sales, while the remaining 9.6% came from the provision of other goods and services, which includes geographic information system development and customization.

Contact information

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