September 19, 2025
We had the opportunity to interview Thomas Gewecke, President and COO of Niantic Spatial, to learn about the company's origin story, mission, and technology. Niantic Spatial's living 3D map of the real world is both groundbreaking and fundamental, and the company's spatial services critical to the ability of XR and AI to usher in a new era of work.
Emily; What is Niantic Spatial? Tell us the spin-off story.
Thomas: Spun out of Niantic Labs, Niantic Spatial is a new company with a new mission. We’re building technology to help AI truly understand the real world. We bring over 20 years of experience inventing next-generation maps to bear on the challenge. A big part of our mission at Niantic Labs was to build a fundamentally new architecture for fusing the physical and digital – in effect, a real-world computing stack that can now be deployed to help businesses across a range of industries.
Emily: What is geospatial AI?
Thomas: We see geospatial AI as the next foundational layer after LLMs and crucial for enterprise, AI glasses, and humanoid robotics navigating the real world. The digital maps and navigation systems we use today, including street names, signs and visual cues, were designed for people. We now need a new kind of map that allows machines to comprehend physical environments. This spatial intelligence represents a critical evolution in AI and will transform how people and machines understand the world.
Emily: How is Niantic Spatial building spatial intelligence?
Thomas: While large language models (LLMs) are transformational, human life and the majority of business activity still happens in the physical world. AI understands text, code, and images, but it doesn’t yet understand the world we live in. That’s why we are building a Large Geospatial Model to form a smart, living 3D map of the real world, with the goal of delivering a human-like understanding of physical space.
Emily: What products or tools are part of the Niantic Spatial Platform?
Thomas: Our spatial services include Niantic Spatial’s industry leading Visual Positioning System, advanced 3D scanning and visualization with Gaussian Splatting, and our software and systems for precisely anchoring content to real world locations, enabling vibrant, shared immersive AR experiences across platforms and devices. Our Large Geospatial Model takes all of these capabilities to the next level, enabling the solutions we deliver to scale with more coverage, higher fidelity, lower cost, and greater repeatability.
Emily: What industries can use the platform?
Thomas: Spatial intelligence is already transforming operations across logistics, manufacturing, and field services. In logistics, centimeter-level accuracy streamlines warehouse management by optimizing layouts, reducing errors, and improving both inventory control and delivery workflows. In design and construction, AR overlays enable distributed teams to collaborate in real time on 3D models, guiding on-site work with precision. For training, immersive simulations let staff safely rehearse complex tasks and receive instant feedback.
On the consumer side, the impact is equally visible. Brands and venues are deploying AR to power self-guided tours, interactive wayfinding, and educational mini-games woven into urban spaces. These experiences create richer engagement and offer new opportunities to attract and retain customers.
Emily: Many associate Niantic Spatial with location-based entertainment and brand experiences. How is Niantic Spatial working with industrial companies?
Thomas: We’re seeing strong interest in how our technology can help enterprise customers address their biggest challenges. For example, MHI Aero Technologies is designing a workflow on the Niantic Spatial platform for smartphones and AR glasses. Using our scanning technologies in manufacturing and inspection and maintenance settings, the team is developing a prototype that delivers clear work instructions and speeds maintenance - supporting part identification, clearance checks, and before and after capture.
We are also working with Aechelon to deploy advanced 3D scanning and simulation technology to the United States Coast Guard (USCG) Aviation Training Center. This collaboration has the potential to equip the USCG with highly detailed, continuously updated 3D models of mission-critical areas, dramatically improving situational awareness in dangerous environments, enhancing effectiveness and safety of pilot and rescue crew training.
Emily: How are Niantic Spatial’s technologies supporting the AI glasses and robotics markets?
Thomas: We see geospatial AI and our Large Geospatial Model in particular as a foundational layer for the new wave of AI glasses from companies like Snap. These devices promise to lift our gaze from our phones and reconnect us with the world around us. To deliver on that promise, they need an AI-driven digital map that is both highly accurate and persistent, capable of anchoring digital content seamlessly to precise locations.
Spatial awareness is just as critical for robots. Recent advances in AI have enabled machines to recognize objects, understand context, and even imitate human actions. But without a deep comprehension of their physical environment, their capabilities remain limited. Spatial intelligence is the missing piece. It’s the key to enabling safe, autonomous navigation and meaningful work in complex, real-world settings.
Emily: What’s next for Niantic Spatial?
Thomas: In Niantic’s third act, we’re incredibly excited about the opportunity to build in this next phase of the AI revolution and help the technology leap from screen to the real world. If you’re building in AR, robotics, or spatial AI - come talk to us at this year’s Augmented Enterprise Summit!
