Pokémon Go, the popular augmented-reality game developed by Niantic, has been the subject of controversy since its inception in July 2016. Critics have argued that the game was actually a scheme to exploit user data in order to fast-track the development of a competitor to Google Maps. Niantic, the privately-held parent company behind Pokémon Go, has been accused of using the game to collect images and scans of real-world locations in order to build an AI-based navigation system.
Despite these allegations, Pokémon Go quickly became a global phenomenon, with over one billion downloads by 2019. The premise of the game is simple: players must physically visit real-world locations in order to find and capture virtual creatures known as Pokémon. These locations, known as PokéStops and Pokémon Gyms, were strategically placed by Niantic to gather data on areas that Google Maps does not have street view images of.
Niantic’s approach to mapping real-world locations differs from traditional methods, which typically involve using vehicles equipped with cameras to capture images. Instead, Niantic relies on individuals walking around with their smartphones to capture images and scans of streets, footpaths, parks, and businesses. This data is then used to create a detailed model of the physical world, which forms the basis of the company’s Visual Positioning System.
Over the past five years, Niantic has collected in-depth scans of over 10 million locations worldwide, with users contributing approximately one million new scans each week. These scans are used to train a network of more than 50 million neural networks, which work together to create digital recreations of real-world spaces. This allows Niantic to accurately pinpoint a user’s location using just a single image from their phone.
The purpose of this extensive data collection is to improve autonomous systems, navigation, and augmented reality products. By analyzing the images and scans collected from Pokémon Go players, Niantic believes it can enhance the accuracy of its mapping technology and create more immersive augmented reality experiences. For example, the technology has been used to determine the best walking routes between two locations and to learn more about user habits and routines.
In a blog post, Niantic explained the importance of its data collection efforts: “Consider yourself standing behind a church. The local model closest to you may only have images of the front entrance, so it can’t accurately determine your location. However, on a global scale, we have data on thousands of churches worldwide, allowing us to create a more accurate geospatial model.” This distributed knowledge, the company argues, is crucial for advancing the capabilities of its AI technology.
While some critics have raised concerns about privacy and data security, Niantic maintains that its data collection efforts are essential for improving its products and services. By leveraging the images and scans collected from Pokémon Go players, the company hopes to revolutionize the way we navigate and interact with the physical world. As the technology continues to evolve, it remains to be seen how Niantic’s AI-based navigation system will impact the future of mapping and augmented reality.