Niantic’s Large Geospatial Model (LGM) raises significant privacy concerns while also promising innovative applications. The extensive data collection from Pokémon Go players, including images and location information, has led to worries about potential misuse and unauthorized access to personal data. Critics argue that players may be unwittingly... See more

Niantic’s journey from a government-backed startup to a leading augmented reality company is marked by significant milestones. Founded as Keyhole Inc. in 2001 by John Hanke, who previously held a position in foreign affairs within the U.S. government, the company initially focused on geospatial data visualization. Keyhole received early funding f... See more

Niantic’s data collection scale through Pokémon Go is immense, leveraging the game’s massive player base to gather an unprecedented amount of geospatial information. The company has processed over 30 billion images from players worldwide, creating a vast dataset that forms the foundation of their Large Geospatial Model (LGM). This extensive collec... See more