In XR News
What’s the story?
Niantic Spatial has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Singapore Land Authority to evaluate the technical feasibility of building Singapore’s “first Visual Positioning System”.
Why it matters
Niantic Spatial aims to combine visual positioning technology with the Singapore Land Authority’s high-resolution mapping data so robots and machines can locate themselves more precisely.
The bigger picture
Niantic Spatial and SLA will assess how well a VPS performs across Singapore’s urban landscape and explore applications that can include urban planning, emergency response, public safety and location-based digital experiences.
September 22, 2026 – Spatial computing technology company Niantic Spatial has this week announced a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) to jointly evaluate the technical feasibility and potential applications of building Singapore’s “first Visual Positioning System” (VPS).
According to Niantic Spatial, the arrangement will pave the way for more precise location-based services that can support smart city applications, including autonomous robots, smart infrastructure and future AI applications. The company stated that it will combine SLA’s data sets with its own expertise in geospatial AI, computer vision and visual positioning technologies to explore the feasibility of leveraging national datasets combined with advanced visual positioning technology, with the aim of enabling robots and machines to understand and navigate the physical world with greater precision.
SLA serves as Singapore’s national geospatial and mapping agency and maintains high-resolution mapping data, including aerial imagery and nationwide 3D point clouds. The agency has separately stated that its National 3D Mapping Programme provides airborne laser scanning data and imagery, and that the Singapore Satellite Positioning Reference Network (SiReNT), which it has established and maintained since 2006, is a network of 10 stations providing real-time, centimeter-level precise positioning.
Commenting on the collaboration, Inhi Cho Suh, Chief Executive at Niantic Spatial, said: “Singapore has some of the richest geospatial data of any country in the world. This pilot tests whether we can turn that national investment into infrastructure machines can use to navigate safely, but without the cost of scanning a city street by street. If we can prove that here, it’s a blueprint for what trustworthy physical AI looks like at national scale.”
Niantic Spatial stated that through the collaboration the two organizations will also assess how well VPS performs across Singapore’s urban landscape and explore applications in autonomous navigation, robotics and other emerging industries that require precise positioning. These can include urban planning and city operations, emergency response and public safety as well as location-based digital experiences.
Calvin Phua, Chief Executive of the Singapore Land Authority, added: “SLA’s authoritative and comprehensive geospatial datasets provide a strong foundation for innovation. Through this collaboration, we will explore how combining these trusted national datasets with advanced positioning technologies can enable next-generation applications and deliver tangible benefits.”
For more information on Niantic Spatial and its geospatial AI and visual positioning technologies, please visit the company’s website.
Image / video credit: Niantic Spatial / Singapore Land Authority
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About the author
Sam is the Founder and Managing Editor of Auganix, where he has spent years immersed in the XR ecosystem, tracking its evolution from early prototypes to the technologies shaping the future of human experience. While primarily covering the latest AR and VR news, his interests extend to the wider world of human augmentation, from AI and robotics to haptics, wearables, and brain–computer interfaces.