Niantic Spatial and Spexi Transform Drone Imagery into Tangible AI Solutions
Niantic Spatial and Spexi Geospatial Form Strategic Partnership
Niantic Spatial and Spexi Geospatial have announced a partnership that integrates Spexi’s aerial data network with Niantic Spatial’s 3D reconstruction technology. This collaboration aims to provide drone imagery for physical AI as an on-demand service for enterprise customers.
Details of the Partnership
Through this partnership, customers can commission drone captures via Spexi, resulting in high-fidelity, geometrically accurate 3D reconstructions known as 3D Gaussian splats. These outputs will be accessible through a Niantic Spatial Viewer and measurement tool integrated within the Spexi World platform, and will be geo-referenced for easy placement on large-area maps.
Drone Imagery for Physical AI at City Scale
Spexi has been designated as a preferred provider of drone imagery for training Niantic Spatial’s real-world foundation models for physical AI. The companies plan to capture, stitch, and ground city-scale data in geometry for simulation, location, and training purposes.
Inhi Cho Suh, CEO of Niantic Spatial, stated, “For physical AI to work in the real world, it needs a foundation grounded in reality. Combining Spexi’s capture network with our reconstruction technology and real-world models gets us significantly closer to that and delivers real operational value for our customers. Until now, high-quality 3D reconstruction has largely operated at the scale of an object or building. This partnership takes it to city scale and more.”
A Drone-to-3D Pipeline for Enterprises
Spexi’s network comprises over 10,000 drone pilots and has mapped more than six million acres at a resolution of 2.8 cm, which is approximately ten times sharper than satellite imagery. The autonomous flight protocols are optimized for machine learning, and Niantic Spatial’s reconstruction pipeline has been calibrated to align with these workflows.
Bill Lakeland, CEO of Spexi, commented, “Together, Spexi and Niantic Spatial deliver a drone-to-3D pipeline that will redefine the next generation of physical AI, unlocking more accurate, up-to-date, and immersive representations of the built environment. Partnering with Niantic Spatial means customers can now go from raw imagery to actionable 3D intelligence in one seamless workflow. That’s a step change in what drone data can achieve for real-world applications.”
Potential Applications
The partnership aims to address various use cases, including:
- Infrastructure inspection
- Insurance risk assessment
- Energy site analysis
- Asset management
- 3D measurement