Niantic Spatial and Spexi Geospatial have partnered to deliver a new platform that combines on-demand drone imagery with AI-powered 3D modeling to create highly detailed digital representations of urban environments. The collaboration is designed to make city-scale mapping faster, more affordable, and easier to access for industries that rely on accurate spatial data, including construction, infrastructure, engineering, insurance, telecommunications, and urban planning, tells Design News.
At the center of the partnership is Niantic Spatial’s physical AI platform, which transforms aerial imagery into photorealistic 3D Gaussian splats. Unlike conventional 3D meshes or point clouds, Gaussian splats preserve visual detail while enabling metric scale measurements and realistic navigation of complex environments. The resulting models are geo referenced, allowing them to be placed accurately within larger maps and analyzed through Niantic Spatial’s visualization and measurement tools integrated into the Spexi World platform.
Spexi contributes an extensive network of drone pilots operating across more than 200 cities in North America. The company coordinates image capture through standardized flight paths, producing consistent, ultra-high-resolution imagery over 25 acre parcels. This crowdsourced approach allows customers to request fresh aerial data whenever needed instead of relying on satellite images or infrequent airborne surveys. To date, the network has captured imagery covering more than 6.5 million acres.
One of the earliest applications is construction, where centimeter-accurate 3D reconstructions can improve site documentation, progress tracking, inspections, and planning. Engineers can measure structures directly within the digital model and compare conditions over time without repeated site visits. The same technology can support disaster assessment, asset management, telecommunications planning, and smart city initiatives by providing continuously updated spatial intelligence.
The partnership reflects a broader shift toward physical AI systems that understand and interpret real-world environments. By combining scalable drone data collection with advanced AI-based reconstruction, Niantic Spatial and Spexi aim to make detailed digital twins practical for organizations that need current, accurate, and measurable representations of the built world.