Pokémon Go Data Used to Enhance Military Drone Navigation

WHO:

AV Club - Niantic Spatial (formerly Niantic) and Vantor, a defense and intelligence firm, are involved in the partnership.

AV Club - Vantor is the company licensing the data for Visual Positioning Systems (VPS).

WHAT:

AV Club - Information captured by Pokémon Go players will be used to train military drones and robots, according to a report by the Dutch newspaper Trouw.

Kotaku - Trouw claims that a U.S. defense contractor, Vantor, is preparing to implement the navigation model created with the help of the roughly 30 billion scans into drones and other military robots.

Kotaku - Niantic Spatial stated that Pokémon Go data is not shared with them since the company was spun off following the acquisition by Scopely.

Kotaku - Niantic Spatial clarified that the AR scans collected through Pokémon Go were submitted voluntarily by players who opted into the feature and were subject to the applicable Terms of Service and Privacy Policy at the time.

Kotaku - Niantic Spatial mentioned that the partnership with Vantor is still in its very early stages and that sharing Pokémon Go data is not part of the agreement.

AV Club - Data from Pokémon Go players will be used to train military drones and robots.

AV Club - The partnership was established in December 2025.

AV Club - Players have made 30 billion Pokémon scans while playing the game.

AV Club - As of December 2025, Pokémon Go has an average of 110 million active monthly players.

AV Club - The VPS can locate positions without GPS by using detailed 3D world models created from game data.

WHERE:

AV Club - The data is being used for military applications, particularly in warzones where GPS signals are often jammed.

WHEN:

AV Club - The partnership between Niantic Spatial and Vantor was established in December 2025.

AV Club - Pokémon Go began asking players to upload videos around 2021.

AV Club - Vantor has been involved in aerial positioning since February 2025.

WHY:

Kotaku - The partnership aims to solve issues of “GPS unavailability, spoofing, interference, and jamming” in drone piloting.

AV Club - The data collected from Pokémon Go is valuable for intelligence and defense contractors, particularly for improving navigation systems in military drones.

HOW:

AV Club - The Visual Positioning System (VPS) can find a location based on a detailed 3D world model from just a few pixels without the need for GPS signals.

Kotaku - Niantic Spatial explained that ground scans were one component to help train their real-world foundation models, which are AI systems that learn to recognize and interpret physical spaces.

AV Club - Players earn in-game rewards for scanning their surroundings, which generates valuable data for the VPS.

AV Club - The VPS uses a combination of ground and aerial maps to function without GPS, relying on data from the game.

(UPDATED June 12, 2026 12:07 UTC)

According to a report by the Dutch newspaper Trouw, information captured by Pokémon Go players will be used to train military drones and robots. The report claims that U.S. defense contractor Vantor is preparing to implement a navigation model created from approximately 30 billion scans into these drones and other military robots. This technology, known as the Visual Positioning System, can determine a location using a detailed 3D world model based on just a few pixels, eliminating the need for GPS signals.

(UPDATED June 12, 2026 04:24 UTC)

Niantic Spatial has clarified that they do not share Pokémon Go data, as the company was spun off following its acquisition by Scopely, and that any AR scans collected were submitted voluntarily by players who opted into the feature. They also mentioned that their partnership with Vantor is still in its early stages and does not involve sharing Pokémon Go data, with the collaboration aimed at addressing issues like GPS unavailability and spoofing in drone piloting. Additionally, Niantic Spatial explained that ground scans are being used to help train their AI systems, which learn to recognize and interpret physical spaces.

(UPDATED June 11, 2026 19:52 UTC)

Niantic Spatial has partnered with Vantor, a defense and intelligence firm, to utilize data from Pokémon Go players for military applications, specifically to train drones and robots. This collaboration, established in December 2025, leverages the 30 billion Pokémon scans made by players, allowing the Visual Positioning System to locate positions without GPS in areas where signals are often jammed. Players earn in-game rewards for scanning their surroundings, generating valuable data that enhances navigation systems for military use.