Jane Edwards 
Niantic Spatial and Vantor have partnered to combine their capabilities and deliver a positioning system that will enable ground and aerial platforms to coordinate and navigate in GPS-denied environments.
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In a joint release published Tuesday, the companies said they will use Niantic Spatial’s Visual Positioning System, or VPS, and Vantor’s Raptor visual positioning software to form a shared coordinate system from live video feeds of field assets, such as vehicles, autonomous drones and augmented reality glasses.
“By combining Niantic Spatial’s expertise in ground-based localization with Vantor’s proven aerial systems and global 3D foundation, we’re building an integrated positioning network that operates anywhere,” Niantic Spatial Chief Technology Officer Brian McClendon said, adding, “Our Large Geospatial Model gives these systems the ability to perceive, align, and operate in a shared frame of reference — even when traditional GPS is unavailable.”
Aside from GPS unavailability, their joint capability aims to address interference, spoofing and jamming.
“Raptor powers GPS-independent autonomy in the air, and we’re partnering with Niantic Spatial to bring this capability to the ground. Together, we can connect any air- or ground-based camera feed to a unified view of the operational terrain for continuous operations. Built on field-tested software, this solution will easily integrate with hardware systems to give operators a decisive advantage in the field,” said Peter Wilczynski, chief product officer at Vantor.
The companies plan to conduct field testing of their integrated system in early 2026.
What Is Niantic Spatial’s Visual Positioning System?
Niantic Spatial’s VPS is designed to deliver vision-based positioning and orientation. Supported by the Large Geospatial Model, the system enables users to enhance vision-based positioning capabilities using their own mapped data.
What Is Raptor?
Raptor is Vantor’s vision-based software suite designed to eliminate GPS dependence using a drone’s camera and Vantor 3D terrain data. It can operate at night and in low-terrain environments and is designed to enable precise navigation and real-time extraction of ground coordinates without GPS.
The software suite includes Raptor Guide, Raptor Sync and Raptor Ace.
