Niantic launched its Lightship Visual Positioning System (VPS) which aims to form an underlying 3D map of the world so that AR devices can share the same frame of reference even on massive scales. With a shared understanding of where devices are, Niantic expects that its platform will enable developers to build location-based, persistent, and multi-user AR experiences using the underlying VPS map which will hopefully one day span the globe.
Although Niantic has been pitching is Visual Positioning System as a world-scale solution for syncing AR content between devices, out of the gate it will be much more limited. For now, the system is only approaching city-scale as the company says it will initially function only at certain Niantic Wayspots in select cities. The company plans to expand coverage of the Visual Positioning System by crowdsourcing mapping data from the devices that use it.
More information:
https://www.roadtovr.com/niantic-launch-lightship-visual-positioning-system-vps-this-month/