Maps have gotten much better over the past few decades. But they're still mostly two dimensional, and they struggle to keep up with a world that is always changing. Brian McClendon is the Chief Technology Officer of Niantic Spatial, a spinout of the company that makes Pokémon Go. Brian's problem is this: How do you build a three-dimensional map of the world that both robots and humans can use to find their way?

In this episode, Brian explains: 
What he learned building Google Earth 
How Pokémon Go players helped build the foundation for robot navigation
What it will take to teach AI to understand the physical world.
Why GPS is so bad in cities 
 Why trees are such a big problem for digital mapmakers

Connect with us:
Follow Jacob Goldstein on LinkedIn, X and Instagram 
Email us at problem@pushkin.fm 
Follow Pushkin on Instagram, LinkedIn or X 
Listen to Jacob’s other show, Business History 
To listen to the show early and ad free, sign up for Pushkin+

Maps have gotten much better over the past few decades. But they're still mostly two dimensional, and they struggle to keep up with a world that is always changing. Brian McClendon is the Chief Technology Officer of Niantic Spatial, a spinout of the company that makes Pok&eacute;mon Go. Brian's problem is this: How do you build a three-dimensional map of the world that both robots and humans can use to find their way?
In this episode, Brian explains:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>What he learned building Google Earth&nbsp;</li>
<li>How Pok&eacute;mon Go players helped build the foundation for robot navigation</li>
<li>What it will take to teach AI to understand the physical world.</li>
<li>Why GPS is so bad in cities&nbsp;</li>
<li> Why trees are such a big problem for digital mapmakers</li>
</ul>
Connect with us:
<ul>
<li>Follow Jacob Goldstein on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-goldstein-888a2441/">LinkedIn</a>, <a href="https://x.com/jacobgoldstein?lang=en">X</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jacobjulius/?hl=en">Instagram&nbsp;</a></li>
<li>Email us at <a href="mailto:problem@pushkin.fm">problem@pushkin.fm</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li>Follow Pushkin on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/pushkinpods/">Instagram</a>,<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/pushkin-industries/posts/?feedView=all"> LinkedIn</a> or <a href="https://x.com/pushkinpods?lang=en">X</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li>Listen to Jacob&rsquo;s other show, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/business-history/id1844409167">Business History&nbsp;</a></li>
<li>To listen to the show early and ad free, sign up for <a href="https://www.pushkin.fm/join-pushkin">Pushkin+</a></li>
</ul>

Every week on What's Your Problem?, former Planet Money host Jacob Goldstein talks with entrepreneurs and engineers tackling the biggest challenges at the forefront of technology. How do you make a trip to space as routine as a plane flight? How do you turn solar energy into clean fuel? How do you use AI to stop deadly infections before they spread? We hear a lot these days about how the world is getting worse. What's Your Problem? learns from the thinkers and doers trying to make our future better.

iHeartMedia is the exclusive podcast partner of Pushkin Industries.

Every week on What's Your Problem?, former Planet Money host Jacob Goldstein talks with&nbsp;entrepreneurs and engineers&nbsp;tackling the biggest challenges at the forefront of technology. How do you make a trip to space as routine as a plane flight? How do you turn solar energy into clean fuel? How do you use AI to stop deadly infections before they spread? We hear a lot these days about how the world is getting worse. What's Your Problem? learns from the thinkers and doers trying to make our future better.
iHeartMedia is the exclusive podcast partner of Pushkin Industries.

What's Your Problem?

Every week on What’s Your Problem, entrepreneurs and engineers talk about the future they’re trying to build – and the problems they have to solve to get there.

How do you take a drone delivery service you’ve built in Rwanda and make it work in North Carolina? How do you convince people to buy a house on the Internet? How do you sell thousands of dog ramps to weiner dogs all across America when a pandemic breaks the global supply chain? 

Hosted by former Planet Money host Jacob Goldstein, What’s Your Problem helps listeners understand the problems really smart people are trying to solve right now.

iHeartMedia is the exclusive podcast partner of Pushkin Industries.

Using Pokémon Go to Map the World

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/e7fc0f4e-dc3d-40b5-815c-b456014bf9e3/transcript