Niantic has revealed that they plan to map the world in 3D with help from the Pokémon GO playerbase. By utilizing players smartphone cameras, the new technology could theoretically allow the use of AR (augmented reality) technology in combination with the 3d map to enable players to see new virtual structures and allow other users to view the same layout.

“We want players to build out the game board they want to play on,” CEO John Hanke, a mapping veteran who worked on Google Earth and Google Street View, told Reuters last week.

"But based on existing features, players would turn on their cameras to visualize characters among their surroundings. Software would generate a map by automatically identifying contours and objects in the scene as a user plays." the Reuters article explained about the new technology.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-niantic-maps/pokemon-go-maker-niantic-plans-to-build-ar-maps-with-users-help-idUSKBN1IA28S