Portal Scanning
NianticOfficial
Niantic › admin
Ingress Agents are explorers with a keen eye for detail and boundless curiosity to learn more about the world around us. With the latest Ingress update to start rolling out today, we’re calling upon interested Agents who would like to help us continue our research of the Portal network with an opt-in update to the Portal Edit options.
Our team is working to generate dynamic 3-D maps of existing Portals so we can build future augmented reality (AR) features that feel more grounded and real. Portal Scanning is an opt-in feature that allows Level 16 and recursed Agents in the US to upload Portal Scans that contain the following information:
- recorded images and lighting conditions
- time and location of the Portal Scan
- how the mobile device moved during the Portal Scan
- mobile device and camera specs
Please note that Portal Scans are automatically anonymized once they’re uploaded to our secure servers, and no Portal Scan information is tied to specific Agent accounts. For more info, please read our Help Center article or our privacy policy.
Multiple Portal Scans can be taken at each Portal, and can help our team of researchers with different camera angles and positions. To help you keep note of your Portal research progress, successfully uploaded and approved Portal Scans will count towards a new Scout medal:
- Bronze: 50 Portal Scans
- Silver: 250
- Gold: 1,000
- Platinum: 3,000
- Onyx: 6,000
Similar to our multiphased app releases, which release to more Agents over time, we’ll also open Portal Scanning to more Agents, Access Levels, and countries as soon as we’re able.
Finally, we also plan to host non-competitive, cross-faction photo walk events to meet with Agents, answer questions, and demonstrate how to upload high-quality Portal Scans. More details on these photo walks are coming soon, so stay tuned.
Comments
We have now started the opt-in roll out of Portal Scanning. Today, Level 16 and recursed Agents on Ingress 2.41 in the US will see the SCAN PORTAL button enabled on the Portal Edit screen when they approach a Portal. Agents can currently contribute 200 Portal Scans per 13-day window. Like previous multiphased releases, we’ll soon open Portal Scanning to more Agents in the coming weeks.
Ideal candidates for Portal Scanning are statues and sculptures that Agents can walk around. On a recent scouting mission, our team of NIA researchers scanned The Gandhi Monument at SF Portal with the Portal Scanning feature. Compiled from Portal Scans contributed by multiple Agents, we were able to create the following reconstruction of the Portal:
The ability to generate these 3-D point cloud visualizations will help further our augmented reality research of the Portal Network, and we look forward to seeing your contributions.
Portal Scanning is now available to all Level 8 Agents. Upon reaching Access Level 8, Agents unlock the following Portal contribution options:
For more info on Portal Scanning, check out our Help Center article.