A common language
for a spatial world.

3D content

Reusable geometry, materials and scenes for spatial experiences. Content portability connects authoring to delivery. Shared formats help, while consistent units, coordinate systems, extensions and licensing remain necessary.

3D Tiles

Streaming large, spatially organised 3D datasets. It can provide geographic context for spatial applications and digital twins. Scene streaming and persistent anchor localisation are different problems.

5G and the 6G horizon (5G / 6G)

Network capabilities today and a research horizon for tomorrow. Mobile networks can connect distributed spatial services. Wi-Fi and local operation can also support AR; neither 5G nor 6G defines the framework.

Artificial intelligence (AI)

Perception, interpretation and assistance for spatial systems. AI can help a spatial application interpret surroundings and present relevant assistance. Human oversight and clear uncertainty remain essential when outputs affect the physical world.

Augmented reality (AR)

Digital information, situated in the physical world. AR-first is the framework’s central commitment: use the physical environment as the reference for digital experiences.

Augmented virtuality

A predominantly virtual environment incorporating elements of the real world. It occupies the virtual side of the mixed-reality region.

Augmentiverse

An AR-first conceptual framework for persistent spatial presence and interoperable digital experiences anchored to the physical world.

Decentralized Identifiers (DID)

Identifiers whose control can be independently verified. DIDs are one possible building block for portable authorship and identity. The framework’s interoperability goal does not require a blockchain or one universal identity provider.

Digital twins

Digital representations linked to physical systems. Twins can supply spatial context and operational data for AR views. They support the framework but are not required for every anchored experience.

Edge computing

Processing closer to people, devices and data. Some spatial workloads can use nearby services for shared state, media or inference. Local tracking should remain robust when connectivity degrades.

ETSI MEC

An architectural framework for services at the network edge. MEC can support distributed spatial services with nearby compute. On-device tracking and graceful degradation remain important.

Extended reality (XR)

A shared vocabulary for AR, MR and VR. The Augmentiverse draws on XR infrastructure while making a more specific architectural commitment to AR-first, persistent and interoperable experiences.

Geolocation

Permission-based geographic location in web applications. Geographic location can help discover nearby spatial content. It is not a complete mapping, indoor positioning or precise anchor-sharing solution.

glTF

Efficient delivery of 3D scenes and assets. The delivery layer lets content travel from an authoring workflow to real-time applications. Extensions require explicit compatibility checks.

Internet of Things (IoT)

Connecting physical observations to digital applications. IoT supplies changing real-world information for digital twins and contextual AR. It is an optional integration layer rather than a defining commitment.

Interoperability

The ability of independently developed systems to exchange information and work together through compatible interfaces, representations and semantics.

Metaverse

A contested term for interconnected, shared digital experiences or worlds. Definitions vary and are not necessarily restricted to virtual reality.

Mixed reality (MR)

Physical and digital elements share a spatial frame. Spatially aware AR and MR provide the experience layer. An MR application still needs deliberate choices about persistence and interoperability to align with the framework.

OpenUSD

Composition and interchange for complex 3D scenes. It supports durable scene authoring and collaboration. glTF and OpenUSD address different workflow needs, so conversion must account for what each representation preserves.

OpenXR

A common interface between XR applications and device runtimes. The native runtime layer connects applications to compatible XR hardware. It does not define a global spatial map or shared identity service.

Persistent spatial presence

The intended ability to recover content associated with a physical place across sessions and users. It depends on localisation, storage, governance and sharing.

Physically based rendering (PBR)

Rendering based on models of light and material behaviour. Shared material parameters improve asset portability without guaranteeing identical output across renderers.

Reality–virtuality continuum

A taxonomy extending from real to virtual environments. In the original formulation, mixed reality spans the region between those endpoints, including augmented reality and augmented virtuality.

Spatial anchoring (Anchors)

Keeping digital content connected to a physical place. Anchoring operationalises persistent spatial presence. A durable content service also needs discovery, access control, versioning and maintenance of the underlying spatial map.

Spatial computing

Computation that refers to real objects and spaces. It is the broader technical setting for the framework. The Augmentiverse adds commitments about openness, persistent presence and the primacy of physical reality.

Ubiquitous computing

Computing embedded in everyday environments and activities, associated with Mark Weiser’s foundational work.

Verifiable Credentials (VC)

Tamper-evident claims exchanged between issuers, holders and verifiers. Credentials can support portable qualifications, permissions or provenance in spatial services. They complement identifiers and access policies.

Virtual reality (VR)

Immersive simulation in a predominantly digital environment. VR contributes simulations, content pipelines and runtime standards. It is complementary to the framework’s physical-world-first emphasis.

WebGL

GPU-accelerated graphics in the browser. A browser application can use WebGL to render glTF assets or other spatial content. This reference site’s constellation uses SVG and HTML and does not require WebGL.

WebGPU

Modern GPU rendering and compute for the web. It can support advanced rendering and compute workloads where the platform supports the required capabilities. Integration with immersive presentation must be checked separately.

WebXR Augmented Reality Module (WebXR AR)

AR-specific capabilities built on the WebXR Device API. It provides the web AR session model. Hit testing, anchors and other capabilities are specified separately and must be checked on the target implementation.

WebXR Device API

An interface for immersive experiences delivered through the web. URL-addressable experiences support web distribution. Browser availability and session modes depend on the browser, operating system and device.