Most of the needed technology already exists, but pulling it all together will need a lot of investment, software, co-operation and standards. At some stage governments will likely be involved, either as data suppliers, partners or customers.

Here’s what needs to be achieved:

A global standard for mapping the world. Software and models can be converted to suit, but there needs to be a global 3D referencing system, just like the latitude and longitude of 2D mapping.

Street-level 3D mapping of cities and regions. Basically the same as Google already does with 2D photos to create pseudo-3D. Public roads should be easy to access by mapping machines. And driverless cars will be able to combine the resultant map data with what they see live.

Street-level mapping of footpaths/sidewalks. MapMerge includes a navigational system for robots. Robots in the near future will only be efficient if they are wheeled, which means they need to know where ramps are. Humans can do a good job of mapping this, or a robot could be purposely designed. The resulting map will of course also be useful to blind or handicapped people.

Mapping the inside of buildings. First of all office buildings, shopping centres and places like libraries. These are not places where you can drive a car with a bunch of cameras on the roof. Permission will be required, or the property owners could film it themselves. That means lots of bureaucracy that could scare off tech companies who want to automate processes for efficiency.  And later, convincing people to map their own homes could be an additional hurdle.

VR Systems. Primarily in homes and offices, typically a private room or the corner of a room. To optimally visit the Now, you will need a omni-directional treadmill and an array of cameras to make a 3D model of yourself – plus special glasses. To receive visitors, a number of cameras on the walls plus special glasses is all that is needed.

Avatars. Take a 3D image of yourself, get a 3D avatar version built, and customise it. How people look to others is one of the most important aspects of MapMerge. It is critical that this is done right from the get go.

Air Traffic Control for drones. Depending on who maps the skies in 3D first, either the government will tap into MapMerge, or MapMerge will be the basis for government drone control.

Protection for drones and robots. They will need legal protection, legal permission to operate, and protection from theft/violence. The fact that they will have cameras, and cameras will be everywhere, should suffice. Even so, expect some to be stolen by cloakers.

Self-Driving Cars. They will need advanced mapping, and Google is already building such maps for their futuristic cars – maps that measure the height of curbs, amongst other things. With Google already considering mapping every US road in substantial detail, it makes sense to use that data to build MapMerge.

WiFi or cell coverage everywhere. It will be too awkward trying to get a continuous internet connection as you move around unless  a system that meshes all the infrastructures is developed. Bandwidth will need to be higher/faster, but presumably that is inevitable.

Google Glass 3.0 or Apple Specs? MapMerge revolves around special glasses that let you see information, objects and avatars super-imposed over the real world. One of the many improvements required will be a clear indication that the glasses are being used for filming or merging. They could glow… I expect that secretly filming in public will soon be outlawed.

Cooperation from public transport authorities. Getting around the Now will depend on this. Buses, trains and planes will need cameras, GPS and an internet connection.

Cameras everywhere. In public this should happen quickly once roads become privatised, and the data is controlled by property owners. In private it will be incentivised by access to MapMerge. Expect global coverage, with plenty of privacy black spots, and few private homes.

Access to public cameras. MapMerge anticipates a lot of roads will become private, meaning dealing with thousands of small groups of locals, businesses and corporations. It will work better if you get them to come to you, like Google My Business.

Software: Making the Planet Seamless in 3D. Totally achievable, but will take some effort.

Software: Registration of all Stakeholders. Drones and robots will need to be registered. So will public transport vehicles, private vehicles, Things, and people using MapMerge. Security will be very important, and there will be overlaps with government processes. Ideally this will be managed by 3rd party on behalf of governments, and fed to MapMerge on a need-to-know basis. The entire system must be built on privacy, like BitCoin.

Software: A Permissions System. Drones and robots will need permission to enter certain spaces. People will need permission to visit private property in the Now. Each will need permission to access information overlays, and data from Things.  I suggest one or more third parties who are not involved with registrations.

Redundancy. Just like the Internet doesn’t fall over when a node goes down, the MapMerge will need to be just as robust.