This paper proposes policy-facing definitions of spatial computing and spatial data for use in national governance instruments, regulatory frameworks, and international policy documents addressing immersive technologies. It traces the terminological evolution from "metaverse"—a term the author helped define through the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Focus Group on metaverse (FG-MV), adopted by 193 ITU Member States—to "spatial computing" and "immersive technologies," which now represent the more precise, durable, and policy-actionable framing for this technology family. The paper establishes why terminology choices in national strategy documents carry governance consequences, and argues that definitions anchored in technical comprehensiveness, human-centered purpose, and artificial intelligence (AI) convergence best serve the needs of policymakers navigating this space. A bounded definitional note on spatial intelligence is included to address the AI-mediated capability layer within spatial computing systems. The proposed definitions are offered as a reference for governments, standards bodies, and international organizations developing governance frameworks for immersive and spatial computing technologies.
Radia Funna (2026) studied this question.