Various techniques pertaining to methods, systems, and computer program products identify, for a first portable device at a first location in a three-dimensional (3D) physical environment, a first sparse map, the first portable device connected to a remote computing system for accessing sharable world data of the 3D physical environment that comprises a physical object, wherein the plurality electronic devices include the plurality of portable devices having respective sparse maps installed thereupon. A second sparse map is identified for a second portable device connected to the remote computing system for accessing the sharable world data. The second portable device performs content persistence for a virtual content relative to the physical object at least by using a merged map determined by merging a version of the first sparse map and a version of the second sparse map based at least in part upon one or more persistence coordinate frames.