Methods and systems for estimating a location of a robot are disclosed. In one embodiment, the method comprises a robot capturing range images indicating distances from the robot to a plurality of objects in an environment. The method further comprises transmitting to a server a query based on the range images, receiving from the server a mapping of the environment and, based on the distances and the mapping, estimating a location of the robot. In another embodiment, the method comprises receiving from a robot range images of an environment and, based on the range images, determining an inventory of objects in the environment. The method further comprises, based on the inventory, identifying the environment and transmitting to the robot a mapping of the environment.