diff --git a/cartographer/mapping/global_trajectory_builder_interface.h b/cartographer/mapping/global_trajectory_builder_interface.h
index 769d8ac..42fa9ab 100644
--- a/cartographer/mapping/global_trajectory_builder_interface.h
+++ b/cartographer/mapping/global_trajectory_builder_interface.h
@@ -44,8 +44,7 @@ class GlobalTrajectoryBuilderInterface {
   // 3. UKF estimate after integrating any measurements
   //
   // Finally, 'pose' is the end-user visualization of orientation and
-  // 'point_cloud' is the point cloud, in the odometry frame, used to make
-  // this estimate.
+  // 'point_cloud' is the point cloud, in the local map frame.
   struct PoseEstimate {
     PoseEstimate() = default;
     PoseEstimate(common::Time time,
diff --git a/cartographer/mapping/sparse_pose_graph.h b/cartographer/mapping/sparse_pose_graph.h
index c429ee9..5740d61 100644
--- a/cartographer/mapping/sparse_pose_graph.h
+++ b/cartographer/mapping/sparse_pose_graph.h
@@ -106,9 +106,10 @@ class SparsePoseGraph {
   virtual std::vector<transform::Rigid3d> GetSubmapTransforms(
       const Submaps& submaps) = 0;
 
-  // Returns the transform converting from odometry based transforms to the
-  // optimized world.
-  virtual transform::Rigid3d GetOdometryToMapTransform(
+  // Returns the transform converting data in the local map frame (i.e. the
+  // continuous, non-loop-closed frame) into the global map frame (i.e. the
+  // discontinuous, loop-closed frame).
+  virtual transform::Rigid3d GetLocalToGlobalTransform(
       const mapping::Submaps& submaps) = 0;
 
   // Returns the current optimized trajectory.
diff --git a/cartographer/mapping_2d/sparse_pose_graph.cc b/cartographer/mapping_2d/sparse_pose_graph.cc
index f599ede..f47847e 100644
--- a/cartographer/mapping_2d/sparse_pose_graph.cc
+++ b/cartographer/mapping_2d/sparse_pose_graph.cc
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ void SparsePoseGraph::AddScan(
     const mapping::Submaps* submaps,
     const mapping::Submap* const matching_submap,
     const std::vector<const mapping::Submap*>& insertion_submaps) {
-  const transform::Rigid3d optimized_pose(GetOdometryToMapTransform(*submaps) *
+  const transform::Rigid3d optimized_pose(GetLocalToGlobalTransform(*submaps) *
                                           transform::Embed3D(pose));
 
   common::MutexLocker locker(&mutex_);
@@ -393,7 +393,7 @@ std::vector<SparsePoseGraph::Constraint3D> SparsePoseGraph::constraints_3d() {
   return {};
 }
 
-transform::Rigid3d SparsePoseGraph::GetOdometryToMapTransform(
+transform::Rigid3d SparsePoseGraph::GetLocalToGlobalTransform(
     const mapping::Submaps& submaps) {
   return GetSubmapTransforms(submaps).back() *
          submaps.Get(submaps.size() - 1)->local_pose().inverse();
diff --git a/cartographer/mapping_2d/sparse_pose_graph.h b/cartographer/mapping_2d/sparse_pose_graph.h
index 2ef8bda..84a1c16 100644
--- a/cartographer/mapping_2d/sparse_pose_graph.h
+++ b/cartographer/mapping_2d/sparse_pose_graph.h
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ class SparsePoseGraph : public mapping::SparsePoseGraph {
       override;
   std::vector<transform::Rigid3d> GetSubmapTransforms(
       const mapping::Submaps& submaps) EXCLUDES(mutex_) override;
-  transform::Rigid3d GetOdometryToMapTransform(const mapping::Submaps& submaps)
+  transform::Rigid3d GetLocalToGlobalTransform(const mapping::Submaps& submaps)
       EXCLUDES(mutex_) override;
   std::vector<mapping::TrajectoryNode> GetTrajectoryNodes() override
       EXCLUDES(mutex_);
diff --git a/cartographer/mapping_3d/sparse_pose_graph.cc b/cartographer/mapping_3d/sparse_pose_graph.cc
index 854e46b..63a9e55 100644
--- a/cartographer/mapping_3d/sparse_pose_graph.cc
+++ b/cartographer/mapping_3d/sparse_pose_graph.cc
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ int SparsePoseGraph::AddScan(
     const kalman_filter::PoseCovariance& covariance, const Submaps* submaps,
     const Submap* const matching_submap,
     const std::vector<const Submap*>& insertion_submaps) {
-  const transform::Rigid3d optimized_pose(GetOdometryToMapTransform(*submaps) *
+  const transform::Rigid3d optimized_pose(GetLocalToGlobalTransform(*submaps) *
                                           pose);
 
   common::MutexLocker locker(&mutex_);
@@ -401,7 +401,7 @@ std::vector<SparsePoseGraph::Constraint3D> SparsePoseGraph::constraints_3d() {
   return constraints_;
 }
 
-transform::Rigid3d SparsePoseGraph::GetOdometryToMapTransform(
+transform::Rigid3d SparsePoseGraph::GetLocalToGlobalTransform(
     const mapping::Submaps& submaps) {
   return GetSubmapTransforms(submaps).back() *
          submaps.Get(submaps.size() - 1)->local_pose().inverse();
diff --git a/cartographer/mapping_3d/sparse_pose_graph.h b/cartographer/mapping_3d/sparse_pose_graph.h
index e4c8da6..3e2b3bb 100644
--- a/cartographer/mapping_3d/sparse_pose_graph.h
+++ b/cartographer/mapping_3d/sparse_pose_graph.h
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ class SparsePoseGraph : public mapping::SparsePoseGraph {
       override;
   std::vector<transform::Rigid3d> GetSubmapTransforms(
       const mapping::Submaps& submaps) EXCLUDES(mutex_) override;
-  transform::Rigid3d GetOdometryToMapTransform(const mapping::Submaps& submaps)
+  transform::Rigid3d GetLocalToGlobalTransform(const mapping::Submaps& submaps)
       EXCLUDES(mutex_) override;
   std::vector<mapping::TrajectoryNode> GetTrajectoryNodes() override
       EXCLUDES(mutex_);