Bangladesh Local Guides, a volunteer community that works to keep Google Maps information accurate and up to date, has celebrated its 12th anniversary and its 300th meetup. The day-long event was held on Saturday (November 14) at the Grand Bhawal Resort in Aati, Keraniganj, on the outskirts of Dhaka, and drew 154 volunteers from across the country.
Participants included government and private-sector officials, IT professionals, engineers, entrepreneurs, teachers, students, businesspeople and doctors. The event was sponsored and supported by Majestic, Bistor Limited, Joy Box, CodersHub, Times PR, Men’s World, Makkah Gateway, Rangaboti, Zubraj Panjabi, The Abyss, Aiyaar and Nasif International.
Bangladeshi volunteers who attended Google’s international conference, Connect Live 2026, shared their experiences at the event. The conference took place on July 30–31 at Google’s Asia-Pacific headquarters in Singapore. Six participants travelled from Bangladesh, and three more were Bangladeshi expatriates living in Malaysia and Japan. Discussions at the conference covered the future development of Google Maps, the use of artificial intelligence, user experience and the accuracy of map data. A team led by Mohammad Palash placed third in an international scavenger hunt held as part of the conference.
The event also highlighted the international achievements of Bangladeshi volunteers. Several community members, including Mahabub Hasan, Gazi Sala Uddin, Mahabub Islam and Sonia Khorshed, have received international recognition from Google at different times.
Six training sessions on using and updating Google Maps were held during the day. The topics were AI-powered search, writing quality reviews and publishing photos, adding new roads, Street View, connecting with the international community, and adding information about accessible places and small businesses. Volunteers also received honorary crests for their contributions to the community.
The event was coordinated by the community’s founder, Mahabub Hasan. The Connect Live experience-sharing session was moderated by Syed Naeem Roman and Sajal Kumar Das.
Mahabub Hasan said the initiative started on a small scale in 2014 and has grown into a community of nearly 14,000 members. In his words, the 300th meetup carries 12 years of memories, friendships and shared learning. He said the community’s future goals are to train more skilled volunteers across the country, improve the quality of Google Maps data, add information on local tourist sites and businesses, and strengthen Bangladesh’s representation on the international stage.
The community was founded on March 7, 2014, under the name “Bangladesh Insider” and was renamed Bangladesh Local Guides in 2015. Its members add new places to Google Maps, correct inaccurate information and update road data. They also publish photos and videos, add addresses, contact details and opening hours for businesses and institutions, and map wheelchair-accessible entrances.
The tradition of special milestone meetups began in 2016 with the 50th meetup. The community has since celebrated its 100th, 150th, 200th and 250th meetups, and has now marked its 300th.