As for my profession, I am a Staff Platform Engineer for a US-based software company and a part-time Assistant Professor in Bangladesh. Problem-solving, innovation, and voluntary work have always been the driving forces behind my daily life. I’ve observed that this mindset stems from my childhood. During my college and university days, I dedicated myself to a great deal of voluntary work. As a leader, I represented my academic institution and my country across the globe in many prestigious robotics competitions, such as the University Rover Challenge (URC), the European Rover Challenge (ERC), and Techfest at IIT.
That mindset hasn’t faded. Nowadays, I don’t just focus on my regular job; I also engage in public speaking at various technical summits regarding Modern Software Engineering, Cloud Technologies, and Robotics. I continue to mentor several groups and individual university students for both the Mars Rover challenges and their careers in the software industry. Additionally, I remain active in voluntary work within my local area and on online platforms. Becoming a Local Guide is one of those voluntary roles that I truly enjoy every day. I’ll most likely share the story of my Local Guide journey in today’s post.
The story began during a time of uncertainty. I was a university student, and after becoming the champion of the Bangladesh zonal round, I was selected for the international stage of a robotics competition. That was my first journey outside of my country, and I knew nothing about the destination.
After taking a taxi from the airport to the hotel, I realized the prices were quite high. I decided to check public transport and look for the nearest bus stop. One specific thing caught my attention: I saw that many people were reviewing bus stops on Google Maps. While sitting on the bus, I tried to figure out how they did that. Why were they doing it? Was the information authenticated? After a few days of observation, it became clear to me that anyone with a Gmail account could do this voluntarily. However, I soon forgot about it because I had to rush off to my competition.
After returning to my home country, I was busy with regular classes again. One day, while stuck in a traffic jam, I realized I was looking for new things on the Map and remembered my curiosity from abroad. Once I got home, I searched for how to become a volunteer. That was when I learned that those who contribute are called Local Guides, and they have a points and level system.
I started contributing using my symbian mobile device. Infrequently at first, I uploaded pictures, rated places, and wrote about the locations where I spent my time. Life continued this way until one day I saw a group on social media called “Google Local Guides Bangladesh.” I knew I was a Local Guide, but I didn’t know there was an entire community for it. I joined and read the pinned posts to understand their purpose. Eventually, I registered for an onsite meetup. I met many people who had traveled from outside Dhaka city, and from them, I started learning the best approaches to contributing to the Maps.
| Local Guide Level | Promotion Date |
|---|---|
| Start as Level - 1 | Jun 20, 2019 |
| Level - 2 | Jul 8, 2019 |
| Level - 3 | Jul 10, 2019 |
| Level - 4 | Jul 10, 2019 |
| Level - 5 | Can’t remember  |
| Level - 6 | Jul 27, 2019 |
| Level - 7 | Oct 12, 2019 |
| Level - 8 | Dec 18, 2021 |
| Level - 9 | Feb 12, 2025 |
As I visited new places, I began taking photos and videos, looking for key details to contribute. My points and level increased accordingly. One day, a friend saw my activity and asked why I was doing it. I took a moment to think, and then I gave him this answer: “If you want to go to a new place, what do you do?” He told me he asks people who might know the place or searches on the Map. I asked him, “If you want to find a good vacation spot or a restaurant, how do you decide where to go?” He thought for a second. I told him, “You check the reviews and ratings to decide.” He smiled and agreed that he did exactly that. I then said, “There is the answer to your first question. I am helping others through Google Maps, and at the end of the day, that helps you too, directly or indirectly.”
| Maps contribution | Count | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 297 | Total views: 705,796. Highest views on single review: 34,285. Reactions: over 1,200. |
| Ratings | 28 | |
| Photos | 5,923 | Total views: 36,243,023. Highest views on single photo: 2,408,263. Reactions: over 2,100. |
| Videos | 159 | |
| Captions | 1 | |
| Answers | 5,895 | |
| Edits | 2,633 | Highest views on a single edit place: 900,000. |
| Reported incorrect | 0 | |
| Places added | 10 | Total views: 200,000. Highest views added a single place: 100,000. |
| Roads added | 0 | |
| Facts checked | 288 | |
| Q&A | 62 |
I am a “travel freak,” so I travel anytime I have free time. Before becoming a Local Guide, I just enjoyed the moment. Now, my thinking process has changed. I still enjoy traveling, but I simultaneously collect information to share with others. When another person visits that same place, they can find out what to prepare, what activities to do, what to eat, the history of the site, or what surprises await them. I share this data through Maps, the Connect Forum, and local community groups. I even share this process with my colleagues and my students, as I am also a teacher.
I’ve traveled to many countries and cities, always learning about their discipline, technology, or history. I take notes and, upon returning home, try to adopt the positive changes I observed. Recently, I have relocated to Germany. I am currently learning about German culture, history, and discipline. I am doing the same things here - always looking & searching as a Local Guides.
Regularly, I do more than just my job. I am a consistent contributor - writing reviews, uploading photos, editing information, and adding missing places or roads. As an early access member of Roadmapper, I add new roads daily. I also write detailed posts on the Local Guide Connect forum and remain deeply engaged with my local community.
In my early days, I was just an ordinary member participating in meetups. Today, that has changed. I am taking on more responsibility by hosting onsite and virtual events. I help other Local Guides solve technical issues using best practices and try to engage the new generation of students in the community. I even give technical talks on using the Google Maps API and participate in Connect challenges, which are a fun way to keep learning.
Organized official community meetups:
Actively participated in official meetups:
- Recap: [In-Person] Bangladesh, November 14, [#LG10ScavengerHunt] DAC_NOV14_TEAMBDLG1
- Recap: [In-Person] Bangladesh, August 29, Connect Live ‘25-Tokyo; Experience Sharing Meetup
- Recap: [In-Person] Bangladesh, May 09, Let’s Meet @ Coffee Festival
- Recap: [Virtual] March 01, Celebrating 20 Years of Google Maps: Google Maps and International Mother Language Day
- Recap: [In-Person] Bangladesh, February 08, Local Guides 10 Years and Google Maps 20 Years Celebration Meetup Invited Guests Only
- [Recap] 10 Years of BDLG Celebration Meetup
- [ Virtual Meetup ] Exploring Problems and Solutions on Google Maps in 2024: A Focus on Bangladesh
- Recap: [Virtual] November 22, লোকাল গাইডস কানেক্ট ৩.০ প্রত্যাশা ও প্রাপ্তি
- Recap : Let’s Add 500 Road add @ Road mapper Platform [ Add 889.30KM ]
- Recap: Let’s Add 500km road in Bangladesh [1339.5 KM add in meetup ]
- [RECAP] BDLG 7 years Celebration with a theme of Save Energy towards better future
- [RECAP] 6 Years of Bangladesh Local Guides!
- [Recap] Update Historical Landmark and small businesses Information
- [Recap] 186 Local Guides listened “Connect Live 19"s Experience in Dhaka
- [Recap] Pre-Connect Live Meetup, Dhaka (121st meetup BDLG)
As the year ends, the journey does not stop here. I will continue these habits while striving to provide more to the community, planning cross-country meetups and renewable energy activities, which are so important for the next generation. There is a famous poem that says, “It will happen again next year,” and so, this journey will continue. Last but not finally, I’d love to hear about your journey as well.
