Re: Request to Correct Village Name in GeoNames Database from 'Bhata Maliar' to 'Bhata'

[Marc Wick]

Hi Khawar

Thanks for your email. I understand the village was renamed. We do keep
historic names and don't delete them. Accordingly I have marked it as
'historic'.

Best Regards

Marc

khawarCEO wrote:
> Dear GeoNames Team,
> I am writing to formally request the correction of the village location
> name for our village in the GeoNames database.
>
> Currently, GeoNames displays the village name as “Bhata Maliar.”
> However, the official and legally recognized name of the village is “Bhata.”
>
> When users search geonames for “Bhata”, the geonames search result
> displays “Bhata Maliar.” Upon opening the result, the geonames webpage
> continues to show the incorrect name. Interestingly, when viewing the
> exact location on the map, the village is correctly identified as
> “Bhata.” This indicates that the map data has already been updated,
> while the displayed location name in your database and search index
> remains outdated.
>
> The name “Bhata Maliar” was officially replaced with “Bhata” nearly two
> decades ago. Since then, the corrected name has been adopted by numerous
> Government of Pakistan institutions and official records, including:
> ● Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)
> ● National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA)
> ● Revenue Department, Government of Punjab
> ● Survey of Pakistan
> ● Pakistan Post
> ● Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (under correction process)
> ● Other federal and provincial government departments
>
> I respectfully request that GeoNames update its location database and
> replace “Bhata Maliar” with “Bhata” across all of your platforms, including:
> ● website
> ● Mobile applications
> ● Google search result titles and indexed location pages
> ● Location URLs (where applicable)
> ● Internal databases and APIs
> ● Any other products or services using this location data
>
> Maintaining accurate geographical information is essential for millions
> of users who rely on GeoNames  for reliable information. Updating this
> data and location will ensure consistency with official government
> records and improve the accuracy of search results for residents,
> visitors, researchers, businesses, and government organizations.
>
> I would also like to highlight that Bhata has been selected under the
> State Bank of Pakistan’s Digitally Enabled Villages Initiative and is
> emerging as one of Pakistan’s leading model Digital Villages. As the
> village gains national recognition, it is increasingly important that
> international digital platforms such as GeoNames reflect its correct
> official name.
>
> I kindly request that this matter be forwarded to the appropriate Legal,
> IT, database, mapping and geospatial data team for review and
> implementation. I would greatly appreciate receiving confirmation once
> the correction has been completed or if any additional information is
> required.
>
> Thank you for your time, consideration, and continued commitment to
> maintaining accurate global data.
>
> Yours sincerely,
> Khawar Saeed Janjua

> COO, Global Law & Litigations Firm
,
> DHA Phase II,
> Islamabad, Pakistan

> WhatsApp/ Mobile: +92 300 9100325
>
> Note: here are the links and screenshots:
> https://www.geonames.org/1182717/bhata.html
>
> https://www.geonames.org/search.html?q=bhata&country=
>