The Digital India BHASHINI Division (Digital India BHASHINI Division), under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Survey of India to support the digitisation, transcription and standardisation of geographical place names using AI-based speech and language technologies.

The collaboration aims to create accurate, multilingual and standardised toponymic datasets aligned with the National Geospatial Policy, 2022. As the national nodal agency for geographical names, the Survey of India undertakes extensive field surveys to capture place names in local vernaculars for integration into national mapping systems.

Under the MoU, BHASHINI’s speech-to-text and language processing capabilities will be used to convert large volumes of audio recordings into structured digital text, enabling the creation of a validated Toponymy Database covering more than 16 lakh locations across the country.

The initiative will support the development of the National Geographical Name Information System by processing field-collected audio data into local scripts, Devanagari, Roman and other formats, ensuring consistency across maps, digital platforms and governance systems. Automated speech recognition, language normalisation and validation workflows are expected to significantly improve the speed and accuracy of toponym data processing.

The collaboration will also strengthen audio documentation of place names, preserving correct pronunciation and regional linguistic variations, while aligning standardisation with the Survey of India Toponymy Manual and Bureau of Indian Standards codes. The initiative reinforces the role of language AI in India’s geospatial ecosystem, supporting governance, infrastructure planning, disaster management and citizen services.