Data & Attribution

HelloBanaras (hellobanaras.com) is a community directory for places and local information in Varanasi. We combine open datasets with community contributions to keep information accurate and useful.

Primary data sources

OpenStreetMap (OSM)

Map and place data includes information from OpenStreetMap and its contributors. OSM data is available under the Open Database License (ODbL) v1.0. The ODbL requires attribution and share-alike for derivative databases. For full details, see the OSM copyright page.

Overture Maps Foundation

Some places data is sourced from Overture Maps Foundation datasets. Overture datasets may include merged data from multiple upstream sources (including OpenStreetMap) and are released under the Community Data License Agreement – Permissive, Version 2.0 (CDLA-Permissive-2.0). Attribution and licensing details are available in the Overture documentation.

Other sources

We may also use data from Ola Maps and other third-party mapping or places APIs for enrichment purposes. These are subject to their respective terms of use and are used only as permitted.

Our enhancements

HelloBanaras may add the following on top of source data:

• Cleaned and normalised categories, corrected names, added or updated descriptions, hours, contact information, and photos
• Human verification through our "claimed listing" process and moderation
• AI-assisted enhancements such as summaries, tags, deduplication, and translations

Important: Enhancements are stored separately from open-source-derived fields wherever possible, to respect upstream license requirements.

Share-alike (ODbL) compliance

Where we publish or provide public access to a database derived from OSM (or OSM-derived layers from other sources), we will make available the required ODbL components — including the OSM-derived dataset portion and required attribution — in a reasonable way. If you need access to the OSM-derived portion of our data, please contact us.

Map tile attribution

On pages where a map is displayed, attribution is shown on-screen in a visible location, including:

• © OpenStreetMap contributors
• Additional tile or data providers as applicable

OSM attribution is always visible without requiring user interaction, in compliance with the OSMF attribution guidelines.

Third-party content policy

HelloBanaras does not accept contributions copied from restricted or copyrighted map sources (e.g. Google Maps) without explicit permission. We may remove such content if reported. If you believe any content on HelloBanaras infringes your rights, please see our Dispute & Takedown Policy.

Data separation

We track data provenance at the place level. Each place record stores which sources contributed to it and the license under which that source data was obtained. This allows us to:

• Produce ODbL-compliant exports when required
• Keep proprietary and AI-generated enhancements logically separable
• Honour upstream license obligations as our directory grows

Contact

If you have questions about data sources, licensing, or attribution, or if you believe information is incorrect or should be removed:

• Email: [email protected]
• Or use our contact form

Please include: the place name, a link to the listing, the reason for your request, and any supporting evidence.