Product privacy notice · October 11, 2026
What you share.
Observations contain a waterway name, approximate coordinates, collection date, readings or observed appearance, optional notes, and optional photographs. We don’t ask for a student’s name, age, home address, or public profile. Participation requests ask for a private contact email, optional organization, and message.
What becomes public.
New observations and photos remain private until an authorized reviewer approves publication. Public records include approximate location, date, method, recorded readings, observed appearance, approved images, and separately reviewed public notes. Reviewer decisions assess suitability for publication, not scientific verification or water safety. Contact emails, contributor identifiers, original private notes, and review notes are not included on the public map.
Location and photographs.
Coordinates are rounded on the server to 0.01 degrees, roughly a neighborhood-sized area. This is an approximation, not a guarantee of anonymity. Use a broad waterway description and avoid naming a student, a school’s private location, or a home address. Location sharing starts only when you press the location button; you can enter coordinates manually instead.
Uploaded images are resized in your browser and exported to JPEG. The server removes JPEG metadata segments, including EXIF/GPS and embedded thumbnails, and never stores the original. Unpublished images are served only to the submitting device or an authorized reviewer. Approved images become accessible publicly. Metadata removal cannot remove names, faces, or addresses visible within the image: keep these out of the frame.
Your device’s field notebook.
A random, private, HttpOnly browser cookie connects this device to its submissions. It is not a public identity or a cross-device account. Text drafts are saved in browser storage and expire after seven days. Draft photos already uploaded to the server expire if left unattached for 24 hours, with cleanup performed on later uploads.
“Forget this device” clears the contributor cookie and drafts on this browser; it does not erase the server’s submitted observations. Clearing cookies loses access to this device’s submission history. Use a trusted device for drafts and always keep your receipt.
Storage and access.
Structured records use Cloudflare D1 and photo derivatives use private R2 storage through AAI’s application. Moderator access requires a signed-in account explicitly included in the server’s reviewer allowlist. A private hosted preview may additionally require sign-in at the site boundary. Network providers may process technical request information needed to deliver the site and basemap.
To limit spam, the server keeps temporary rate-limit counts keyed by a salted hash of network address and time window, rather than the raw address. Basemap tiles and labels come from OpenFreeMap and OpenStreetMap; loading the map makes requests to those providers. No advertising tracker is included.
Students and participation.
Students should sample with an educator or responsible adult. For participation requests from students under 18, provide an educator’s or parent/guardian’s contact email. We don’t publish contact details, student profiles, rankings, or chapter membership lists. Chapter accounts and shared workspaces are a future phase, not a currently operating network.
Corrections and removal.
Keep your receipt and contact the AAI team through Get involved to request a correction, unpublishing, or deletion. These requests require manual review; this notice does not promise a specific response deadline. Approved entries can be unpublished, which immediately removes them from the map and makes their images private again.
Observations and official reporting.
Photos, nutrient strips, and pH results cannot confirm toxic algae, pathogens, or safe water. The absence of records cannot establish safe conditions. Sending a report to AAI does not alert regulators or emergency services. Use Florida’s official reporting and health resources for the appropriate channels.
About our imagery.
The rainstorm scene on the About page is an original illustration. It is artwork, not a picture of any real lake. Photos of the kit and equipment come from AAI's own materials.