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Privacy Policy

Introduction
The National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) website is provided as a public service by the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service (NESDIS). Information presented on these web pages is considered public information and may be distributed or copied. Use of appropriate byline/photo/image credits is requested. This policy covers privacy, disclaimers, security, and information collection practices.

When You Visit Our Website
We do not collect personally identifiable information (for example, name, address, phone number, email address) from users, regardless of age, unless you provide it to us (See "Information Submitted Through Web Forms" below).

We collect standard web log data:

  • Name of domain (for example,"xyzfirm.com" if you use a private internet access account, or "yourschool.edu" if you are connecting from a university's domain)
  • IP address from which you access our website
  • Type of browser and operating system you use to access our website
  • Date and time you access our website
  • Internet address of the website from which you link to us
  • Web pages that you visit on our website
  • Status code indicating success or failure in rendering a web page on your browser

Our site captures and uses this information so we can provide better services to you. For example, we use the browser information to improve the functionality and format of our web pages. For website management and statistical purposes, we collect information such as which domains access our pages, which pages are accessed most frequently, and what time of day or week access to our pages is heaviest.

Use of Cookies
A small number of programs on our web pages use session cookies (one example is the Online Store, which is a joint application between three NOAA data centers). Cookies are used for your convenience to maintain "state" between pages and to coordinate search results from multiple programs within a session. The cookies disappear from your machine (expire) after your session ends. NESDIS does not maintain a historical database of cookies, nor does it use any other tracking method to profile customers.

Email Sent to NESDIS
When you send us an electronic mail message, you may be sending personal information. In these cases, we may retain the information not only to respond to your request, but also as a record of correspondence according to Department of Commerce guidelines.

Information Submitted Through Web Forms
If you use our website forms to contact us, we capture the information you provide and use it to respond to your comments, requests, and inquiries. This information may be maintained for future communications, but to the maximum extent of the law, is not provided to any other organization or entity. We also capture the address of the server from which you sent the form.

Providing any information to NESDIS is voluntary. Submitting voluntary information constitutes your consent to the use of the information for the stated purpose. In the case of website forms or the Online Store, you grant consent by clicking the "Submit" (or the "Continue" or "Send the Form" or similar) button (See "Scope of the NESDIS Privacy Policy" below).

Sharing and Protection of Information
NESDIS does not share any of the personal information you provide with agencies outside of the Department of Commerce. To the maximum extent of the law, NESDIS does not distribute the information collected from this website, except for information or data you explicitly submit for redistribution. For example, scientific data submitted to NESDIS Data Centers for archiving are made available to customers and other public entities.

Interaction with Children
Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 - http://www.ftc.gov/ogc/coppa1.htm. Children may find educational data and information on various NESDIS websites, and they may interact with User Services personnel through electronic or other means. However, no personally identifiable information is collected from any website visitor unless it is voluntarily submitted to us as a request for services.

Scope of the NESDIS Privacy Policy
The NESDIS Privacy Policy applies only to the web pages of the National Environmental, Satellite, Data, and Information Service. Other NOAA and Department of Commerce organizations may have different Privacy Policies and/or information collection practices. You are encouraged to check the Privacy Statements when going to other NOAA web pages, or when following links to external web pages.

Visitors may voluntarily submit personal or business information in the course of transactions with a few NESDIS websites; in particular the NNDC Online Store, the SPIDR site at NGDC, the CLASS site, the Direct Readout Survey Page, and the Emergency Beacon Registration Page.

You can view your rights as a website user under the Privacy Act by following this link: http://www.cftc.gov/foi/index.htm

Website Security
For website security purposes, and to ensure that this service remains available to all users, all traffic is monitored to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, otherwise cause damage, or to conduct criminal activity. To protect NESDIS websites from unauthorized use and to ensure its proper function, activities of all users are subject to monitoring and recording. Safeguards are in place to identify and prevent unauthorized attempts to access or harm our information systems. Anyone accessing NESDIS websites may be subject to such monitoring and is advised that if there is evidence of possible abuse or criminal activity, the results of this monitoring shall be made available to the appropriate officials for possible prosecution. Unauthorized attempts to upload or change information (or otherwise cause damage to any NESDIS websites) are strictly prohibited, and may be punishable under applicable federal law.


Disclaimer

Disclaimer of Liability
While NESDIS makes every effort to ensure that its databases are error-free, errors do occur. We ask that you notify us immediately of any errors that you discover in our data. We will make every effort to correct them.

With respect to documents available from this server, neither the United States Government nor any of its employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, including the warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose; nor assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed; nor represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights.

Disclaimer of Endorsement
Reference to any specific commercial products, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government. The views and opinions of authors expressed on NESDIS websites do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government, and shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes.

Disclaimer for External Links
The appearance of external links on NESDIS websites does not constitute endorsement of external websites or the information, products, or services contained therein by the Department of Commerce/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service. NESDIS does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at external website locations. External links are provided for your convenience, and for reasons consistent with the NOAA mission.


Copyright Notice

As required by 17 U.S.C. 403, third parties producing copyrighted works consisting predominantly of the material produced by U.S. government agencies must provide notice with such work(s) identifying the U.S. Government material incorporated and stating that such material is not subject to copyright protection within the United States. The information on government web pages is in the public domain and not subject to copyright protection within the United States unless specifically annotated otherwise (copyright may be held elsewhere). Foreign copyrights may apply.