Privacy Policy
Introduction
Thank you for your willingness to contribute to Geo-Quest. This document aims to provide you with adequate information on the data we receive from you, how we process it, and what we make available to the public in order to comply with the requirements of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Our platform
The app you are using, and the Geo Quest website (geo-quest.org), have been developed by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Schlossplatz 1, 2361 Laxenburg, Austria.
What is “personal data”?
“Personal data” means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person, such as their name, contact information, their location at a certain time or IP address.
Data processed by us
We are a scientific institute and process personal data only for scientific purposes related to environmental monitoring. We process personal data:
• for which you have given us consent for a specific purpose (Art. 6 para 1 lit a GDPR), namely for carrying out this scientific study
• that is necessary for the performance of a contract (Art. 6 para 1 lit b GDPR), e.g., PayPal data to transfer rewards
• that are necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest (Art. 6 para 1 lit e GDPR), namely for the conduction of this scientific study
• that is necessary for the purpose of the legitimate interest pursued by us or by a third party (Art. 6 para 1 lit f GDPR), e.g., avoiding legal disputes about rights in the contributions
If possible, we seek explicit consent to the processing of data, in particular the disclosure to third parties (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR). Below is a list of types of data the app collects. Please note that a copy of the data might be briefly stored in the server's memory for a short period. These data are temporarily stored apart from the database, managed and deleted automatically by the server's operating system and will not be accessed by us for processing, archiving, or any other reason. It is also possible through logging errors or general requests that submitted data be stored in one of the server's log files. These files are not publicly accessible and are not used for any processing, storage or data publication other than for resolving a possible software problem. These are technical necessities over which we have no control.
Registration/Login/Profile update
We process the following data for registration, login and profile updates for a given user, all of which are stored in the Geo Quest database:
• Username
• Email address
• User password (encrypted)
None of this information will be part of any publication (e.g., data products, scientific publications, etc.). For publications, a technical procedure (hash) will be used on the user's ID to preserve data regarding which contributions were made by the same person. This hash does not allow for the calculation or retrieval of the original user ID.
Log data
Whenever you use our service, we collect Log Data, or data and information (also through third party products) on your phone to identify errors in the app. Log Data may include information such as your device Internet Protocol (“IP”) address, device name, operating system version, the configuration of the app when utilizing our Service, the time and date of your use of the service, and other statistics. These data are used for identifying problems with our software and will not be published as a part of the resulting data product.
Cookies
We use first party cookies to provide essential site functionality. Cookies are small text files that are saved by your browser and temporarily stored on your device. Provided that you have consented to the use of cookies, our website uses Google Analytics, a web analysis service of Google LLC. (“Google”). Google Analytics uses cookies to help understand how the website is being used. In order to do so, information about your visit, including parts of your IP Address, may be transmitted, stored and processed on a Google server in the USA or another non EU state. You can also prevent the placement of cookies through the settings of your browser or by downloading and installing the browser plug in.
Quest upload
When uploading the results of a quest, the app accesses the data you collected as well as limited additional information used for quality assurance, research integrity, and troubleshooting. The exact data depends on the quest and will be shown in the app before submission. The following categories of data may be sent to the server and stored:
Account and identifiers
• Email address • Password (stored in hashed form) • Geo Quest point ID and relevant quest ID(s)
Device and app information
• App identification and version • Smartphone operating system and version • Device make and model • Device identifier (e.g., serial number), where available
Quest and submission metadata
• Whether the point was reached; if not, the reason • Whether the point was visible • Language used in the app during submission • Timestamps of key actions
Content you submit (varies by quest)
• Photographs • Augmented reality content/placements • Survey responses, classifications, labels, and/or notes
Per item metadata
• Time and date when each item was created • Position (latitude/longitude and reported accuracy) • Compass heading and/or device orientation • Image direction category, if provided
Quality assurance, timing, and limited location traces
• Duration needed to make the final approach, take photos, and answer questions • A short “final approach” path recorded while a point is selected
Diagnostics
• Error codes and logs necessary to reproduce technical problems
Location data outside a quest
• The app collects and processes location data only as described above. The app does not collect location data in the background when it is closed or suspended on the phone.
Requesting campaign statistics
• Email address • User password (encrypted) • Requested scope (last week, current week, total)
Data storage
The data from the Geo-Quest application are stored and maintained on state of the art web service environments hosted on rented servers at Hetzner Online GmbH.
Data contributions
Please be aware that we rely on you to contribute data that does not infringe on the rights of others. Make sure you follow the instructions for the campaign/project to which you contribute, and do not submit data that could violate especially personal rights, copyright or other legislation. By contributing data, you grant IIASA a license to use the data. Please see also our Terms and Conditions, which are available from the mobile app and the website.
Third parties
We may employ the following third party companies to facilitate our service: • Hetzner Online GmbH • Google LLC These companies will have access to your data to perform the tasks we assign to them, as described above.
Rights of the user
At any time, you have the right:
• to request information as to which of your data we process (Art. 15 GDPR)
• to request the rectification or erasure of your data (Art. 16 and Art. 17 GDPR)
• to restrict the processing of your data (Art. 18 GDPR)
• to request the transmission of your data (Art. 20 GDPR)
• to file a complaint with a supervisory authority, in particular the Austrian data protection authority (www.dsb.gv.at)
Funders
The app you are using, and the Geo Quest website (geo-quest.org) have been funded by
- European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 101059548 (OEMC project), No. 10108663 (Urban ReLeaf project), No. 10113447 (ENFORCE project).
- Citizens for Copernicus (C4C): Combining Copernicus and Crowdsourced Data for Forest Resources Monitoring project funded by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) under the ASAP 2022 call, Application ID: 47907528.
- Pilot In-Situ Data Collection Campaign Using Crowdsourcing for the CLMS Grassland Mowing Events and Dates Layers’ funded by the European Environment Agency (EEA) under tender EEA/DTL/R0/25/001.
Contact us
If you have any questions about our Privacy Policy, contact us at: [email protected]
International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)
Schlossplatz 1
A 2361 Laxenburg
Austria
Tel: +43 2236 807 0