Privacy Policy

Introduction

This Privacy Policy describes how the Lake Mendota Buoy mobile application ("the App") collects, uses, and protects your information. The App is developed by Terry Henning and provides real-time environmental data from monitoring stations at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

We are committed to protecting your privacy and being transparent about our data practices.

Information We Collect

Information We Do NOT Collect:

• Personal identification information (name, email, phone number)
• Location data or GPS coordinates
• Device contacts or photos
• Financial or payment information
• Biometric data
• Audio or video recordings

Information We Do Collect:

• App Preferences: Your unit system preference (metric/imperial), weather radar site preference, and timeout settings. This data is stored locally on your device only.
• Technical Data: Basic app usage information needed for functionality, such as API request timing to prevent excessive server requests.

How We Use Information

The limited information we collect is used solely to:

• Provide core app functionality and display environmental data
• Remember your preferences between app sessions
• Ensure appropriate API usage and prevent server overload
• Improve app performance and user experience

We do not use your information for advertising, marketing, or any commercial purposes beyond providing the app's core functionality.

Data Sources

The environmental data displayed in the app comes from:

• University of Wisconsin-Madison Space Science and Engineering Center (SSEC)
• AOSS (Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences) monitoring stations
• Public APIs provided by UW-Madison for educational and research purposes

This data is publicly available and not personal to you. We simply retrieve and display it for your convenience.

Data Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell, trade, or share your information with third parties. The app:

• Does not contain analytics or tracking services
• Does not integrate with social media platforms
• Does not use advertising networks
• Only communicates with UW-Madison servers to retrieve public environmental data

We may disclose information only if required by law or to protect our rights and safety.

Data Storage and Security

• Local Storage: Your app preferences are stored locally on your device using Android's secure preferences system
• No Cloud Storage: We do not store any of your data on external servers or cloud services
• Security Measures: We implement appropriate technical safeguards to protect data during transmission
• Data Retention: Preference data is retained until you uninstall the app or manually reset settings

Permissions

The app requests the following Android permissions:

• Internet Access: Required to retrieve environmental data from UW-Madison servers
• Network State: Used to check connectivity before making data requests

The app does not request access to sensitive device features like camera, microphone, contacts, or location services.

Children's Privacy

The app is designed to be educational and suitable for all ages. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. Since we collect minimal data and no personal information, the app complies with COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act) requirements.

Your Rights and Choices

You have the right to:

• View and modify your app preferences within the Settings page
• Reset all preferences to default values
• Uninstall the app at any time to remove all locally stored data
• Contact us with questions about this privacy policy

Since we don't collect personal information, there is no account data to access, modify, or delete from external servers.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do:

• The "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy will be revised
• Material changes will be prominently posted in the app
• We encourage you to review this policy periodically

Continued use of the app after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

Third-Party Services

The app may include links to weather radar websites or other external services for user convenience. These third-party services have their own privacy policies, and we are not responsible for their data practices. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before using external services.

Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)

For users in the European Union, our legal basis for processing the limited data we collect is:

• Legitimate Interest: To provide core app functionality and improve user experience
• Consent: By downloading and using the app, you consent to data processing as described in this policy

Acknowledgments

This app displays data provided courtesy of the Space Science and Engineering Center (SSEC) and Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences (AOSS) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. We are grateful for their commitment to making environmental data publicly accessible for educational purposes.