Privacy Statement
What this site is
This is a public scientific dashboard that displays Northern Hemisphere snow cover data. It has no accounts, no login, no forms, no analytics, no advertising, and no tracking or marketing cookies. We do not ask you for, or knowingly collect, any information you type. All page content, fonts, code libraries, and map data are served from our own systems — the site makes no requests to third‑party servers in the course of normal viewing.
What data is processed, and why
The only personal data processed is what any web server necessarily receives to deliver a page to your browser. Our hosting provider records standard server access logs, which contain:
- your IP address,
- the date and time of the request,
- the page or file requested and the HTTP response status,
- your browser type and operating system (User‑Agent), and
- the referring page, if your browser sends one.
We process these logs only to operate, secure, and troubleshoot the website — to keep the service running, detect and mitigate abuse or attacks, and diagnose errors. We do not use this data to build profiles, to track you across sites, or for advertising, and we do not sell or rent it.
Legal basis (GDPR)
Where the EU General Data Protection Regulation applies, our legal basis for processing server logs is legitimate interests (GDPR Article 6(1)(f)) — namely the secure and reliable operation of the website. A summary of our balancing assessment is available on request from the contact below.
How long we keep it
Server access logs are retained for 90 days, in accordance with Rutgers University Policy 70.1.8 (Audit and Monitoring), and then automatically deleted. We do not keep raw logs longer than needed for the operational and security purposes above.
Where it is processed, and who else is involved
The site is hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS), with data processed in the United States. AWS acts as our data processor under the AWS GDPR Data Processing Addendum, which is incorporated into the AWS Service Terms and includes the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses for any transfer of personal data outside the EEA. We do not share log data with any other third party except where required by law or by Rutgers policy.
Your rights
If the GDPR applies to you, you have the right to access, rectification, erasure, restriction, objection, and portability regarding your personal data, and to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. Rutgers handles these requests centrally:
- GDPR request form / details: University Ethics & Compliance
- Phone: (973) 972‑8000
Related Rutgers policies
This statement supplements the university‑wide Rutgers Website Data Privacy Statement and is governed by Rutgers Information Classification policy 70.1.2. Where this notice is silent, the university statement applies.