Privacy notice

Version 2026-10-15-v1

What this is

Kelp Finder crowd mapping is part of a PhD research project on mapping kelp and other submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) from drone images. Visitors outline where they think kelp or SAV is on the drone mosaics of four sites in Newfoundland. The outlines are reviewed by the researcher and may be used to check and train computer models.

What is stored

• The nickname you type when you start. You do not need to give your real name.
• Technical details sent by your browser: IP address, browser and device string, screen size, language, time zone and the page you came from.
• Your outlines, with the label and confidence you chose, whether the model layer was visible when you drew, the part of the map in view, and the time you spent.
• A random token kept in your browser so that your outlines are linked to the same nickname on later visits.

Why

The technical details are used to tell contributors apart, to estimate how reliable each contributor's outlines are, and to stop spam and repeated submissions. They are not used for advertising and are not sold or shared.

Who can see it

Only the researcher can see nicknames, IP addresses and browser details. Other contributors cannot see your outlines or your details. Approved outlines may be used in a research dataset; any version of that dataset that is published will not include IP addresses or browser details.

Your choices

Taking part is voluntary and you can stop at any time. To ask what is held about your nickname, or to have your outlines and details removed, email syed@kelpfinder.com with the nickname you used.

Contact

Syed Omar Faruk, Department of Computer Science, Memorial University of Newfoundland. syed@kelpfinder.com