Privacy Policy | OwlPlot

Introduction

OwlPlot ("the App") is operated by Glucoplate Inc., a corporation incorporated under the federal laws of Canada (the Canada Business Corporations Act) ("we," "us," or "the Company"). We are committed to protecting your privacy in accordance with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) of Canada. This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard your information when you use the OwlPlot mobile application and website (owlplot.com).

Information We Collect

Information you provide:

Email address (when you contact support or subscribe to updates)
Saved locations (stored locally on your device)
App preferences and settings

Information collected automatically:

Device type and operating system version
App usage analytics (anonymized)
Crash reports and performance data

Location data:

We request location access to provide accurate sunrise, sunset, and astronomical data for your current position
All astronomical calculations are performed locally on your device — nothing is sent anywhere to work out where the sun or moon will be
To fetch weather and sea conditions, approximate coordinates (rounded to roughly 1 km) are sent to Open-Meteo, a third-party service; no other identifying information accompanies the request
Aurora and space-weather data is downloaded from NOAA as a whole-region dataset — your location is never sent for it
Where a nearby ocean buoy reports water temperature, we fetch that buoy's public readings from NOAA by station number; your location is not sent
If you choose to send a surf report, the spot's coordinates are stored on our server — see below
You can use the app without granting location access by manually searching for locations

Surf reports (optional):

The surf screen lets you tell us how big the waves actually looked, so the app's estimate for that beach can be corrected against what people really see
A report records the wave height, period and wind the app was showing, the coordinates of the spot (rounded to roughly 100 m), and the size you selected
It is stored with no identifier of any kind — no account, no device ID, nothing that links one report to another or to you
Your device sends a random, per-install number with the request purely so our server can stop one app flooding a beach with reports. It is checked against a counter and discarded; it is never stored alongside the report
Because a stored report contains nothing about you, there is nothing personal to look up, export or delete. This is deliberate: anonymising at the point of collection is stronger than collecting and promising to delete later
Reports are only sent when you tap a size. The app never sends one on its own

How We Use Your Information

To provide accurate sunrise, sunset, and astronomical timing data
To improve app functionality and user experience
To respond to your support inquiries
To send important app updates and announcements (with your consent)
To analyze app performance and fix bugs

Data Storage and Security

Your data security is important to us:

Saved locations, shot plans and preferences are stored on your device. If you use iCloud, they also sync privately through your own iCloud account — we have no access to that data and operate no account system
We run one small server (a Cloudflare Worker and database) that holds two things: a list of surf spots we maintain, and the anonymous surf reports described above. It stores nothing else and knows nothing about who is asking
We do not store your location from ordinary use of the app. The only coordinates that reach our database are the ones attached to a surf report you chose to send, rounded to roughly 100 m
Everything transmitted is encrypted in transit using HTTPS

Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services:

Open-Meteo - receives approximate coordinates (rounded to roughly 1 km) to provide weather, marine and sea-state forecasts
NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center - provides aurora and space weather forecast data; receives no location or personal information
NOAA National Data Buoy Center - provides public buoy readings such as water temperature, requested by station number; receives no location or personal information
Cloudflare - hosts our surf spot list and anonymous surf reports, and this website
Firebase Crashlytics - crash reporting to identify and fix bugs, on both iOS and Android
Firebase Analytics - anonymous app usage analytics, on both iOS and Android. You can turn this off in Settings; see below
Firebase Remote Config - lets us withdraw a feature or flag a required update without shipping a new release

Each service has its own privacy policy governing the use of your information.

Your Choice About Analytics

Settings › Privacy › Share anonymous usage data controls whether we collect analytics at all. It records which screens and features get used — never your location, and nothing that identifies you.

If your device is set to a country in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, this is off by default and stays off unless you turn it on. Everywhere else it starts on and you can turn it off. We work this out from your device's own region setting — no request is made and nothing is collected in order to decide whether we may collect.

Crash reports are not covered by that switch and are always sent. They contain no usage or location data, and they are what stops a bug reaching everyone else.

Data Retention

App preferences and saved locations are retained on your device until you delete the app or clear the app data. Anonymous analytics data is retained for up to 24 months to help us improve the app. Surf reports carry no identifier and are kept only as long as they are useful for calibrating a beach — once folded into that beach's figure, the individual reports can be discarded without losing what they contributed. Support correspondence is retained for as long as necessary to resolve your inquiry.

Your Rights Under Canadian Privacy Law

Under PIPEDA, you have the right to:

Know what personal information we hold about you
Request access to, correction of, or deletion of your personal information
Withdraw consent for the collection, use, or disclosure of your personal information
Turn analytics off at any time in Settings › Privacy
Withdraw consent for location access at any time through your device settings
File a complaint regarding our privacy practices

In practice we hold very little to act on. There is no account, and surf reports are stored without any identifier, so we cannot look up “your” data because nothing is filed under you. Saved locations and preferences never leave your device except through your own iCloud account, so deleting the app removes them. If you want your analytics history removed, contact us and we will delete the relevant Firebase records.

Children's Privacy

Our app is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe we have collected such information, please contact us immediately.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes through the app or by posting the new policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date.

Accuracy Disclaimer

OwlPlot is intended as a photography planning aid and estimation tool only. All astronomical timing data, sun/moon positions, and weather information are approximations and must not be relied upon for safety or navigation decisions. Glucoplate Inc. is not responsible for any damages resulting from reliance on App-generated data. Please refer to our Terms of Service for full details.

Contact Us and Complaints

If you have questions about this privacy policy or wish to make a complaint regarding our privacy practices, please contact us at: support@owlplot.com

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may file a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

Glucoplate Inc.
Ontario, Canada