Privacy Policy
com.surfski.atlas) | Company: Darling Smile Pty Ltd | Effective Date: October 1, 2026
Surfski Atlas is designed with a strict privacy-first architecture. We do not require accounts, we do not store your personal data or GPS history on any remote servers, and we never track, profile, or sell your information to advertisers. The official Android release is available on the Google Play Store.
1. Introduction
Darling Smile Pty Ltd ("we", "us", or "our"), operator of www.datatrends.com.au, provides the Surfski Atlas mobile application (com.surfski.atlas on Google Play) and web intelligence interface. This Privacy Policy explains our practices regarding the collection, use, and disclosure of information when you use our application.
2. Information Collection and Device Permissions
Surfski Atlas operates primarily on on-device data computation and open marine telemetry. The application requests only the minimum permissions necessary to function:
| Permission | Type | Purpose & Usage |
|---|---|---|
ACCESS_FINE_LOCATIONACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION |
GPS & Location | Used solely when you tap "Locate Me" or activate navigation mode to pinpoint your location on the map, calculate distances to nearby surfski arenas, and retrieve local marine forecasts. Location coordinates are never stored, logged, or tied to your identity. |
WAKE_LOCK |
Device State | Used strictly when you turn on "Paddle Mode" to keep your phone screen awake while on the water, allowing hands-free viewing of speed and navigation data. |
INTERNETACCESS_NETWORK_STATE |
Network | Required to fetch open marine weather forecasts (wind, wave chop, swell, tides) from public APIs and load map tile graphics. |
3. Third-Party Services and Data Flow
To provide real-time surfski viability scores, wind direction, wave data, and satellite map imagery, the app communicates with the following external services:
- Open-Meteo API: Fetches open-access marine weather forecasts (wind speed, wind gusts, wave height, swell period, sea surface temperature). Queries are sent with anonymous geographic coordinates and do not include user IDs or personal information.
- Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) AWS API: Ingests live Australian Automatic Weather Station anemometer observations for physical ground-truth measurements.
- OpenStreetMap & ESRI World Imagery: Supplies map and terrain tiles for the interactive global atlas.
4. Data Retention and Storage
We do not maintain user databases, user accounts, or persistent cloud tracking. Any temporary preferences you set within the app (such as selected units or favorited paddling zones) are saved locally on your device via standard browser/app LocalStorage and can be cleared at any time by clearing the app's cache.
5. Advertising and Analytics
Surfski Atlas is 100% ad-free. The application contains no third-party advertising SDKs, no user trackers, and no commercial data brokers.
6. Children's Privacy
Our services do not address anyone under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal identifiable information from children under 13.
7. Security
All network communications to weather and mapping providers are encrypted using standard HTTPS/TLS protocols. Because we do not collect or store personal data on external servers, there is no personal profile or database maintained.
8. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update our Privacy Policy periodically. Any updates will be posted directly to this page at https://www.datatrends.com.au/privacy.html with an updated effective date.
9. Contact Us
If you have any questions or suggestions regarding our Privacy Policy or the Surfski Atlas application, please contact us:
- Company: Darling Smile Pty Ltd
- Website: https://www.datatrends.com.au
- Email: support@learnstudio.com.au