Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how GIS4US ("we", "us", or "our") collects, uses, discloses, and safeguards information across our products. It is a single, combined policy that applies to all of the following:

• the GIS4US website at gisforus.com (the "Site");
• the GIS4US Spatial Research Suite desktop application for macOS and Windows, downloaded from gisforus.com or our GitHub Releases (the "Mac App"; the same terms apply to the Windows version);
• the GIS4US Field Android application (package com.GISFORUS_Field.app) available on the Google Play Store (the "App"); and
• the GIS4US web app at app.gisforus.com (the "Web App"), which is currently suspended; this policy continues to apply to any data collected while it was available.

Together these are the "Services." By using any of the Services you consent to the practices described in this policy. Where a practice differs between products, we label it "Website & web app", "Mac & Windows app (Spatial Research Suite)" or "Android app (GIS4US Field)" so it is clear which product it applies to.

1. Introduction & scope

GIS4US makes spatial and remote-sensing research software and runs a knowledge hub for the methods behind it. This policy covers the gisforus.com website, the Spatial Research Suite desktop app for Mac and Windows, the GIS4US Field Android app (com.GISFORUS_Field.app), and the suspended web app at app.gisforus.com. It describes what information each product does and does not collect, how that information is used, who it is shared with, and the choices and rights available to you.

2. Information we collect

Website & web app

• Information you provide voluntarily — for example, your name and email address when you submit our contact form or email us.
• Automatic technical data — such as your IP address, browser type, device and operating-system information, referring pages, pages visited, and the date and time of your visit. This is standard web-server log information, kept by our hosting provider, used to operate and secure the Site.
• Cookies — the Site shows no ads and sets no advertising or analytics cookies, as described in Section 3.

Mac & Windows app (Spatial Research Suite)

• No account to analyse. You can download the Mac App and run every analysis without giving us any personal information.
• Subscription verification. If you buy a Basic or Pro plan, the Mac App sends the email address you subscribed with to our billing endpoint to confirm your plan. We store that email address and your plan status (plan, start and expiry dates). Apart from feedback you choose to send, this is the only information the Mac App sends to us; your imagery, study areas, Earth Engine credentials and results are never part of it.
• Payments. Subscriptions are paid through Razorpay. Razorpay handles your payment details; we receive a payment confirmation and never see your full card or bank details.
• Local settings. Your Earth Engine project ID, setup status, subscription email and cached plan are kept in a configuration file on your computer (~/Library/Application Support/GISFORUS Spatial Research Suite/ on Mac, %APPDATA%\GISFORUS Spatial Research Suite\config.json on Windows). Earth Engine credentials are stored by Google's tools in your user folder. These are reused across updates; deleting them removes them.
• Third-party assets at startup. The app loads fonts from Google Fonts, interface libraries from Cloudflare's CDN (cdnjs) and a live currency rate for price display. These requests carry none of your data, though, like any web request, the providers see your IP address.
• Feedback (optional). If you click Send feedback, the message you type is sent to us through Formspree.
• Updates. When you check for or install an update from the app menu, the app contacts GitHub, where our releases are hosted. GitHub sees your IP address, as with any download.
• Boundary data. When you load India state or district boundaries in the Shapefile Extractor, the app downloads them from geoBoundaries. Only the boundary request is sent, not your data.
• Local computation only. The analysis engine runs on your own computer and is locked to localhost; the packaged desktop app cannot route computation to any GIS4US server.
• No analytics. The app sends no analytics, usage tracking or crash reports.
• Google Earth Engine. Requests you run are processed by Google under your own Earth Engine account and Google's terms and privacy policy.

Android app (GIS4US Field)

• Field tools stay on your device. Photos, field and sky logs, boundaries and the values you enter are processed on your phone and kept in the app's local storage. They are not sent to any server we control.
• Google sign-in (analysis module only). To run Earth Engine analysis you sign in with the Google account that owns your Earth Engine or Cloud project. Google handles that sign-in; your analysis requests and results travel between your phone and Google. We do not receive your credentials or results.
• Camera and location. The GPS field camera and field points use the camera and your precise and approximate location to take geotagged photos and record positions. Photos and positions stay on your device unless you export or share them.
• Storage and files. On Android 9 and older the app asks for storage access to save photos and exports; newer Android versions use the system file picker instead.
• Google Drive (optional). If you export a result to Google Drive, the app asks for Drive access for that export only.
• Weather. For local weather, the app sends your current latitude and longitude to Open-Meteo (open-meteo.com) over HTTPS. No account, API key or other personal data is sent. See Open-Meteo's privacy terms.
• Uninstalling removes local data. Clearing the app's data or uninstalling the app deletes locally stored information from your device.
• Advertising & diagnostics — for free users, the app uses Google AdMob, which accesses the device's resettable Advertising ID, and Google Play Services may collect limited diagnostics and crash information. These are described in Sections 4 and 5.

3. Cookies & similar technologies (website)

WebsiteThe Site does not show advertising and does not use advertising, tracking or analytics cookies. Pages load fonts from Google Fonts, which receives your IP address and browser details to deliver them, under Google's own privacy policy. Some free browser tools on the Site may remember your inputs in your browser's local storage; that data stays on your device. The GIS4US Field Android app does not use browser cookies.

4. Third-party services & advertising

Website

The Site carries no advertising and we have no plans to add any. If you use the contact form, your message is delivered to us through Formspree, under its own privacy policy.

Android app (GIS4US Field)

• Google AdMob — the app shows banner ads to free users. AdMob uses the device's resettable Advertising ID to serve and measure ads. Ads are removed for Pro users.
• Google Play Billing — processes the "Pro" upgrade, sold as a one-time lifetime purchase or as a monthly or annual subscription. Google handles all payment data; we receive only a confirmation that a purchase was made and never see your card or bank details.
• Google Play Services — provides core app functionality, integrity, and diagnostics/crash reporting.
• Google Sign-In and Google Earth Engine — used only in the analysis module, under your own Google account and Cloud project and Google's own terms and privacy policy.

These providers process data under their own terms. For details on how Google collects and uses data, see the Google Privacy Policy.

5. Advertising ID & consent

Android app (GIS4US Field)The app relies on the Android Advertising ID for advertising to free users. You can reset the Advertising ID or opt out of ad personalisation at any time in your device settings (Settings → Privacy → Ads on most devices). For users in the European Economic Area (EEA) and the United Kingdom, the app uses Google's User Messaging Platform (UMP) to request the required advertising consent before ads are served, in line with Google's EU user consent requirements. Purchasing Pro removes ads and the associated use of the Advertising ID for ad serving.

6. How we use information

We use the information described above to:

• provide, operate, and maintain the functionality of the Services;
• display and measure advertising to free users of the Android app (Google AdMob); the website shows no ads;
• process, verify, and restore in-app purchases via Google Play Billing, and verify Mac App subscriptions;
• understand aggregate usage from server logs and improve our content and features;
• maintain security, prevent abuse, and diagnose technical problems; and
• comply with legal obligations.

We do not sell your personal information.

7. Data sharing

We do not sell or rent personal information. We share information only in these limited circumstances:

• With the Google services described above, acting as our service providers for advertising in the Android app (AdMob), payments (Google Play Billing), and core services and diagnostics (Google Play Services);
• With Razorpay, our payment processor for Mac App subscriptions;
• With Open-Meteo, which receives your current coordinates when the Android app fetches local weather;
• With Formspree, which delivers messages you send through our website contact form or the desktop app's feedback form; and
• Where required by law, such as to comply with a valid legal request, or to protect our rights, users, or the public.

8. Data retention & deletion

Website & web app

Information collected through the Site (for example, a message you send via the contact form, and technical server-log data) is retained only as long as needed for the purposes described here or as required by law, and is then deleted or anonymised.

Mac & Windows app (Spatial Research Suite)

We keep your subscription email and plan status for as long as your subscription is active and afterwards only as long as needed for billing, tax and legal records. Analysis data stays on your computer and in your own Earth Engine account, so it is under your control.

Android app (GIS4US Field)

Because the app stores your photos, logs and tool inputs locally on your device, that data is under your control: you can remove it at any time by clearing the app's data or uninstalling the app. Earth Engine results, Google sign-in, advertising and diagnostics are handled by Google and retained under Google's own policies.

To make a deletion request or ask a question about your data, email us at anant4infinity@gmail.com.

9. Children's privacy

The Services are intended for a professional and academic audience and are not directed to children under the age of 13 (or the equivalent minimum age in your jurisdiction). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

10. Your rights (GDPR / CCPA)

Depending on where you live, you may have rights over your personal information, including the right to access, correct, delete, or receive a copy of it, to object to or restrict certain processing, and to opt out of personalised advertising (see Sections 4 and 5). Under the EU/UK GDPR you may also lodge a complaint with your local data-protection authority; under the California CCPA/CPRA you have the right to know, delete, and opt out of "sale/share," and we do not sell your personal information. To exercise any of these rights, contact us at anant4infinity@gmail.com.

11. Security

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures designed to protect information against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the "Last updated" date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, provide additional notice. Your continued use of the Services after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

13. Contact

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, contact us at:

• Email: anant4infinity@gmail.com
• Website: https://gisforus.com

See also our Terms & Conditions.