Geopera Usage Policy
Table of Contents
01. Universal Usage Standards
Geopera is committed to providing powerful geospatial tools for positive and ethical applications. As a user of our platform and services, you are expected to adhere to universal standards of responsible use. These standards are designed to ensure the security and privacy of individuals and organizations, prevent the misuse of our platform for harmful activities, safeguard our platform's resources, and respect data rights. This policy outlines key principles to guide your usage and ensure a beneficial experience for all users.
Respect Security and Privacy
Our platform must not be used in any way that compromises security or privacy. This means avoiding activities that could reveal sensitive information, track individuals without consent, or circumvent data privacy regulations. We expect users to be mindful of the potential for geospatial data to reveal sensitive details and to use our services in a way that upholds the privacy rights of individuals and organizations.
Promote Beneficial and Ethical Applications
Geopera's services are intended for constructive and ethical purposes. Use of our platform to support harmful activities, including violence, illegal surveillance, or actions that endanger public safety is strictly prohibited. We encourage users to leverage our tools to address critical challenges and contribute to a safer, more sustainable world.
Use Resources Responsibly
To ensure fair access and optimal performance for all users, platform resources must be used responsibly. Avoid activities that could overload our systems, create unnecessary processing tasks, or monopolize computational resources. Responsible resource utilization helps maintain the platform's stability and ensures a positive experience for the entire Geopera community.
Uphold Data Rights and Licensing
Respect for data rights is paramount. Users must not use our platform to process copyrighted imagery without permission, redistribute licensed data, or violate data provider terms of service. Adherence to data licensing agreements and respect for intellectual property are essential aspects of responsible platform usage.
02. Guidelines for High-Risk Uses
Certain use cases, while potentially beneficial, carry a higher risk of misuse or unintended consequences. For these "high-risk" applications, Geopera requires users to implement additional safeguards and adhere to specific guidelines to ensure responsible and ethical operation. These guidelines are not exhaustive but highlight critical considerations for sensitive applications.
Critical Infrastructure Analysis
When using Geopera for critical infrastructure analysis, human verification of results is mandatory to ensure accuracy and prevent misinterpretation. Security clearance documentation may be required, and detailed usage logging and regular compliance reviews are essential to maintain accountability and oversight.
Environmental Impact Assessment
Environmental impact assessments conducted using our platform require qualified expert review to validate methodologies and ensure the reliability of findings. Thorough documentation of methodologies, verification of data sources, and validation of impact predictions are necessary for responsible use in this domain.
Urban Planning Applications
Urban planning applications utilizing Geopera services must be conducted with professional oversight and incorporate public disclosure to ensure transparency and community input. Accuracy verification and privacy impact assessments are critical components of responsible urban planning projects.
Emergency Response Support
Use of Geopera in emergency response scenarios requires verification of authorized agency involvement to ensure legitimate and coordinated efforts. Real-time monitoring, rigorous quality assurance checks, and strict access controls are vital for maintaining data integrity and operational effectiveness during critical events.
03. Prohibited Activities
To ensure a safe and ethical environment for all users, certain activities are strictly prohibited on the Geopera platform. These prohibitions are not limited to the examples below, but illustrate key areas of unacceptable usage. Engaging in prohibited activities may result in enforcement actions as outlined in this policy.
Data Processing Restrictions
Unauthorized processing of personal data, military target analysis, illegal surveillance, mapping of restricted areas without authorization, illegal data collection, and analytics that violate privacy are strictly forbidden.
Platform Misuse
Monopolizing platform resources, attempting denial-of-service attacks, unauthorized automation that disrupts services, system manipulation, security bypassing, and any violation of Geopera's Terms of Service are prohibited.
Output Integrity
Generating falsified results, manipulating analytics to be misleading, creating deceptive visualizations, producing unauthorized derivative products, misrepresenting accuracy, and creating deceptive outputs of any kind are strictly prohibited. The integrity of geospatial information is paramount, and any attempt to undermine this is unacceptable.
04. Compliance and Responsibility
Compliance with this Usage Policy is a fundamental responsibility for all Geopera users. Beyond these guidelines, users are expected to adhere to all applicable laws, regulations, and ethical standards relevant to their use of geospatial data and processing.
Data Handling Best Practices
Users are responsible for maintaining data privacy standards, complying with data protection regulations, implementing robust security measures to protect data, documenting data lineage, safeguarding sensitive information throughout its lifecycle, and ensuring proper and secure data disposal when no longer needed.
Processing Standards and Quality
Adhering to industry best practices for geospatial data processing, maintaining detailed processing logs, documenting methodologies used, rigorously validating results for accuracy, and continuously monitoring data and output quality are essential aspects of responsible usage and compliance.
Security and Account Management
Implementing appropriate access controls to protect data and systems, diligently monitoring usage patterns for suspicious activity, promptly reporting any security incidents, maintaining comprehensive audit trails, securely protecting account credentials, and ensuring secure connections to our platform are all critical security responsibilities for users.
05. Enforcement and Consequences
Geopera is committed to upholding this Usage Policy and maintaining a secure and ethical platform. Our Trust and Safety Team employs a range of methods to monitor and enforce these policies, including automated detection systems, usage pattern analysis, regular audits, user reports, compliance reviews, and proactive security monitoring.
Violations of this Usage Policy may result in serious consequences, depending on the severity and nature of the violation. These consequences can include, but are not limited to, account suspension, service termination, access restrictions to specific platform features, legal action, reports to relevant authorities, and financial penalties where applicable. Geopera reserves the sole right to determine the appropriate enforcement action for any violation.
06. Reporting Concerns
If you become aware of any activity that you believe violates this Usage Policy, or if you have any concerns about potential misuse of the Geopera platform, we encourage you to report it to us immediately. You can report violations or concerns by contacting our support team via email at [email protected]. Additionally, our platform may provide a "Report Issue" button or similar mechanism for flagging concerns directly. Your reports are valuable in helping us maintain a responsible and trustworthy platform environment.
07. Policy Updates
Geopera reserves the right to update or modify this Usage Policy from time to time to reflect evolving best practices, legal requirements, or platform changes. We will notify users of significant changes to this policy, and the latest version will always be available on our website. Continued use of the Geopera platform after policy updates implies your acceptance of the revised terms. We encourage users to review this policy regularly to stay informed of our usage guidelines. We maintain documentation and version control for all policy updates to ensure transparency and accountability.