National Geodetic Survey Web Site Privacy Policy
The Big Picture
The National Geodetic Survey (NGS) is committed to the privacy of our visitors. We collect no personal information about you when you visit our website unless you choose to provide us with that information.
Following is a description of how we handle information about your visit. When you browse through this website, read pages, or download information, we automatically gather and store certain information about your visit. This information does not identify you personally. From your visit, we automatically collect and store information, such as:
- The Internet domain (for example, "xcompany.com," if you use a private Internet access account; "yourschool.edu," if you connect from a university's domain);
- Your IP address —a number automatically assigned to your computer whenever you are surfing the Web —from which you access our website;
- The type of browser and operating system you used to access our site;
- The date and time you accessed our site;
- The pages you visit; and
- If you linked to our website from another website, the address of that website.
We use this information to help us make our site more useful to visitors— and to learn about the number of visitors to our site and the types of technology our visitors use.
Information Protection
For site security purposes and to ensure this service remains available to all users, this government computer system employs software programs to monitor network traffic or identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information or otherwise cause damage. If such monitoring reveals evidence of possible abuse or criminal activity, such evidence may be provided to appropriate law enforcement officials. Unauthorized attempts to upload or change information on this server are strictly prohibited and may be punishable under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 and the National Information Infrastructure Protection Act or other law.
Information You Voluntarily Provide
We do not collect personally- identifiable information unless you choose to provide it to us. If you provide us with personally identifiable information, for example by sending an e-mail or by filling out a form and submitting it through our website, we use that information only to respond to your message and to help us provide you with the information and services you request.
Voluntarily submitting your information constitutes your consent for us to use the information for the stated purpose. When a user clicks the "Submit" button on any of the Web forms found on our site they are indicating their voluntary consent for us to use the information they submit for the stated purpose. We do not collect or use information for commercial marketing.
How Information is Used
The information we collect is used for a variety of purposes (e.g., comments on proposed rules, license applications, response to requests for information on our regulations and policies and to fill orders). We make every effort to clearly disclose how information is used at the point where it is collected, so our users can determine for themselves whether they wish to provide the information.
Sharing of Information
We may share the information you give us with another government agency if your inquiry relates to that agency. In other limited circumstances, such as responses to requests from Congress and private individuals, we may be required by law to disclose information you submit. Before you submit personally identifiable information, such as on an online form, you will be advised as to the purpose of the request and how the information will be used.
We may also share information collected during your visit with non-federal entities, but only if your inquiry requires accessing data from that external entity. All of our sites requiring such external access will be clearly identified to help you make an informed choice.
Retention of Information
We destroy the information we collect when the purpose the information was provided for has been fulfilled unless we are required by statute or official policy to retain the information for a longer period of time. Electronically submitted information is maintained and/or destroyed according to the principles of the Federal Records Act, in compliance with regulations and record keeping schedules approved by the National Archives and Records Administration. In some cases, information submitted to us may become an agency record and therefore might be subject to a Freedom of Information Act request.
Links to Other Sites
This site may have links to the websites of other federal agencies. There may be links to private organizations, with their permission. Once you go to another site, you are subject to the privacy and security policies of the new site. It is always a good idea to read the Privacy Policy of any website that you visit. Our site does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of information contained in a linked site. We also do not endorse the organizations or individuals maintaining sites that are linked to our site, nor do we endorse any views they express or any products/services they offer.
Cookies
"Cookies" are small bits of text that are either used for the duration of a session ("session cookies") or are saved on a user's hard drive to identify that user, or information about that user, the next time the user logs on to a website ("persistent cookies"). Our website does not use persistent cookies or any other persistent tracking technology. However, this site does use Google Analytics, a tool that provides basic information about website visitors. Please note that this third party service will place a file on your computer so it can recognize if you visit our site again in the future. Lastly, one or more of our component sites may use session cookies to provide streamlined navigation. These session cookies are deleted from the component's server after your session ends and information from them is not collected or saved.
Interaction with Children
This website may offer educational content to children 13 years of age or under. No personally identifiable information is collected from them, unless it is voluntarily submitted as a request for information or services. The information collected is used either to respond to user inquiries or to provide services as requested by our users.
Third-party Social Media Tools
The National Geodetic Survey (NGS) maintains official pages or accounts on several third-party websites in order to better engage with the American public and promote awareness of NGS activities, events, news, and information. (A list of these tools is highlighted below.) Your activity on those third-party sites is governed by the security and privacy policies of the third-party sites. Users of third-party sites are often sharing information with the general public, the user community, and/or the third party operating the third-party site. You should review the privacy policies of third-party sites prior to using them to ensure you understand how information you provide may be used. On any third-party site you should also adjust the privacy settings for your account to be sure they match your preferences.
Google Analytics
This site uses Google Analytics, a third-party Web measurement and customization technology as defined and organized by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), "Guidance for Online Use of Web Measurement and Customization Technologies" (OMB M-10-22). Google Analytics places a small file on your computer, commonly called a "cookie," so it can recognize your computer if you visit our site in the future. This cookie does not collect personally identifying information.
Google Analytics does not collect personally identifiable information through their cookie and does not combine, match, or cross-reference our web site information with any other information. Please review Google's privacy policy for additional information.
Visitors who choose to disable the Google Web measurement will continue to have full access to our web site. While the details vary from browser to browser, most modern browsers can be set up to accept, reject, or request user intervention when a site asks to set a cookie. Google Analytics uses a cookie that begins with: _utm.
Google Earth/Google Maps
We use Google Maps and Google Earth map information and photographic imagery under license by Google. National Geodetic Survey data presented using Google Maps/Google Earth are in the public domain and are made available in open standard KML/KMZ format. The map information and photographic imagery contain trade names, trademarks, service marks, logos, domain names, and other distinctive brand features, however this does not imply an endorsement of Google, Google Maps, or Google Earth products or services by the National Geodetic Survey. Under the terms of the license, you are permitted to copy or use the Google Maps/Google Earth images on your site as long as Google Maps/Google Earth trade names, trademarks, service marks, logos, domain names, and other distinctive brand features are not deleted or in any manner altered. Please note that you are subject to Google's privacy policy when using this service.
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