Effective Date: July 19, 2026 | Last Updated: July 19, 2026
1. About This App
Velocity Radar Tracker ("the App") is a Progressive Web Application (PWA) that displays live weather radar, storm warnings, earthquake data, wildfire perimeters, lightning strikes, and other publicly available meteorological information. The App is offered free of charge.
2. Information We Collect
We do not collect any personal information. No data you interact with is transmitted to our servers, because the App has no backend server operated by the developer. Specifically:
- Device Location (GPS/Geolocation): The App requests your device's location only when you tap the Current Location button. This coordinate is used solely to center the map on your position and is never transmitted to the developer or stored beyond your current session.
- App Settings (localStorage): Your layer preferences, opacity settings, storm-report filters, and warning filters are saved locally in your browser's storage (localStorage). This data never leaves your device.
- No Account or Registration: The App does not require or support user accounts, sign-in, or registration of any kind.
- No Analytics or Tracking: The App does not include any analytics SDKs, advertising trackers, or fingerprinting scripts.
- No Crash Reporting: The App does not automatically report errors or diagnostics to any server.
3. Local Data Storage
The following preference data is stored locally on your device using the browser's localStorage API and the service worker cache:
| Data Item | Purpose | Stored Where |
|---|---|---|
| Selected map layers | Remember which layers you had enabled | localStorage (device only) |
| Layer opacity values | Remember your opacity preferences | localStorage (device only) |
| Storm report filters | Remember tornado/hail/wind filter state | localStorage (device only) |
| Warning type filters | Remember which warning types are shown | localStorage (device only) |
| Cached app assets | Enable offline use and faster load times | Service worker cache (device only) |
You can clear all locally stored data at any time by clearing your browser or app cache and storage through your device or browser settings.
4. Third-Party Services
The App fetches publicly available weather and map data from the following third-party services. When your device contacts these services to load map tiles or data, your IP address is transmitted to them as part of the normal network request. The developer does not control these services' privacy practices.
| Service | Data Provided | Privacy Policy |
|---|---|---|
| NOAA / National Weather Service (nowcoast.noaa.gov, opengeo.ncep.noaa.gov) | Radar reflectivity, radar velocity, precipitation type, satellite imagery, temperature, humidity | noaa.gov/privacy |
| USGS Earthquake Hazards Program (earthquake.usgs.gov) | Earthquake event data | usgs.gov/privacy-policy |
| NIFC / ArcGIS Online (nifc.gov) | Active wildfire perimeters | esri.com privacy |
| NOAA Storm Prediction Center (spc.noaa.gov) | Today's storm reports, severe weather outlook | noaa.gov/privacy |
| Iowa State Mesonet (mesonet.agron.iastate.edu) | Local storm reports | iastate.edu/privacy |
| Open-Meteo (open-meteo.com) | Point weather forecast (when Weather panel is used) | open-meteo.com/terms |
| OpenStreetMap / CARTO (openstreetmap.org) | Base map tiles | OSM Privacy Policy |
| Google Maps Platform (maps.google.com) | Satellite/hybrid base map tiles (optional layer) | policies.google.com/privacy |
| NASA GIBS (gibs.earthdata.nasa.gov) | VIIRS light pollution imagery | nasa.gov/privacy |
| LightningMaps.org (lightningmaps.org) | Real-time lightning strike data (WebSocket) | lightningmaps.org/privacy |
| Leaflet.js (leafletjs.com) / unpkg CDN | Interactive map library (loaded from CDN) | unpkg.com |
The App does not share, sell, or transfer your personal data to any of these services beyond the IP address inherent in making a network request.
5. Permissions Requested
- Geolocation (Location): Requested on demand only when you tap "Current Location." Your coordinates are used to center the map and are not stored or transmitted to the developer.
- Internet Access: Required to download live radar, weather, and map tile data from public APIs.
- Background Sync / Periodic Background Sync: Used on Android Chrome to refresh weather data while the app is in the background. No personal data is transmitted during this process — only public weather tiles are re-fetched.
6. Children's Privacy
This App does not knowingly collect any personal information from children under the age of 13 (or the applicable minimum age in your jurisdiction). Because the App collects no personal information at all, it is safe for use by users of any age. If you believe a child has submitted personal information through the App, please contact us and we will address it promptly.
7. Data Security
Because the App stores all preferences locally on your device and does not transmit personal data to any developer-operated server, the risk of unauthorized access to your data by third parties through our systems is not applicable. You are responsible for securing your own device.
8. Data Retention and Deletion
All locally stored data (preferences, cached assets) remains on your device until you manually clear it. To remove all App data:
- Browser: Clear site data for this site in your browser settings (Settings → Privacy → Clear browsing data → Cached images and files / Site settings).
- Windows (installed PWA): In Windows Settings, go to Apps, find "Velocity Radar Tracker," and select "Advanced options" → "Reset."
9. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be reflected by updating the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page. Continued use of the App after any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
10. Contact
If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:
Email: privacy@velocityradartracker.com
You may also open an issue on our public repository if the App is distributed as open source.