Taiga Maps
Taiga Maps privacy policy
In short: Taiga Maps has no accounts, no advertising, no analytics and no tracking. Nothing you do in the app is sent to me. I collect no personal data, so I have none to sell, share or lose.
This policy covers Taiga Maps for Android and iPhone, version 1.0.1 and later. The app shows the same information in Settings → About → Privacy.
Your location
Taiga Maps uses your location on your device to show where you are, follow you on the map, navigate to a waypoint, mark waypoints and record trips. Your location is stored only on your device, in the waypoints and trips you keep. It is never sent to me.
While you record a trip, the app keeps receiving your position with the screen off or another app in front, so the trip's track stays complete. Android shows a notification and iPhone shows its location indicator for as long as that lasts. Recording starts only when you tap Start and ends when you tap Stop.
Your phone's own location service provides the positions: Google Play services on Android, Apple's Location Services on iPhone. These may use Wi-Fi and mobile networks, as set in your phone's location settings, and Google and Apple handle that under their own privacy policies.
Barometer
While you record a trip, Taiga Maps reads the phone's barometer to measure elevation. On iPhone this is the "Motion & Fitness" permission. The readings stay on your device.
Maps you view
Web maps are downloaded from their providers as you view them. As with any web request, the provider sees your device's IP address and which map tiles are requested, and so the area and zoom you are viewing, and handles them under its own terms. The app identifies itself to them as Taiga Maps.
| Provider | Used for | Address |
|---|---|---|
| OpenFreeMap | The base map under every map, and the trails, roads and rivers measuring snaps to | tiles.openfreemap.org |
| Amazon Web Services (Registry of Open Data, Terrain Tiles) | Elevation for the hill shading | elevation-tiles-prod.s3.amazonaws.com |
| Natural Resources Canada | CanVec Topo, the Canada hillshades (HRDEM and MRDEM), and the 1:50,000 map sheets you download | maps.geogratis.gc.ca, datacube.services.geo.ca, ftp.maps.canada.ca |
| Government of Ontario (Land Information Ontario) | Ontario Imagery 2023–2027 and 2018–2022 | ws.geoservices.lrc.gov.on.ca |
| United States Geological Survey | USGS Topo | basemap.nationalmap.gov |
| IGN (France) | IGN Plan | data.geopf.fr |
| Geospatial Information Authority of Japan | GSI Standard | cyberjapandata.gsi.go.jp |
| swisstopo (Switzerland) | swisstopo | wmts.geo.admin.ch |
| Kartverket (Norway) | Norgeskart | cache.kartverket.no |
| Geoscience Australia | GA Topographic | services.ga.gov.au |
| OpenTopoMap | OpenTopoMap | tile.opentopomap.org |
A provider is contacted only when you view its map, save an area of it offline, or download a map sheet. Any web map address you add yourself is contacted the same way. Maps you import from files are drawn on your device and are not sent anywhere.
What you create
Imported maps, waypoints, trips and settings are kept in the app's own storage on your device. Sharing a trip as a GPX file sends it only where you choose. Deleting the app deletes all of it.
Your phone's own backup (Google or iCloud) may include the app's files and settings, under those services' terms. On Android, the database of waypoints and trips is left out of cloud backups.
Crashes
Taiga Maps sends no crash reports. On Android, details of the last crash are saved on the phone only. Google Play and the App Store may give me anonymous crash and performance statistics if you allow it in your phone's settings.
Your choices and rights
Because I hold no data about you, there is nothing for me to access, correct or delete. You control everything the app keeps: delete it in the app, or delete the app. You can turn off location or the barometer permission at any time in your phone's settings; the app still shows maps without them.
Children
Taiga Maps is not directed at children, and collects nothing from anyone.
Changes
If a new version changes what Taiga Maps does with your data, I will update this policy and its effective date, and the app's own notice changes with it.
Contact
Questions about this policy: Eric Naud, support@taigamaps.ca.