Conditions for using Ocean Wise Sightings Network data

Conditions for using Ocean Wise Sightings Network (OWSN) data

Ocean Wise Conservation Association is the exclusive custodian of the Ocean Wise Sightings Network (OWSN) database. By requesting and receiving OWSN data, you agree to the following conditions.

1. PERMITTED USE

You may use the data only for the project described in your data request.
You may not use the data for any other project, or share it with anyone outside the project team, without prior written permission from Ocean Wise.
You may not use the data for commercial purposes (i.e. to generate profit). Commercial use requires a separate agreement with Ocean Wise – this includes use of any derived product where the data forms a primary input to a revenue-generating product or service, such as commercial model training or predictive analytics. Please contact us before proceeding.
The data provided is sourced from Ocean Wise’s first-party reporting applications. Data contributed to OWSN by third-party partners is shared only on a case-by-case basis with additional permission. Where third-party data is included, it is identified by the `source_entity` field in the dataset. The same conditions in this agreement apply to all records regardless of their `source_entity` value.

2. STORAGE, RETENTION, AND REDISTRIBUTION

You must store the data securely to prevent loss or unauthorized access, and to ensure it is not shared beyond the scope of the approved request.
You may not publish, post, or display the raw data — including on websites, in public repositories, or as supplementary material — without prior written permission from Ocean Wise.
You may publish derived products (e.g. maps, summary statistics, model outputs) that are based on the data, provided the raw data itself is not recoverable from them and the attribution requirements in Section 5 are met.
You must delete or destroy all raw data provided under this agreement upon completion of the project described in your data request, or upon written request by Ocean Wise, whichever occurs first. Derived products are not subject to this deletion requirement.
You agree to notify Ocean Wise when your project concludes so that retention obligations can be confirmed.

3. INTERPRETING THE DATA

OWSN data are collected opportunistically and are not corrected for observer effort. The absence of sightings in a particular area may reflect a lack of observers there, rather than the absence of cetaceans or sea turtles. While the data can describe aspects of habitat use, they should not be used to draw conclusions about absolute abundance, distribution, or seasonality.

4. SHARING OUTPUTS WITH OCEAN WISE

For any publication, report, or presentation incorporating OWSN data that is intended for public release (defined as disclosure to any party outside of your organisation), you must provide a copy to Ocean Wise on or before the date of publication.

Works that remain internal or private, sharing a copy with Ocean Wise is not a condition of data access; however, we request that such outputs be shared in good faith to help us understand and support the diverse applications of OWSN data.

5. ATTRIBUTION REQUIREMENTS

Any publication, report, or presentation that uses OWSN data must include the following:

5.1 Required statement (in the methods or equivalent section):

“Data obtained from the Ocean Wise Sightings Network were collected opportunistically with limited knowledge of the temporal or spatial distribution of observer effort. As a result, absence of sightings at any location does not demonstrate absence of species.”

5.2 Required figure caption (for any figure derived from the data):

“Sightings data supplied by the Ocean Wise Sightings Network. Sightings are opportunistic and not corrected for effort.”

5.3 Required citation:

“Ocean Wise Conservation Association [Year]. Ocean Wise Sightings Network (OWSN) database. https://ocean.org”

6. DATA PROVIDED AS-IS

OWSN data is provided as-is. Ocean Wise makes no warranty regarding its accuracy, completeness, or fitness for any particular purpose, and accept no liability for outcomes.

7. CONTACT

For questions, permission requests, or commercial enquiries: [email protected].