Web Policy

Web Policy

Thank you for visiting the National Snow and Ice Data Center's (NSIDC) Web site. The following is our policy on information that we track about visitors to our Web site, including the intent, maintenance, and possible uses of this information.

Automatically Collected Information

So that we may better serve our user community, we automatically collect the following information. This information allows us to measure Web page usage so that we may appropriately format our site. We do not collect personally identifiable information.

  • Domain name you are using, for example, mycomputer.com
  • IP address from which you accessed our site
  • Type of browser software you are using
  • Date and time of NSIDC Web site access
  • Internet address of the Web site from which you linked to NSIDC
  • Pages visited on our site, and path taken to reach multiple pages
  • Status code indicating whether your browser was successful in rendering the page

Personal Information

We do not automatically collect personally identifiable information. When you contact NSIDC via e-mail or by submitting a Web form, your name and contact information may be stored so that we can respond to your specific request or provide you with future updates to requested data sets.

NSIDC uses the Google search engine (an external search agency) throughout our Web site. Please be advised that information collected when you use the Google search is determined by Google. For more details on how Google collects identifiable information, see the Google Privacy Policy on Google's Web site.

Cookies (Information Collected for Tracking and Customization)

A cookie is a small amount of information given to a Web browser by a Web server. The browser stores the information on your computer. The information is then sent back to the server each time the browser requests a Web page from the server. Cookies contain bits of information that facilitate the processing of Web pages and Web forms. A cookie can be used for authenticating, session tracking, and remembering specific information about users, such as site preferences or the contents of their electronic shopping carts. NSIDC collects this information to improve service to you.

NSIDC utilizes two types of cookies: session cookies and persistent cookies. Session cookies enable the processing of a Web page request and contact forms. Session cookies are temporary and they expire when you close your browser. NSIDC utilizes persistent cookies to enable our Web applications to preserve your information for future repeat visits. NSIDC sets persistent cookies to expire and be deleted after two weeks.

Sharing and Protecting Information

We respect the privacy of our visitors and user community. NSIDC may share the information described above with other government agencies as it relates to that agency or as required by law. Information will not be shared with other agencies or entities as the law permits. Visitors and users will only be contacted regarding specific questions submitted to NSIDC staff members, or regarding product and information updates to previously requested data or information. At any time, you may request removal from such contact lists.

Accessibility

NSIDC strives to ensure the pages on this Web site are accessible to individuals with disabilities in accordance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. Some files on this Web site may be posted as Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format (PDF) files. Adobe provides their Acrobat Reader software as a free download.

Linking Policy and Disclaimer of Endorsement

As a service to our users, NSIDC links to many Web sites created and maintained by other public and private organizations. The presence of a link is not an NSIDC endorsement of the site. When users follow a link to an outside Web site, they are subject to the privacy and security policies of the owners/sponsors of those site(s).

Please note that when you are accessing the NASA Earth Observing System (EOS) Data Pool at NSIDC (www.nsidc.org), you are subject to NASA's policies. You can link to NASA policies from the EOS Data Pool page.

Related Privacy Policy Links

United States Department of Justice Freedom of Information Act 
Google Privacy Policy