Privacy Policy

Last Updated: October 21, 2026

1. Introduction

This Privacy Policy describes how FloodRoute ("the App," "we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, and protects information when you use the FloodRoute app for iPhone and the website at floodroute.com (the "Site"). The App and Site are operated by Axiomic, LLC, a California limited liability company, 1 Blackfield Dr PMB 216, Tiburon, California 94920, United States. FloodRoute is made in Marin County, California by Marc Hoag / Skyriven Studios, a project of Axiomic, LLC.

The short version:

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We never have, and we never will.
FloodRoute has no user accounts. What you contribute is tied to a random identifier created on your device — never your name.
Your location stays on your device unless you choose to submit a flood report or use it for a town request.
Flood reports you submit are public. Don't put personal information in them.
You can delete what your device has sent us at any time with Settings → Delete my data.

This Privacy Policy covers only FloodRoute. It should be read together with our Terms of Service, which govern your use of the App and Site.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide Directly

Flood reports. When you submit a flood condition report, we collect:

The location (latitude/longitude) of the pin you place on the map
The road condition you report (no flooding, some water, flooded, or impassable)
An optional short note (up to 280 characters) and an optional photo
The time of the report and the predicted tide level at that time
The App version and your device's random identifier (see 2.3)

Reports — the pin location, condition, note, time, tide level, approved photo, and confirmation counts — are shown publicly in the App and on the Site so others can see current conditions. The App currently shows reports from about the last two days, and town and date pages on the Site show reports up to about two weeks old. Each report also has its own share page on the Site (floodroute.com/r/…), which anyone with the link can open for as long as we keep the report (see Section 9). Share pages ask search engines not to index them. Public reports never include your name, email address, or device identifier. Each public report has a short contributor tag derived from your random identifier, so people can tell that several reports came from the same device and can hide a contributor's reports. The tag does not reveal your name, your identifier, or anything else about you.

Summaries and open data. We may also publish aggregated, de-identified summaries of reports, for example how many reports of each condition were made in a town or on a date. These may appear on the Site, including on future flood history pages and in downloadable datasets. Summaries do not include names, email addresses, device identifiers, or contributor tags.

Before a photo leaves your device, the App resizes and re-encodes it, which removes embedded metadata such as the location where it was taken. Photos are stored privately until we review them; only approved photos are shown publicly, and rejected photos are deleted. Do not include faces, license plates, or other personal information in photos or notes.

Confirmations and flags. When you confirm, dispute, or flag someone else's report (with an optional reason), we store that with your random identifier. Only the totals are shown publicly.

Town requests. When you request coverage for a town ("Map my town"), we collect:

The town and state you request
Your device's location, only if you choose to use it to fill in the request
Your email address, only if you choose to provide it, used solely to tell you when that town is added
A random identifier (from the App or your browser) and, if you arrived from a shared link, the referral tag in that link

The number of requests per town is shown publicly; individual requests and email addresses are not.

Saved places and commutes. When you save a place (for example, "Home") or set up a commute, the place and route are stored on your device and synced through your own iCloud account. They are not sent to our servers. To find places and calculate commute routes, the App sends your search text and the route's start and end points to Apple Maps (see Section 4).

2.2 Location Services

If you allow it, the App uses your device's location ("While Using the App" only) to find your nearest covered town, to center the map, to pre-position a report pin, and, if you choose, to fill in a town request. Your device location is processed on your device and is not sent to our servers, except for the pin location of a report you choose to submit or the location you choose to attach to a town request. When the App looks up a town name for your location, that lookup is performed by Apple. The App never tracks your location in the background. You can turn location access off at any time in iOS Settings; the App still works without it.

2.3 Random Identifier and Product Analytics

The App generates a random identifier when first opened. It is used to prevent spam and abuse (rate limits), to record your confirmations and flags, and to let you delete your contributions. It is not linked to your name, Apple ID, or any advertising identifier. "Delete my data" erases it and the App creates a new one.

We record product events (for example, "app opened", "forecast shared", "report submitted", "paywall viewed") together with this identifier, the App version, and details such as the town you are viewing or the feature you used. Product events never include your precise location.

The Site uses a similar random identifier kept in your browser; see 2.7.

2.4 Purchases and the Free Trial

Purchases are processed by Apple through the App Store, under Apple's own terms and privacy policy. To unlock Pro, the App checks your purchases with Apple directly on your device, using Apple's StoreKit; we do not use a third-party subscription service. Apple does not share your name or Apple ID with us. Our servers receive only the product event that records a purchase and which plan you chose (see 2.3).

To run the free Pro trial fairly, the App stores the trial's start and end dates in your device's Keychain. iOS keeps Keychain items even if you delete and reinstall the App, and "Delete my data" does not remove them, so that a trial cannot be restarted by reinstalling.

We never see or store your payment details; purchases are handled entirely by Apple.

2.5 Information Visible to Data Sources

When the App fetches tide, water-level, and weather data, your IP address may be visible to NOAA and Open-Meteo. These requests contain tide station identifiers and the center point of your selected town, not your device's location. The Site fetches this data from its own servers, so NOAA and Open-Meteo do not see your IP address when you use the Site. Maps in the App are provided by Apple (MapKit); maps on the Site are loaded from OpenFreeMap, which may see your IP address.

2.6 What We Do NOT Collect

We do not collect your name (unless you voluntarily include it in a note or email)
We do not track your location in the background
We do not use advertising identifiers or advertising cookies
We do not track you across other companies' apps or websites
We do not collect biometric data
We do not collect payment information (handled entirely by Apple)

2.7 The Website

The Site has no accounts and does not use cookies. Flood reports are submitted in the App, not on the Site, and the Site does not ask for your location. On the Site we collect:

Town requests ("Map my town"): The town and state you enter, your email address only if you choose to provide it, your browser's random identifier, and the referral tag of a shared link you arrived from, if any. The number of requests per town is shown publicly; individual requests and email addresses are not.
Product events: When you send a town request, we record the town, the referral tag, and whether you gave an email address (not the address itself). When you open the Site from a FloodRoute share, calendar, embed, or alert link, we record the page, the link's tags, and the domain of the page that linked to you. Both are stored with your browser's random identifier.
Random browser identifier: Kept in your browser's local storage (not a cookie) and used to de-duplicate town requests, to limit abuse, and to connect the events above. The Site also remembers in your browser which towns you have requested, so it can show their progress; that list is not sent to us. Clearing your browser's site data removes both.
Hosting and analytics: The Site is hosted by Vercel, which processes each request, including your IP address and the information your browser sends with it, to deliver the Site. This includes calendar feeds you subscribe to, which your calendar app fetches from the Site from time to time. We use Vercel Web Analytics, which counts page views in aggregate without cookies. Your browser sends town requests and product events directly to Supabase and loads report photos from Supabase, so Supabase also sees your IP address.

2.8 Earlier App Versions (1.x)

FloodRoute 2.0 replaced RevenueCat with Apple's StoreKit and moved flood reports and town requests from Formspree to our own database. If you still use a 1.x version of the App, it works as it always has until you update:

RevenueCat (subscriptions): Version 1.x uses RevenueCat to manage subscriptions. RevenueCat receives an anonymous user identifier it creates, your purchase and subscription history, and basic device information (device type and OS version). It also receives details the App sets: App version and build, install date, whether notifications are on, trial start date, and your selected region. RevenueCat may also see your IP address.
Formspree (reports and requests): Flood reports (pin location, road condition, region, tide level, time, and your email address if you entered one) and region requests (the region you asked for, the region you were viewing, any comments, and your email address if you entered one) are delivered to us by email through Formspree. They are not shown publicly.
OpenWeatherMap: Version 1.x requests barometric pressure from OpenWeatherMap, which may see your IP address.
Deleting data: "Delete Account" in version 1.x deletes data on your device only. To delete what 1.x sent to Formspree or RevenueCat, email contact@axiomic.ai.

Updating to version 2.0 stops these transfers.

3. How We Use Your Information

Flood reports, confirmations, and flags: To show current conditions to the community, to moderate content, to check and calibrate the accuracy of our flood predictions, to find roads missing from our maps, and to publish aggregated, de-identified summaries (see 2.1)
Town requests: To decide which towns to add next and, if you gave your email, to tell you when your town is added
Random identifier and product analytics: To prevent abuse, to support deletion requests, and to understand which features are useful
Subscription and trial data: To manage purchases and the free trial and to provide access to Pro features
Crash reports (via Apple, if you opted in): To find and fix bugs

We do not use your personal information to train artificial intelligence models, and we do not use it for advertising.

4. Third-Party Services

The following service providers process data on our behalf:

Supabase — Database and File Storage

Data processed: Flood reports (including notes and photos), confirmations and flags, town requests (including optional email), random identifiers, product events, and the IP addresses of requests from the App and the Site
Location: United States
Privacy policy: https://supabase.com/privacy

Vercel — Website Hosting and Analytics

Data processed: Website requests (including IP address), cookie-less aggregate analytics, calendar-feed requests
Location: United States
Privacy policy: https://vercel.com/legal/privacy-policy

Formspree — Form Delivery

Data processed: Flood reports and town requests sent from App versions 1.x (see 2.8), or from later versions while our community database is unavailable (coordinates, condition, note, optional email). Our database also forwards a copy of each new flood report and town request (from the App or the Site, including any email address you entered and your device's or browser's random identifier) to Formspree so that we are notified by email. These copies are delivered only to us and are not shown publicly.
Location: United States
Privacy policy: https://formspree.io/legal/privacy-policy

RevenueCat — Subscription Management (App versions 1.x only)

Data processed: Anonymous user identifier, purchase and subscription history, device type and OS version, App version and build, install date, notification setting, trial start date, and selected region (see 2.8)
Location: United States
Privacy policy: https://www.revenuecat.com/privacy

Apple — App Distribution, Purchases, iCloud Sync, Maps, and Analytics

Data processed: In-App Purchases and subscriptions (payment, billing, renewals, and refunds, processed by Apple through the App Store); App analytics and crash reports (if you opted in); your saved places and preferences in your own iCloud account; map display, place searches, commute directions, and town-name lookups through Apple Maps
Privacy policy: https://www.apple.com/privacy/

Each provider may process data only to provide its service to us, as described above.

5. Data Sources

The App and Site use data from public sources:

NOAA CO-OPS: Tide predictions, live water levels, and tidal datums
Open-Meteo: Rainfall and barometric pressure
OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps Foundation: Road geometry
USGS 3D Elevation Program: Elevation data
FEMA: National Flood Hazard Layer flood zone designations

These services have their own privacy policies governing how they handle requests.

6. Location Data

See Section 2.2. In short: location access is optional, used only while you use the App, processed on your device, and only the pin location of a report you submit (or the location you attach to a town request) leaves your device.

7. Notifications

FloodRoute uses local notifications to alert you about flooding. They are calculated and scheduled entirely on your device from tide predictions and live conditions for your selected town and, for Pro users, your saved places and commute. No notification data is sent to our servers. You can turn notifications off at any time in the App's Settings or in iOS Settings.

8. Data Storage and Security

8.1 Data Location

Preferences, saved places, and cached flood data are stored on your device (and in your iCloud account, if iCloud is on). Flood reports, photos, town requests, and product events are stored by Supabase in the United States. Purchase records are kept by Apple with your App Store purchase history and, for App versions 1.x, by RevenueCat in the United States.

8.2 Security Measures

All data sent between the App, the Site, and our service providers is encrypted in transit (HTTPS, TLS 1.2 or higher)
Our database uses row-level security: the App and Site can submit reports and requests and read public reports, but cannot read random identifiers or email addresses
Unreviewed photos are kept in private storage
Submissions are rate-limited per device to prevent abuse
Local App data is protected by iOS device encryption
We do not store passwords (there are no accounts)

8.3 Security Limitations

No method of internet transmission or electronic storage is completely secure. While we use commercially reasonable measures to protect your information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

9. Data Retention and Deletion

Local App data: Kept on your device until you delete the App or use "Delete my data"
Flood reports and photos: Shown in the App and on town and date pages for a limited time (see 2.1), and on their share pages for as long as we keep them. They are kept to measure and improve prediction accuracy until you delete them or we no longer need them. We may keep, and publish, aggregated statistics that do not identify any device indefinitely.
Confirmations and flags: Kept with the report they relate to
Town requests and emails: Kept until the town is added and you have been notified, or until you ask us to delete them
Product events: Kept for up to 24 months
Formspree submissions: Kept in our email until you ask us to delete them
Purchase records: Kept by Apple with your App Store purchase history; we do not keep a copy on our servers
RevenueCat data (App versions 1.x): Kept by RevenueCat for the duration of your subscription and as required for transaction records
Free-trial dates: Kept in your device's Keychain (see 2.4)
iCloud sync data: Kept in your iCloud account until you delete it

Delete my data: Settings → "Delete my data" deletes, from our servers, the flood reports (and their photos), confirmations, flags, town requests (including any email you provided), and product events linked to your device's random identifier. It also deletes all FloodRoute data on your device and in iCloud and creates a new random identifier. It does not remove free-trial dates, purchase records held by Apple, data held by RevenueCat from App versions 1.x, submissions delivered through Formspree, or anything you sent from the Site; email contact@axiomic.ai and we will delete those by hand where we can. Photos are removed from storage shortly after deletion. Deleting data does not cancel a subscription — manage subscriptions through Apple.

10. Information Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties.

We share information only in these limited circumstances:

Publicly, at your direction: Flood reports and approved photos you submit are published as described in Section 2.1, which also describes the aggregated, de-identified summaries we may publish
Service Providers: With the providers listed in Section 4, solely for the purposes described in this policy
Legal Requirements: When required by law, court order, or government request
Safety and Security: To protect our rights, property, or safety, or that of users or the public
Business Transfers: In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, in which case we will notify affected users before personal information is transferred

11. Your Privacy Rights

Wherever you live, you can ask us to:

Access: Tell you what personal information we hold about you and give you a copy
Correct: Fix inaccurate information
Delete: Delete your personal information — the quickest way is "Delete my data" in the App's Settings
Port: Provide your information in a structured, machine-readable format

Because we have no accounts, we may ask you to send the request from the App or to describe your submissions (for example, a report's time and location) so we can find them. Email contact@axiomic.ai with the subject line "Privacy Request."

12. California Privacy Rights (CCPA/CPRA)

If you are a California resident, you have rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act.

Categories of personal information collected in the preceding 12 months:

Identifiers: Random device and browser identifiers, email addresses (if you provide them), IP addresses processed by our hosting and database providers, and, for App versions 1.x, RevenueCat's anonymous user identifier
Commercial information: Purchase, subscription, and free-trial history
Internet or other electronic network activity: Product events and App version; on the Site, pages opened from FloodRoute links and the domain of the referring page; device type and OS version in crash reports Apple shares with us (if you opted in) and, for App versions 1.x, sent to RevenueCat
Geolocation data: Flood report pin locations and locations you choose to attach to town requests
User content: Report notes and photos

Report pins and town-request locations can be precise geolocation. We use them only to provide the feature you asked for (publishing your report, mapping town requests) and to improve flood predictions — never to infer characteristics about you.

Your California rights:

Right to know what personal information we collect, use, and disclose
Right to correct inaccurate personal information
Right to delete your personal information
Right to opt out of sale or sharing: We do not sell personal information or share it for cross-context behavioral advertising
Right to limit use of sensitive personal information: We use it only as described above
Right to non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights

We will respond to verifiable requests within 45 days. Email contact@axiomic.ai with the subject line "California Privacy Request."

13. Other U.S. State Privacy Rights

If you live in Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, or another state with a consumer privacy law, you may have similar rights, including the rights to access, correct, delete, and port your personal information, and to opt out of the sale of personal information, targeted advertising, and profiling. We do not sell personal information, engage in targeted advertising, or profile users.

To exercise your rights, email contact@axiomic.ai with the subject line "State Privacy Request." We will respond within the time your state's law requires.

14. European & UK Privacy Rights (GDPR)

If you are in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, the GDPR and UK GDPR give you additional rights.

14.1 Legal Basis for Processing

Contract performance: Providing the App's features you use, including purchases
Legitimate interests: Operating, securing, and improving the App and the Site, preventing abuse, moderating public content, and producing aggregated, de-identified statistics
Consent: Submitting reports, photos, and town requests, and using location services
Legal obligation: Complying with applicable laws

14.2 Your GDPR Rights

Access: Request a copy of your personal information
Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate data
Erasure: Request deletion ("right to be forgotten")
Restriction: Request restriction of processing
Portability: Receive your data in a structured format
Objection: Object to processing based on legitimate interests
Withdraw consent: Withdraw consent at any time
Lodge a complaint: File a complaint with your local data protection authority

14.3 Data Controller

Axiomic, LLC is the data controller. The providers listed in Section 4 act as processors on our behalf.

We will respond to GDPR requests within 30 days. Email contact@axiomic.ai with the subject line "GDPR Request."

15. International Data Transfers

If you use the App from outside the United States, your information will be transferred to and processed in the United States. For transfers from the EEA or UK we rely on Standard Contractual Clauses or the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework where our providers offer them, or on your consent where no other mechanism applies.

16. Data Breach Notification

If a data breach affects your personal information, we will notify affected users without undue delay and, where required, within 72 hours of becoming aware of it, through the App and/or by email if we have your address. The notice will describe what happened, the information involved, what we are doing, what you can do, and how to contact us. We will notify regulators as required by law.

17. Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control

We do not track users across other companies' apps or websites, sell personal information, or share it for targeted advertising — so we already do not do the things Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control signals ask us not to do.

18. Children's Privacy

FloodRoute is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 13. If you are under 18, use FloodRoute only with the involvement of a parent or guardian. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 13, we will delete it promptly. If you believe a child has sent us information, please contact us.

19. Third-Party Links

The App and Site may link to or display information from third parties. We are not responsible for their privacy practices; your use of their services is governed by their own policies.

20. Changes to This Policy

When we update this Privacy Policy, we will update the "Last Updated" date. For material changes, we will notify you in the App at least 30 days before the changes take effect and summarize what changed. Your continued use of the App after the effective date means you accept the updated policy. If you do not agree, stop using the App and use "Delete my data."

21. Contact

For privacy questions or to exercise your rights:

Email: contact@axiomic.ai

Mail: Axiomic, LLC, 1 Blackfield Dr PMB 216, Tiburon, California 94920, United States

Recommended subject lines:

"California Privacy Request" — California privacy rights
"GDPR Request" — European/UK privacy rights
"State Privacy Request" — Other U.S. state privacy rights
"Privacy Request" — General privacy questions