Vela Privacy Policy
Vela App Privacy Policy
&
Community Response Map
Effective Date: October 19, 2026
Developer: Tino Ashaw
Website: TinoAshaw.com
1. Introduction
Community Response Map is a free, location-based information application developed by Tino Ashaw to help individuals, families, and communities discover publicly available resources.
The application is designed to help users locate emergency services, hospitals, healthcare providers, government agencies, shelters, pharmacies, educational institutions, community facilities, and other essential services.
It also aims to make public hazard and disaster information more accessible, including earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, and other emergencies.
Our guiding principle is simple: Public resources. Private access.
We believe accessing essential information should not require surrendering unnecessary personal information, receiving advertisements, or creating an advertising profile.
2. Information We Access
Location Information
With your permission, the application may access your device's approximate or precise location to:
- Display nearby public resources and services.
- Center the map around your location.
- Identify services within a selected search radius.
- Retrieve geographically relevant hazard information.
Location access is optional. Users may search for another city, municipality, region, or country without granting GPS access.
When a location-based search is performed, geographic coordinates or map boundaries may be transmitted to external mapping and public-data services to retrieve results.
The application is intended for location discovery, not continuous personal movement tracking.
Search and Map Information
When using the application, searches may involve:
- Geographic coordinates or selected map areas.
- Place names and location searches.
- Resource categories and search filters.
- Public geographic information.
This information is used to provide relevant search results.
Locally Stored Information
The application may store previously retrieved public resource information, selected locations, bookmarks, and map data on your device.
This storage is intended to improve performance, reduce unnecessary downloads, and allow previously discovered information to remain accessible.
Local information may become outdated and should not be treated as continuously verified.
Technical Network Information
When the application contacts third-party services, those services may automatically receive technical information, including an IP address, request timestamps, requested map areas, and basic connection information.
Such information may be processed according to each provider's privacy policy.
3. How Information Is Used
Information accessed through the application is intended to support its core functions:
- Identifying nearby resources.
- Retrieving public geographic and community information.
- Displaying relevant disaster information.
- Improving map performance and local caching.
- Supporting user-requested notifications when available.
- Maintaining application functionality and security.
The application is not intended to build advertising profiles or monetize personal location histories.
4. Third-Party Services
Community Response Map uses or may integrate publicly available information and mapping technologies, including:
OpenStreetMap: Geographic map information and community-maintained mapping data.
Nominatim: Geographic place-name searches and geocoding, where used.
Overpass API: Retrieval of publicly mapped locations and geographic features.
Government and Public Information Services: Official information regarding natural hazards, public facilities, emergency management, and community resources.
The providers used may vary by location and application version.
Requests to these services may expose the searched geographic area and technical connection information to the provider.
These independent services may maintain their own server logs, retention practices, and privacy policies.
Reference policies include:
https://osmfoundation.org/wiki/Privacy_Policy
https://policies.google.com/privacy
We encourage users to review the policies of third-party services they access through the application.
5. Advertising and Personal Tracking
Community Response Map is intended to remain free of third-party advertisements.
We do not intend to sell personal information, use geographic searches to generate advertising profiles, or monetize users' movements.
Requests to mapping, notification, operating-system, and public-data services may still involve necessary technical processing. This should not be confused with advertising-based tracking.
Any future introduction of analytics, additional service providers, or other data-processing technologies will require review of this Privacy Policy and any applicable user disclosures.
6. Notifications
The application may offer notifications relating to earthquakes, severe weather, emergencies, or other relevant public information.
Users may control notification permissions through their device settings.
Where push-notification services are implemented, technical delivery information, such as notification tokens, may be processed by the notification provider.
Notifications are informational and should not replace official emergency communication systems.
7. Data Storage, Retention, and Deletion
Map data, previously discovered public locations, and saved information may be stored locally on the user's device.
Users may remove locally stored application data through their device's application storage settings or by uninstalling the application, subject to the device's backup configuration.
If users voluntarily provide an email address to participate in beta testing, their email address may be used for testing invitations, project communications, and responses to feedback.
Users may request removal from developer-maintained testing contact lists through the privacy contact listed above.
Any information retained independently by external data providers is governed by those providers' policies and cannot necessarily be deleted by the application developer.
8. Data Security
We seek to minimize the information required to operate the application and use secure HTTPS connections for supported network requests.
No internet-based application or external service can guarantee absolute security.
Users should avoid submitting confidential or sensitive personal information through general geographic search fields.
9. Children's Privacy
Community Response Map is designed as a general public resource-discovery application and is not specifically directed toward children under 13.
We do not intentionally request sensitive personal information from children.
If we become aware that personal information has been collected from a child inappropriately, we will take appropriate steps to address the situation.
10. Accuracy of Public Information
Community Response Map retrieves information from independent public, community-maintained, and governmental sources.
We do not guarantee that every listing is complete, accurate, current, or available.
Emergency response information, facility operating hours, contact information, and public safety conditions can change without notice.
In an emergency, users should contact local emergency services and consult official government alerts.
11. User Choices and Privacy Rights
Users may:
- Deny or revoke location permissions.
- Search for places without using GPS.
- Disable application notifications.
- Clear local application data.
- Uninstall the application.
- Contact the developer with privacy questions or applicable data-deletion requests.
Requests concerning information retained by independent service providers may need to be directed to those providers.
12. Changes to This Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy may be updated as the application develops, introduces features, or changes its data-processing practices.
Revisions will be reflected by updating the effective date on this page.
Where required by law or platform policy, users will receive appropriate notice or be asked for consent before material changes to personal-data handling.
13. Contact Information
For questions, privacy concerns, or requests involving information maintained by the developer:
Developer: Tino Ashaw
Website: https://www.tinoashaw.com
Our Commitment
Community Response Map exists to make essential public information more accessible, wherever people live or travel.
Resourceful information, in your hands. No ads. No unnecessary tracking.