Review Our Citizen Science Platform Usage Guidelines

Acceptance of Our Terms

Getting started with field data collection usually begins with a simple desire to help local ecosystems. As you progress from a casual observer to an active contributor mapping Sudden Oak Death, understanding the operational ground rules becomes essential. By accessing and using the Sodblitz platform, you agree to be bound by these terms.

We designed this infrastructure to support rigorous disease ecology tracking. Your continued use of the site indicates your acceptance of these conditions. If you disagree with any part of these guidelines, you should pause your participation and hold off on submitting field observations.

Acceptable Use and Lawful Participation

Volunteers often ask how far they should go to secure a crucial tree sample. The answer is straightforward: your safety and legal compliance come first. You must use our service exclusively for lawful purposes.

Do not trespass on private property, restricted government lands, or protected ecological reserves to gather data. Gathering accurate woodland conservation data never justifies violating local regulations. You agree not to use the platform to transmit malicious code, spam other community members, or disrupt the database infrastructure.

When planning your survey routes, stick to public trails or secure explicit permission from landowners. A practical approach involves contacting local parks departments before organizing a neighborhood sampling weekend.

Citizen Science Data and Intellectual Property

During our early mapping efforts, we noticed confusion around who actually owns the submitted tree photos and GPS coordinates. We realized we needed a transparent approach to data stewardship. When you upload field observations to Sodblitz, you retain the copyright to your original photographs.

You grant us a perpetual, non-exclusive license to use, display, and distribute that data for scientific research and public education. This shared pool of information is what makes the platform valuable for tracking pathogen spread.

Do not upload content that infringes on the intellectual property rights of others. If you photograph a diagnostic report or a proprietary map, ensure you have the right to share it publicly.

Scope of Information and Limitations

The identification guides and distribution maps provided here rely heavily on community input. We build these resources to support woodland conservation and help communities spot early signs of infection.

While our ongoing partnership since 2019 with regional forestry departments yields highly accurate distribution models, field conditions change rapidly. Localized outbreaks might not appear immediately on our maps. The information on this platform should not replace a certified arborist's professional assessment of your trees.

We provide the platform on an "as is" basis. We cannot guarantee uninterrupted access to the database during peak sampling seasons or server maintenance windows.

Policy Updates and Contact Information

How do you stay informed about changes to these guidelines? We periodically revise these terms to reflect new features in our mapping tools or shifts in legal requirements. The date at the top of our internal records marks the latest revision—currently June 05, 2026.

We encourage you to review this page before the start of each spring sampling season. Continued use of the platform after modifications constitutes your acknowledgment of the updated rules.

If you need clarification on any of these points or want to discuss how they apply to a specific community project, reach out through our Contact page. We actively monitor inquiries to ensure our volunteers can operate confidently and safely in the field.