![Marine Environmental Data and Information Network [logo]](/themes/medin-NOC8X/logo.svg){kind=logo}
Privacy
The Marine Environmental Data and Information Network (MEDIN) website collects standard internet log information and anonymous details of visitor behaviour patterns. The former enables us to troubleshoot problems and the latter to improve the speed of our service and enhance your experience.
When contacting MEDIN enquiries; in order to service your request, MEDIN may need the following contact details:
- Name
- Organisation (if applicable)
- Email address
- Country
Your contact details will not be given to any 3rd party and will only be used to:
- supply you with the information you requested;
- ensure that we remain compliant with the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) Data Policy;
- generate anonymised ‘performance indicators’ to support our future funding
We will take all reasonable precautions to protect your personal data from loss, misuse or alteration.
Only authorised MEDIN employees will have access to this information.
Access to some secure systems, for example the MEDIN metadata maestro, may require you to create an account to use the software. The British Oceanographic Data Centre (BODC) currently provide the download service for a user to gain access to the MEDIN Metadata Maestro software. You need to register as a BODC web user, and sign the license as described in the following document.
During the registration process you will be asked to provide personal contact information which will be stored and treated in accordance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) enforced May 25th 2018. BODC also store title, first name, last name, email, organisation and country in their webusers database. The MEDIN Metadata Editor is managed by the Marine Biological Association, see their privacy statement for more details.
Cookies
What are cookies?
When websites provide services, they want to make them easy, useful and reliable. Where services are delivered on the internet, this sometimes involves placing small amounts of information on your device, for example, computer or mobile phone. These include small files known as cookies. They cannot be used to identify you personally.
These pieces of information are used to improve services for you through, for example:
- enabling a service to recognise your device so you don't have to give the same information several times during one task;
- recognising that you may already have given a username and password so you don't need to do it for every web page requested;
- measuring how many people are using services, so they can be made easier to use and there's enough capacity to ensure a responsive service.
- More information on and how to manage cookies is provided in Directgov article 'Browser cookies - what are they and how to manage them'.
More information on and how to manage cookies is provided in Directgov article 'Browser cookies - what are they and how to manage them'.
Our use of cookies
Our cookies cannot be used to collect personally identifiable information about you. Please be aware that restricting cookies would impact on the services we provide.
Essential cookies
These first-party cookies let you move around our web site and use essential features such as secure areas and online data or software delivery. These cookies do not gather any information about you that could be used for marketing or remembering where you have been on the internet.
| Name | Expiration | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| sessID | User logout or browser text | These cookies are used to identify whether a user is logged into their accoutn; to allow access to online delivery mechanisms; to allow (or restrict) access to secure areas as appropriate for user credentials. |
| sessionid | User logout or browser text | |
| userid | Persists | |
| https | Persists |
Cookies for improving service
We use Google Analytics to monitor visitor behaviour patterns. Google Analytics uses first-part cookies as described below to track visitor interactions. First-party cookies are not shared by browsers across domains. For more information see an overview of Google's privacy policy.
| Name | Expiration | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| _utma | 2 years | Google Analytics cookies are used to collect information about how visitors use our site. They consist of a randomly generated number. The cookies collect information in an anonymous form, for example the number of visitors to the site, where visitors have come to the site from and the pages they visited. We use this information to target development activities to help us improve the site and to compile reports. |
| _utmb | 30 minutes | |
| _utmc | browser exit | |
| _utmv | 2 years | |
| _utmz | 6 months |
How to control cookies
If you wish you can control which cookies which are set by websites through your browser settings. The 'Help' function within your browser should tell you how.
Information on how to allow, block, delete and manage cookies on a variety of browsers is available here.
Within your browser you can also view the cookie code, simply click on a cookie to open it. You will see a short string of text and numbers. The numbers are the identification card, and can only be seen by the server that set the cookie.
For information on how to manage cookies on the browser of your mobile phone you will need to refer to the handset manual.
Our cookies cannot be used to collect personal identifiable information about you. Please be aware that restricting cookies may impact on the functionality of our website.
To opt-out of third-parties collecting any data regarding your nteraction on our website, please refer to their website for further information.
If you have any further questions, please contact MEDIN enquiries.