Terms of Use & Disclaimer
Last Updated: March 3, 2026
Welcome to Smokelyze. By accessing or using this application, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Use. If you do not agree with any part of these terms, please do not use our services.
1. Educational and Informational Purposes Only
Smokelyze is an educational and research-oriented web application developed to provide advanced spatiotemporal analytics for wildfire smoke and air quality. The data, metrics, predictive models, and informational content ("Content") provided on this site are for general informational and research purposes only.
2. Data Citation and Use
Each dataset has its own specific research paper for citation. Please cite the relevant paper based on the data you used:
- GAM-v2: Lee and Jaffe, 2025 (JGR-Atmos)
- GAM-v1: Lee and Jaffe, 2024 (ES&T)
If you wish to cite the Smokelyze app itself, please cite the Lee and Jaffe,
2025 (GAM-v2) paper, as the current platform's development is fundamentally linked to this
research.
For full citation strings and DOI links, please visit the Data
Archive
page.
3. No Warranty and Disclaimer of Liability
The Content is provided "as is" and "as available," without warranties of any kind, either express or implied.
While we strive to provide accurate and up-to-date information, the developer and any affiliated institutions (including the University of Washington) make no representations or warranties regarding the accuracy, completeness, reliability, or timeliness of the data presented.
- Health and Safety: The air quality and environmental data provided by Smokelyze should not be used as a substitute for official advisories or professional medical advice. Please consult your local environmental protection agency or health department for official alerts regarding air quality and safety precautions.
- Limitation of Liability: In no event shall the developer, affiliated institutions, or partners be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, special, or exemplary damages or losses arising out of or in connection with your access, use, or inability to use the application or any of the data provided herein.
4. User Accounts and Content
- Authentication: Certain features, such as creating MapPosts or accessing specific datasets, require user authentication via third-party services (e.g., Google). You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials.
- User-Generated Content: Users are fully responsible for the content they share (e.g., MapPosts). We reserve the right to remove any content that is deemed inappropriate, offensive, or violates these terms, without prior notice.
5. Third-Party Services and APIs
Smokelyze utilizes third-party tools and APIs (such as Google Maps, Firebase, Google Analytics, and the Google Gemini API).
- Your use of the Google Gemini API (by providing a personal API key) is subject to Google's respective Terms of Service. Your API key is stored locally in your browser and is not stored or tracked by our servers.
- We are not responsible for the availability, accuracy, or content of these third-party services.
6. Changes to the Terms
We reserve the right to modify these Terms of Use at any time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last Updated" date. Your continued use of the application following the posting of changes constitutes your acceptance of such changes.
7. Contact
If you have any questions or concerns about these Terms of Use, please contact us via our main web portal or the contact links provided on the About page.