OpenAQ Data Policy (updated 2021)

Intellectual Property and Attribution

OpenAQ aggregates air quality data from government agencies and other sources. We only use data that, to the best of our knowledge, has been made available for free redistribution and use throughout the world. OpenAQ asserts no intellectual property interest over the data it publishes, as a collective work or otherwise. However, we provide no assurance that the data provided may be used free of any third-party claims.

Air quality data is factual in nature, and in some jurisdictions may not be subject to copyright or other protections limiting its use or distribution. However, in some jurisdictions, copyright and/or laws and regulations protecting databases may apply to OpenAQ source data.

We provide attribution to the source of data where possible via our web interface and APIs, and we encourage users to review any terms published by data providers. Users of the OpenAQ platform are solely responsible for their use of the data and for compliance with any applicable laws and third-party terms.

A number of our sources provide their air quality data under terms that require source attribution—sometimes under Creative Commons licenses or open government licenses, and sometimes under bespoke terms. Regardless of such requirements, we believe in the importance of attributing data sources. For this reason, OpenAQ provides attribution, often in the form of a URL, to the underlying source of data ingested onto the platform. We strongly encourage OpenAQ users to acknowledge the original source(s) of any data they use.

Disclaimer

IMPORTANT: Although we strive to make the aggregated data true to its source and as useful as possible, we cannot guarantee its accuracy or suitability for any user’s purpose, and any use of the data is at the user’s own risk. Data from the OpenAQ platform is offered as-is, without warranty of any kind, whether express or implied, including all implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, and non-infringement. OpenAQ makes no guarantee that the OpenAQ platform or data will meet any user’s requirements, operate without interruption, achieve any intended result, or be accurate, complete, or error-free.

OpenAQ Terms of Use for Data Publishers

Data publishers may choose to share air quality data with OpenAQ to redistribute via the OpenAQ platform. The data publisher grants to OpenAQ, and to recipients of its data from OpenAQ, a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable license to reproduce, adapt, publicly display, publicly perform, sublicense, and distribute the data and any derivative works. The form, nature, and content of the data available through the Platform may change without any notice to the data publisher. OpenAQ may also remove access to the data at any time without any notice to the data publisher.

The data publisher will retain copyright to its data. At the time of submission, the data publisher may elect to make the data available under the Creative Commons Attribution license (CC BY 4.0), in which case the terms of that license will supersede the rights granted in this section.