Terms of Use

The Coexist Project ("Coexist") is a collaborative network of organisations and individuals dedicated to supporting the objectives of the Service, coordinated by its Team Members whose details are available at www.coexistproject.co.uk. The dashboard is operated by Railway; the website is maintained by Nettl. Unless otherwise specified, Coexist acts on behalf of the University of Hull, who holds ownership of the Service and all information, data, and other materials made available through or submitted to it (the "Content").

Intellectual property rights in the Service — including copyright, trademarks, patents, and other proprietary rights — belong to the University of Hull, except where ownership of specific Service components remains with individual Coexist Team members, or where ownership of content uploaded by users ("User Content") remains with the user who submitted it.

Purpose of the Service

Coexist brings together institutions and individuals with a shared interest in the long-term collection and use of data relating to human-wildlife coexistence. This includes digital imagery, video, audio, and other recordings collected from in situ wildlife sensors; ecological observations and landscape data; and information relating to human attitudes, experiences, and interactions with wildlife, together with the associated metadata required to understand, analyse, and interpret these datasets.

The primary purpose of Coexist is to provide an open-access platform through which human-wildlife coexistence data can be collected, organised, analysed, and shared. This supports evidence-based conservation by enabling effective data management, producing indicators and visualisations, and generating insights that inform conservation decision-making from local to national levels.

By using the Service, you agree to do so in a manner consistent with the objectives and mission of Coexist.

Definitions

Any individual invited by Coexist to set up a password-protected account on the Service, including volunteer citizen scientists, researchers, and trusted local authorities. Users are responsible for notifying Coexist without undue delay of any actual or suspected unauthorised access to their account.

Any registered private, public, academic, governmental, or other entity with which a User is affiliated. Every User must be associated with at least one Organisation. Volunteer citizen scientists are associated with the University of Hull solely for the purpose of using the Service.

A defined research question or monitoring activity undertaken for a specific purpose and operating under established objectives and conditions. Sub-Projects are denoted within the dashboard under a dropdown menu list.

The placement of a data collection device, such as a trail camera or other sensor, at a specific location and during a defined period as part of a Sub-Project.

Acceptable Use and Restrictions

When using the Service, you must not:

• Upload, post, transmit, or otherwise make available any Content that is unlawful, abusive, threatening, defamatory, harassing, obscene, sexually explicit, hateful, discriminatory, or otherwise objectionable, or that infringes another person's intellectual property rights, privacy rights, confidentiality obligations, or any other legal rights
• Submit Content that conflicts with, undermines, or falls outside the purpose and mission of the Service
• Use the Service or submit Content with the intention of threatening, intimidating, or endangering others
• Modify, alter, tamper with, reverse engineer, or otherwise interfere with the software, appearance, operation, or functionality of the Service
• Interfere with another person's access to or use of the Service, or disrupt its normal operation, including by introducing viruses, malware, malicious code, or any other harmful software

Privacy Policy

Coexist will process and use User Content only in accordance with these Terms and the Coexist Project Privacy Policy, available at www.coexistproject.co.uk. The Privacy Policy forms part of these Terms and should be read alongside them. By accessing or using the Service, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to the Privacy Policy.

Categories of Content

Any digital file containing ecological, human, or wildlife-related information collected as part of a Sub-Project, including ecological observations, survey responses, images, videos, audio recordings, and other media captured using in situ monitoring equipment.

Descriptive information associated with Recorded Data or with activities undertaken through the Service, including Sub-Project Metadata, Deployment Metadata, Identification Metadata, and any additional descriptive information relating to Recorded Data.

Outputs generated from Data held within the Service, including aggregated datasets, statistical summaries, maps, charts, graphs, visualisations, reports, or other analytical products prepared or published by Coexist or a Coexist Team Member.

All Content that does not fall within the definitions of Recorded Data, Metadata, or Derived Products, including discussion forum posts, messages submitted through the Service, and account registration information.

Submission of Data to the Service

You may upload, store, and manage Your Data through the Service. Coexist will process and use Your Data only to the extent reasonably necessary for operating, maintaining, improving, and supporting the Service. Where Attribution is required, Coexist will apply recognised Creative Commons attribution principles.

By submitting Your Data, you represent and warrant that:

• Ownership and Authority: You are the owner of Your Data or have obtained all necessary rights, permissions, licences, and authorisations required to submit it. Subject to the licences granted in these Terms, ownership of Your Data remains with you.
• Compliance with Data Protection Laws: Where Your Data contains Personal Data under UK GDPR, it has been collected, processed, and shared lawfully, and all individuals whose Personal Data is included have been informed where legally required.
• Accuracy and Completeness: To the best of your knowledge, the Data you submit is accurate, complete, and has not been materially altered or selectively withheld.
• Security of Submitted Data: Your Data and the means by which it is transmitted do not contain viruses, malware, malicious code, or other harmful software.

Unless otherwise specified, publicly available Data will be licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International Licence (CC BY-NC 4.0). A copy of the licence is available at creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0.

Regardless of the public licence applied, you grant Coexist a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, transferable and sub-licensable licence to store, reproduce, manage, analyse, process, and use Your Data — including for conservation research, volunteer training, maintenance and improvement of the Service (including AI model development), scientific analysis, reporting, publication, and knowledge exchange — and to create secure backup copies for archival and disaster recovery purposes.

• Public Release of Sensitive Information: Where Coexist reasonably determines that submitted Data contains information that could create privacy, ethical, conservation, or public safety concerns, Coexist reserves the right to withhold, restrict, or otherwise limit public access to that Data.
• Images and Recordings Containing People: Photographs, videos, audio recordings, or other media that include identifiable individuals are treated as Sensitive Data and will not be published or made publicly accessible through the Service.
• Geographic Location Information: Before Recorded Data or Metadata are made publicly available, Coexist will remove, generalise, or obscure geographic coordinates where necessary to protect individuals, sensitive habitats, threatened species, or vulnerable wildlife populations.
• Private Data and Sub-Projects: You may request that specific data or a Sub-Project remain private where necessary to satisfy legal obligations, cultural sensitivities, contractual commitments, or organisational requirements. Requests must be submitted to Coexist in writing.

Where Data is being collected as part of an active Sub-Project, you may elect to place that Sub-Project under an embargo for a specified period (the "Embargo Period"). During this period, Recorded Data, Deployment Metadata, and Identification Metadata will not be made available to other Users. Sub-Project Metadata will remain visible regardless of any embargo. The maximum Embargo Period is 48 months.

Use of Data Submitted by Other Users

You may access and use Data made available by other Users only in accordance with the Creative Commons licence used by Coexist and any other conditions governing that Data. You are responsible for ensuring that your use complies with all licence terms.

Additional Provisions Relating to Content

For any Other Content that you upload or otherwise provide through the Service, you make the same representations regarding ownership, legal authority, data protection compliance, and accuracy as those applying to Your Data under Section 6. You also grant Coexist a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive licence to reproduce, store, publish, distribute, adapt, process, display, and otherwise use that Other Content where consistent with these Terms and applicable law.

Coexist is under no obligation to publish or retain any Other Content submitted by Users. Where Your Content is shared through Coexist's official social media channels, its use will also be subject to the terms, conditions, and privacy policies of the relevant social media platform.

Removal of Your Content

The Service may allow a limited period during which inadvertently submitted Content can be withdrawn. After that period, requests to remove or restrict access to Your Content may be submitted using the Contact Us page on the Coexist website or by emailing b.morton@hull.ac.uk.

Coexist reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to remove, restrict, edit, or prevent public access to any Content at any time, with or without prior notice.

Protection of the Service

To protect the integrity, security, and lawful operation of the Service, Coexist may take any action it reasonably considers necessary, including:

• Preventing or investigating misuse of the Service
• Removing, restricting, or suspending access to Content that is unlawful, harmful, abusive, misleading, or poses a risk to Coexist, its Members, Users, or third parties
• Complying with legal or regulatory obligations
• Enforcing these Terms of Use

Third-Party Service Providers

Coexist may engage trusted third-party service providers to deliver, host, maintain, or support aspects of the Service. Where this occurs, such providers will only be given access to Your Data to the extent reasonably necessary to perform the services for which they have been engaged. Any access or processing will remain subject to these Terms, the Privacy Policy, and all applicable data protection legislation.

Disclaimers and Limitations

The Service is provided by Coexist on an "as is" and "as available" basis. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, Coexist makes no representations, warranties, or guarantees of any kind, whether express, implied, statutory, or otherwise, including any implied warranties relating to ownership, non-infringement, satisfactory quality, merchantability, or suitability for a particular purpose.

Although reasonable mitigations are in place, Coexist cannot fully guarantee that the Service will meet your individual requirements; access will always be uninterrupted or error-free; Content will always be accurate or complete; or that the Service will be free from viruses or other harmful components.

Limitation of Liability

Participation in activities associated with the Service, including volunteering activities, is covered by the University of Hull's public liability insurance arrangements. Any equipment supplied by Coexist to volunteers remains the responsibility of Coexist where such equipment is damaged, lost, or stolen.

Except where liability cannot legally be excluded or limited, Coexist, the Coexist Team Members, and their respective employees, contractors, representatives, and agents will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, exemplary, punitive, or consequential loss or damage, including losses arising from:

• Loss of access to or inability to use the Service
• Loss, corruption, alteration, or unauthorised access to Content or Data
• Statements, actions, or omissions of Users or third parties
• Failure to store, preserve, or maintain Content or Data
• Suspension, interruption, delay, or termination of the Service
• Any claim based on contract, warranty, negligence, statutory duty, tort, or any other legal theory

Nothing in this section limits or excludes liability where such limitation or exclusion is prohibited by applicable law.

Compliance with Applicable Laws

You are responsible for ensuring that your use of the Service and submission of Content complies with all applicable laws, regulations, and legal requirements, including any applicable export control, import control, sanctions, or related regulatory obligations.

Termination

Coexist may, at its discretion and without liability, suspend, restrict, modify, discontinue, or permanently terminate the Service, your account, or your access to any part of the Service or Content at any time, with or without prior notice and with or without cause.

You may close your account or stop using the Service at any time by following the account termination procedures made available through the Service.

If you wish to retain copies of Your Data, you should download and save those copies before terminating your account. Following termination, Your Data may remain stored on the Service unless removed by Coexist in accordance with these Terms. Where Your Data was publicly available before termination, it may continue to be accessed by Coexist and other Users under the applicable licence terms.

If Coexist permanently discontinues the Service, Coexist will provide you with at least 90 days' direct notice where reasonably practicable. Any perpetual licences granted by you before termination will continue after termination.

Other Terms

These Terms, the Service, the Privacy Policy, and any dispute arising from or connected with them shall be governed by the laws of the United Kingdom, excluding rules relating to conflicts of laws.

Coexist may revise, update, or amend these Terms from time to time. Where significant amendments are made, Coexist may provide notice through the Service or by email. Your continued use of the Service after changes have been communicated will constitute acceptance of the updated Terms.

Any income generated by Coexist will be used to operate, maintain, and develop the Service. Coexist will not charge Users for access to the Service unless the User has expressly agreed to such charges through the Service registration process, communications made through the Service, or a separate written agreement.

The Service is intended only for individuals aged 18 years or older. By accessing or using the Service, you confirm that you are at least 18 years old.

The Service may contain links to, or integrations with, websites, platforms, or services operated by third parties. These links and integrations are provided for convenience only and do not constitute endorsement, approval, or responsibility by Coexist.

All rights not expressly granted to Users under these Terms remain reserved by Coexist.

You agree that Coexist and other Users may send notices and communications through the Service or to the email address associated with your account. Any communication from you to Coexist must be submitted in English through the Contact Us facility on the Coexist website or by the contact email address provided by Coexist.