Privacy and data

SalentoMares is an information service about sea conditions in Salento. This page explains plainly what data we collect and what we do not.

Personal data

We ask for no registration, we use no profiling cookies, and we collect no names or email addresses. The technical providers that keep the site running (Vercel hosting, our server) process IP addresses only in security logs, for a few days and with no profiling. If you email us, we keep your message only for as long as needed to reply.

Controller and legal basis

The data controller is the operator of SalentoMares, reachable at info@salentomares.it. The technical data described above is processed on the basis of legitimate interest in keeping the service secure and running (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR); water reports are processed on the basis of your voluntary initiative (Art. 6(1)(a)). Retention: technical logs for a few days, water reports for 24 hours (after which only an anonymous daily count remains), email messages for the time needed to reply. No data protection officer is appointed: not required for a service of this scale.

Reports from the water

If you wish, from a beach page you can tell us what the water is like right now (clear, algae or jellyfish). To do this, the browser shows us your position once, only to verify that you are actually on that beach: the coordinates are not linked to you nor stored in an identifiable form. We only store the reported state and two irreversible electronic codes (hashes) that let us count devices without knowing who they belong to. Every report is automatically deleted within 24 hours. Aggregate, anonymous statistics (how many reports per beach, with no reference to devices) may be kept beyond 24 hours to improve the service.

Quick survey and visit timing

Visitors who return to the site at least once may be shown a short survey, always optional and dismissible with one tap: three multiple-choice questions, with free-text fields that are always optional. We also record anonymous visit timing (when a session starts, which pages it goes through and how long it lasts) via a random code generated in your browser: no cookies, no IP address stored, no way to trace it back to you. Answers and timings are used exclusively to improve the service; visit data is automatically deleted after 90 days. We also anonymously record if the survey is dismissed (when it happened and from how many devices), because it helps us understand whether the tool is welcome or should be rethought.

Visit statistics

We use Vercel Analytics and Vercel Speed Insights to count visits in aggregate, anonymous form (page views, country, device type, loading speed). No cookies are set and no individual can be identified.

Sea data sources

Wave heights come from the European Copernicus Marine service (Mediterranean Waves model). Wind is the average of three weather models, replaced by real measurements where a recent coastal station exists. Historical climatology comes from the ERA5 reanalysis. The calm-sea index is our own calculation combining these data with the orientation and exposure of each individual beach.

Limits of the service

The values shown are model-based estimates and may differ from reality, especially with local breezes and inshore sea states. Do not use this site for decisions concerning safety at sea: always refer to the Coast Guard notices and the beach lifeguard service.

Your rights

You can request access, rectification or deletion of your data at any time by writing to info@salentomares.it. Water reports are anonymous by design: we cannot link them back to a person, so we cannot delete an individual one — but they disappear on their own within 24 hours. You may also lodge a complaint with your data protection authority.

Contact

For reports, corrections or requests about your data, write to info@salentomares.it