GIS Explore stations and their science

INTERACT GIS declaration regarding the processing of personal data

Brief version

Purpose of the processing of personal data

At the overall level, INTERACT GIS collects, stores, and disseminates information, including personal data, in order to promote and disseminate knowledge regarding the circumpolar research and environmental monitoring that is conducted at Northern field stations. Personal data is not disseminated publicly in any way other than via publications referred to by accessible information, while logged-in users can view personal data also in other ways.

On a more specific level, INTERACT GIS collects, stores and disseminates personal data in order to:

  • Preserve the knowledge of the activities that have taken place at Northern field stations.
  • Enable historical research concerning the activities that have taken place at Northern field stations.
  • Provide information regarding the activities that have taken place at Northern field stations.
  • Provide georeferenced publication databases.
  • Enable searches of the data produced in the activities performed at Northern field stations.
  • Enable contact between those who have engaged in activities at Northern field stations.
  • Administrate and plan activities at Northern field stations.
  • Create a basis for operational analyses and reports at Northern field stations.
Activities at a Northern field station normally includes research, environmental monitoring, teaching and/or conference activities.

Legal basis for the processing of personal data

INTERACT GIS web applications are provided free of cost to the public, but at cost price for the field stations using it for active administration. In order to access functionalities for the administration of field stations, the public user must apply for a user account that is subject to a Data Processing Agreement (DPA) established between SLU and each of the active user stations, where SLU processes personal data in the way required to fulfil the DPA.

Through the DPA, the controller Field Station agrees to process the personal data as required to comply with the requirements imposed by the respective authorities’ handling and archiving of public documents. The term “respective authorities’” refers to the authorities of the nation where the Field Station is located, where nations with the EU essentially share these requirements. Within the EU, handling and archiving of public documents is considered to be a task in the public interest. Therefore, the information management carried out via INTERACT GIS is considered to be in the public interest, which has a decisive impact on how the processing of personal data has been implemented in INTERACT GIS.

According to direct requirements of the EU, the relationship between any station that uses INTERACT GIS and SLU must be regulated in a written Data Processing Agreement wherein SLU’s responsibilities are clarified. Please find the INTERACT GIS Data Processing Agreement here. And please find its appendix called the INTERACT GIS declaration regarding the processing of personal data here. The above information is a brief version of the latter document.