Privacy policy
Last updated 9 October 2026
This policy explains what information the ADDC SAR App ("the app") collects, why, where it is stored and who can see it. The app is available for iOS, Android and the web. It is built for the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge (ADDC) Search and Rescue team and is only for use by team members.
The app is developed and operated by Edd Davis ("we", "us"), who is responsible for the information described here. You can contact us at eddcjdavis@gmail.com.
1. Summary
- The app has no user accounts. It doesn't ask for your email address, phone number or any other contact details.
- Location is used to show you on the map, and to record a helicopter's route while a flight is logged from your phone. Location is only recorded in the background during a flight you logged.
- The information team members enter, such as deployments, checkpoints, team profiles and patient handover reports, is stored on our server so the rest of the team can see it.
- The app has no advertising and no analytics or tracking SDKs, and we don't sell or rent any information.
2. Information the app collects
| Information | When | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Device location (GPS) | When you open a map or log a take-off or landing, and in the background during a flight you logged | To show your position and bearings, to record take-off and landing points, and to record flight routes. See Location. |
| Flight records | When you log a take-off or landing | Callsign, day, take-off and landing times and positions, and the recorded route with altitude, speed and GPS accuracy |
| Team profiles (Meet The Team) | When an admin or team member adds or edits a profile | Name, role, a photo, a short "about me" and a 4-digit login PIN, so the team can recognise each other and members can log in |
| Photos | Only when you choose to take or pick a photo for a team profile | The app uses the camera or photo library only at that moment, and uploads only the photo you choose, resized and compressed |
| Operational records | When team members enter them | Names of staff, pilots and SAR crew, roles, deployments, checkpoints, ambulance positions, rally routes and playbook notes |
| Patient (ATMIST) reports | When a team member records a patient handover | See Patient reports |
| Push notification token | When the iOS or Android app starts and you allow notifications | To send take-off and landing alerts to the team |
| Server request logs | Every time the app talks to the server | Technical details such as the time and the endpoint called, used to keep the service running and fix faults |
Stored only on your device
The app keeps a few settings on your phone or browser. These are which rally route to show on maps, details of a flight being recorded, any route points waiting to be sent when you are out of signal, and counters that decide when to ask for an app store review. They stay on your device and are removed if you uninstall the app or clear its data.
The phone app also saves a copy of each Meet The Team photo it downloads, so it doesn't have to download it again. A saved photo is replaced when the member changes it, and deleted when they're removed from the team. The web version keeps photos only until the page is closed. These copies are removed if you uninstall the app or clear its data.
3. Location
While you're using the app, your location is used to show your position on maps and to work out the distance and bearing to checkpoints. This is done on your device and isn't sent to us.
When you log a take-off or landing, your phone's position at that moment is saved as the take-off or landing point for that helicopter.
During a flight logged from your phone, the app records the phone's position about every 10 seconds until the landing is logged, including while the app is in the background or the phone is locked. This is used to show the route flown, the distance covered and each helicopter's live position to the team. On Android you'll see an ongoing notification while this happens. On iOS the system shows its location indicator. Recording stops as soon as the landing is logged on any phone, or if the flight is deleted.
Flight routes are linked to a helicopter callsign and flight, not to your name. The app doesn't track your location at any other time.
You can refuse or withdraw location permission at any time in your device settings. Maps will still work without your position, but take-offs, landings and flight routes can't be logged.
4. Patient (ATMIST) reports
Team members use ATMIST reports to hand over a patient to medical teams. A report can include a patient reference (such as a bib number or name), age and sex, time of incident, mechanism of injury, injuries, signs, treatment given, estimated arrival time and any requirements. This is health information about people who may not use the app themselves, such as rally competitors.
This information is entered only to support the emergency care of that person. Only logged-in team members can see it. We don't use it for any other purpose. Team members should enter only what is needed for the handover.
5. Third-party services
The app relies on these services. Each processes data under its own privacy terms.
| Service | Used for | Data involved |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Azure | Hosting the app's server, database and web version | All of the information team members enter, flight records and server request logs |
| Google Firebase Cloud Messaging | Take-off and landing notifications on iOS and Android | A device notification token. Firebase Analytics isn't used. |
| Google Maps | Showing maps | Map requests for the area being viewed, and the usual technical details your device sends when loading maps |
| Apple App Store and Google Play | Installing the app and the optional rating prompt | Handled by Apple or Google. We don't receive your review or account details. |
Links to Google's and Microsoft's privacy policies: Google, Microsoft.
6. Who can see the information
Information entered in the app is shared with other logged-in members of the ADDC SAR team, because coordinating the team is the purpose of the app. Some parts are limited to admins, such as managing staff lists and setting member PINs. Patient reports may be passed on to the medical services receiving the patient as part of the handover.
We don't sell, rent or trade any information, or share it with advertisers. We'll only disclose information beyond this if the law requires it.
7. How long information is kept
Information is kept until an admin deletes it, or until you ask us to remove it. Information stored only on your device is removed when you uninstall the app or clear its data.
8. Security
Data travels between the app and our server over encrypted HTTPS connections, and is stored with Microsoft Azure. Access to the app is limited to team members by passcode. No system is completely secure, so please don't enter more personal information than you need to.
9. Your choices and rights
- You can turn off location, camera, photo and notification permissions in your device settings at any time.
- You can ask us what information we hold about you, and ask us to correct or delete it. This includes your Meet The Team profile and any patient report about you.
- Depending on where you live, data protection law such as the UAE Personal Data Protection Law or the UK and EU GDPR may give you further rights. These can include the right to object to processing, to restrict it, or to complain to a data protection authority.
To make a request, email eddcjdavis@gmail.com. We'll respond within one month.
10. Children
The app is for adult members of the ADDC SAR team and isn't directed at children. We don't knowingly collect information from children, except where a child is a patient recorded in an ATMIST report.
11. Changes to this policy
If the app starts collecting or using information differently, we'll update this page and change the date at the top.
12. Contact
Edd Davis
eddcjdavis@gmail.com