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Terms of Use

Effective Date: January 1, 2026  |  Last Updated: April 7, 2026

Agreement to Terms

By accessing or using SparkMap ("the Platform"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Use. If you do not agree, please do not use SparkMap.

SparkMap is operated as a public-interest project to make geospatial opportunity data accessible for advocacy and research.

Use of the Platform

You may use SparkMap for lawful purposes, including:

  • Personal research and education.
  • Advocacy, policy analysis, and community organizing.
  • Academic and journalistic work.
  • Non-commercial organizational use.

You may not use SparkMap to:

  • Harass, surveil, or target individuals.
  • Misrepresent data or present it in a deliberately misleading way.
  • Scrape or bulk-download data in ways that interfere with platform operation.
  • Attempt to reverse-engineer, disrupt, or exploit the Platform.

Data Attribution

SparkMap aggregates publicly available datasets. When using SparkMap data in published work, you should cite the underlying sources:

  • Opportunity Atlas (Chetty et al., Harvard / U.S. Census Bureau)
  • Child Opportunity Index 3.0 (diversitydatakids.org)
  • U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line and ACS data
  • OpenStreetMap contributors

We also appreciate a mention of SparkMap as the visualization tool used.

Intellectual Property

The SparkMap interface, design, code, and branding are the property of SparkMap contributors. The underlying geospatial datasets belong to their respective public-domain or openly licensed sources.

You may not reproduce SparkMap's branding or interface in ways that suggest official endorsement without permission.

Accuracy of Data

SparkMap presents publicly available data as-is. While we make reasonable efforts to ensure accuracy, we cannot guarantee that the data is complete, current, or free of errors. Data reflects the underlying datasets and their methodologies.

SparkMap data should not be used as the sole basis for consequential decisions without independent verification from primary sources.

Disclaimer of Warranties

SparkMap is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement. We do not warrant that the Platform will be uninterrupted or error-free.

Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, SparkMap and its contributors shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of or inability to use the Platform.

Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms of Use at any time. We will update the "Last Updated" date at the top. Your continued use of SparkMap after changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms.

Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Maryland, without regard to conflict of law principles.

Contact

Questions about these Terms? Contact us at contact@sparkmap.org.