Terms of Use

Last updated: 2 October 2026

In short: look, learn and enjoy the sky. If you have an account, keep it to yourself and treat the camera with care. You may use the pictures for personal, educational and non-commercial scientific purposes if you credit Ice Halo Tracker. Everything comes free and without guarantees.

1. About this site

Ice Halo Tracker (icehalotracker.com) is an independent, non-commercial research project run by Runnan Lin. It operates an all-sky camera on the roof of the Earth Sciences Building at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, with the permission of its hosts. It is not an official UBC service, and UBC is not responsible for it. By using the site you agree to these terms; if you do not agree, please do not use it.

2. The public pages

Anyone may look at the public pages. The pictures, the halo outlook and the weather information are shown as they are: they may be late, wrong or missing, and the outlook is a rule of thumb, not a promise. Do not rely on the site for safety, aviation or any other critical purpose.

3. Accounts

• Accounts are for one person each. The owner approves new accounts or invites people, and may decline, suspend or close any account at any time, for example when these terms are broken.
• Give true information, keep your password to yourself, and tell the owner if you think someone else has used your account. You are responsible for what is done with it.
• You must be at least 16 years old to have an account.
• Members can watch the camera, download its pictures, post messages and send halo alerts. Operators can also run the camera and review the days. The owner gives and withdraws these roles.

4. Running the camera (operators)

The camera, its motors and its computer are real, delicate equipment on a building roof, connected to the host's network. Operators use the controls only for the project and as the owner asks; they do not try to damage, overload or misuse the equipment, the network or this site, and they do not share their access. Every action is recorded with the operator's name (see the Privacy Policy). The owner may undo any action and withdraw operator access at any time.

5. What is not allowed

• Getting around the sign-in, the access rules or the limits of the site; probing it for weaknesses; using someone else's account.
• Overloading the site or the camera, for example with automated downloads, or interfering with how they work.
• Posting anything unlawful, abusive, harassing, hateful or sexually explicit, spam or advertising, or anyone's personal information without their consent; pretending to be someone else.

6. What you post

Messages, halo alerts, halo marks, reviews and notes you post stay yours. You give the project a free, worldwide, non-exclusive and lasting permission to keep, show, copy and use them for the project, including in its scientific records and publications (halo marks and reviews become part of the instrument's data). The owner may remove anything posted.

7. Pictures, videos and data

The pictures, timelapses and data of the camera belong to the Ice Halo Tracker project. Unless a page says otherwise, you may use them for personal, educational and non-commercial scientific purposes if you credit “Ice Halo Tracker (icehalotracker.com)”. For any other use, including commercial use, please ask first. Videos on YouTube are also subject to YouTube's terms.

The camera looks at the sky. It is not meant to record people, but aircraft, birds and the edges of nearby buildings can appear. If you believe a picture shows you or your property in a way you object to, write to us and we will remove it.

8. How long data is kept

The original pictures are kept for a limited time: about a week, and longer around halos that operators have marked. Timelapses are kept longer. The project may delete data, and change or stop the site, at any time. There is no promise that any data stays available.

9. No warranty, limited liability

The site and everything on it are provided free of charge, “as is” and “as available”, without any warranty. As far as the law allows, the project and its owner are not liable for any loss or damage arising from using the site or its data, or from not being able to.

10. Other services

The site relies on a few outside services and links to others, such as YouTube (see the Privacy Policy). Their own terms apply to them.

11. Changes

These terms may change. The date at the top shows the version in force, and important changes are announced on the site. Using the site after a change means you accept the new terms.

12. Law

These terms are governed by the laws of British Columbia and the federal laws of Canada that apply there.

13. Contact

Questions, requests or complaints: china.skywonders@gmail.com.