Do You Need a License to Use earth.nullschool.net Visualizations or Data?

Updated

You may need a license, but the site does not publish a general permission or a standard license. Nullschool Technologies Inc. states that licensing questions should go to [email protected], and its business description includes licensing of software and data visualizations. So if you plan to reuse the maps or data in a published, commercial, or institutional context, treat permission as something to confirm directly rather than assume.

What the site itself says

The company introduction on nullschool.net describes the project as a way to help people understand Earth science through visualization of weather and climate data. It notes that earth.nullschool.net has operated since late 2013 and provides real-time global wind, weather, ocean, and pollution conditions on an interactive animated map.

Two details matter for reuse:

  • The page explicitly directs licensing or other questions to [email protected].
  • The company's stated business activities include "software and data visualization licensing" (ソフトウェア及びデータビジュアライゼーションのライセンス提供).

Neither statement grants a blanket right to reuse. They indicate that licensing is handled case by case through the company.

When you should ask before using

The site's own gallery shows the map appearing in textbooks, scientific journals, museum exhibits, documentaries, magazines, and newscasts. That is evidence the visuals are used in professional and educational publishing, not evidence that such use is free.

Ask Nullschool first if you intend to:

  • Republish a screenshot or animation in a book, textbook, journal article, or course material
  • Use the visuals in a museum exhibit, documentary, or broadcast
  • Build a product, app, or dataset that incorporates the map or its data
  • Use the material commercially, including advertising or client work

For a private, informal look at current conditions, no permission step is described on the site. The distinction is between viewing the map and redistributing it.

What to include in your inquiry

Because the site gives only an email address, your message should let the company answer without a back-and-forth. A useful request covers:

Item What to state
Intended use Publication, exhibit, broadcast, product, teaching
Media and reach Print run, audience size, territory, duration
Content Screenshot, animation, embedded map, or underlying data
Attribution How you plan to credit earth.nullschool.net
Timeline When you need an answer and when it will publish

Send this to [email protected]. The company lists this address for licensing and other questions, so it is the documented contact route.

Practical cautions

  • Do not treat "featured in textbooks" as a license. The gallery lists where the project has been covered or exhibited; it does not describe the terms of those uses.
  • Do not assume the data is public domain. The site describes real-time wind, weather, ocean, and pollution layers but does not state the source terms or a reuse policy on the page provided.
  • Check attribution expectations in the reply. The company may specify credit wording; follow whatever it provides rather than inventing your own.
  • Keep the reply on file. For institutional publishing, a written confirmation is more useful than a verbal one.

Bottom line

For personal viewing, the site offers an interactive map with no permission step described. For any republication, commercial use, or institutional display, contact [email protected] and describe your intended use; the company's own business listing includes visualization licensing, which is the clearest signal that terms are set individually.