Foundation Atlas is an independent planning aid, not an official UK Foundation Programme service. This notice was updated 19 October 2026.
Who is responsible
Neil Sardesai operates this site as an individual. For privacy questions or requests to access, correct or delete your data, email nas60@cam.ac.uk. No company registration details apply.
What the site handles and why
| Information | Purpose and lawful basis | How long |
|---|---|---|
| Ranking and map choices during this visit | Let you use the planning tool. New choices remain in page memory unless you sign in to save supported settings or enable saved job rankings on this browser. | Until you leave or reload the page, unless you explicitly save them. |
| Optional saved job rankings | Remember the last two named job rankings only after you allow this browser to store them. Preferences, hospital type overrides and manual order remain on this site in this browser; they are not uploaded or synced to your Google account. | Until you delete them, turn off saved job ranking storage or clear this site's browser data. Saving a third named ranking replaces the oldest. Postcodes and search coordinates are excluded. |
| Google email address and Firebase user ID; synced ranking/map settings | Provide required Google sign-in, approved-account access and cross-device sync (UK GDPR Article 6(1)(b), performance of the service you choose). We do not use these details for marketing. | Until you delete your Foundation Atlas account or request deletion, subject to any provider backups or operational records. |
| Location/postcode searches and chosen travel destination | Find a place and calculate routes when you ask (Article 6(1)(b)). Searches are not saved to your account. The site may reuse short-lived route results for other visitors without keeping their typed search terms in a shared cache key. | New searches are held in page memory only. Shared road-route results can be cached for up to seven days and rail-route results for up to six hours at a hosting edge location. Providers may keep operational logs under their own policies. |
| IP address, browser/network request information | Delivered to the hosting service and necessary third-party services to serve the map, authentication and requested lookups; security and service operation (Article 6(1)(f), legitimate interests in running and protecting the service). | According to the relevant provider's operational-log policies; the site has no separate visitor-analytics database. |
An approved Google account is required to use the site, including the map. There are no marketing sign-up forms or service-email mailing lists.
Job ranking preferences
Job-ranking preferences, extra priorities, comparison answers and travel destinations are processed in your browser. No ranking text is sent to an AI service. Travel destinations are sent only to the location and routing services listed below when you ask for travel estimates. Destinations and comparison answers are not saved to your account or to named rankings.
Services receiving information
- OpenAI Sites hosting delivers the site and handles location and travel requests, including a short-lived shared route cache.
- Google Firebase Authentication and Cloud Firestore handle required sign-in, approved-account access and synced settings.
- OpenStreetMap tile servers receive map-tile requests, including network information such as your IP address, when the map loads.
- Postcodes.io and Photon/Komoot receive the location search text needed to resolve a place. Do not enter sensitive information into a search field.
- OSRM public routing service receives route coordinates when you request custom driving comparisons. National Rail receives station codes and journey details for rail comparisons via the site's service.
Some service providers may process information outside the UK. Their locations, contracts and any required international-transfer safeguards need periodic review. Contact the controller for current details.
Restricted site access
Google sign-in is required to use the site. Neil manages approved email addresses in Firebase Cloud Firestore. Your verified email and short-lived Firebase token are used to check access on protected requests. Approval records remain until Neil removes them. Removing approval prevents further protected requests; an open page checks again within one minute. A necessary secure session cookie is described in the storage notice.
The first time you sign in you are asked whether to save your choices to your account. If you agree, Firebase Cloud Firestore keeps your school order, school-wizard answers and job rankings (boxes, sliders, programme-type choices, comparison answers and manual order) with the date you agreed, so they are there next time. Travel places, postcodes and coordinates are never saved. If you choose "Continue without saving", nothing is written to your account during that visit. We do not ask for or use your name.
Your choices and rights
When signed in, use the top-right Account menu to download or delete your Foundation Atlas account data. Deletion removes the app's saved settings and Firebase sign-in account, not your Google account. Older versions of this site may have stored your ranking or travel cache locally with your consent; this version stops writing those optional browser records and removes them after a successful account sync. You can also clear this site's browser data in your browser settings.
Saved job rankings are separate from your Google account. In Rank jobs, open Saved job rankings to delete a selected ranking or turn storage off to delete all saved job rankings from this browser. Account deletion or sign-out does not delete these separate browser records.
You may request access, correction, erasure, restriction, portability or object to processing by emailing nas60@cam.ac.uk. Rights are subject to legal conditions; requests are normally answered within one month. You may complain to the Information Commissioner's Office.
The chance model is a planning estimate. It does not make an official allocation decision or produce a decision with legal or similarly significant effects.
Changes to this notice
Material changes to how data is used will be reflected here. If optional storage or tracking is introduced, the site will seek a choice before enabling it where required.