# $Id: harmonics_boilerplate.txt,v 3.2 2004/08/09 23:45:54 rmk Exp $
# Definitions and constants for xtide
#
# NOTE:  This file cannot be used as-is with harmgen because it
# contains multiple constituents with the same frequency.  You must
# reduce the constituent set before running harmgen.
#
# #
# # ********* NOT FOR NAVIGATION ********
# # 
# # *** DO NOT RELY ON THIS DATA FILE FOR DECISIONS THAT CAN RESULT IN ***
# # ***                   HARM TO ANYONE OR ANYTHING.                  ***
# # 
# # This data file is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
# # but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
# # MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
# # 
# # Agencies like NOAA exist because there is a need for certifiably
# # correct tide predictions.  Please don't rely on this data if you need
# # guaranteed results.  There is NO WAY I can get certified data on a
# # zero budget.  I rely on users like you to tell me when something is
# # wrong.  Please continue to do so.
# # 
# # WHOSOEVER CHOOSES TO REDISTRIBUTE THIS DATA ASSUMES ALL LIABILITY
# # ASSOCIATED THEREWITH.  NEITHER FLATERCO, INC., NOR DAVID FLATER NOR
# # ROBERT KENNEY SHALL BE LIABLE PERSONALLY OR OTHERWISE FOR ANY
# # LOSSES THAT THE REDISTRIBUTOR MIGHT SUFFER AS A CONSEQUENCE OF ANY
# # CLAIMS THAT ARE MADE TO THIS DATA.
# #
# # Permissions on data
# # -------------------
# #
# # UK:  Received 2003-11-15 DWF.  See also http://www.flaterco.com/pol.html.
# #
# #                                         Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory
# #                                         Natural Environment Research Council
# #
# #                                         Bidston Observatory
# #                                         Bidston Hill
# #                                         Prenton
# #                                         Merseyside
# #                                         CH43 7RA
# #                                         United Kingdom
# # David Flater
# # 13320 Country Ridge Drive               Tel +44 (0) 151 653 8633
# # Germantown, MD  20874                   Fax +44 (0) 151 653 6269
# # United States of America                www.pol.ac.uk
# #
# #
# #                                         07 November 2003
# #
# # Dear David,
# #
# # This letter is to confirm that we are happy for you to download the
# # sea level data from the British Oceanographic Data Centre website and
# # use this in the generation of harmonic constants using the HarmGen
# # software.  However there are a couple of things that we would politely
# # ask that you do.
# #
# # 1.  Limit the number of harmonic constants you use in the software to
# # a maximum of 40 for any port.  This should easily be enough to create
# # very accurate tidal predictions as for nearly all locations, any
# # harmonics left out (i.e. the 41st most significant constants onwards)
# # will have amplitudes of the order of a centimetre.
# #
# # 2.  State that the data is derived from sea level data obtained from
# # the British Oceanographic Data Centre based at the Proudman
# # Oceanographic Laboratory, Liverpool.
# #
# # 3.  Make it clear that the predictions however are not the same as
# # those computed by the Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory which uses its
# # own sets of harmonic constants.
# #
# # 4.  Continue to make your software using the data freely available.
# # Please inform us if you intend to produce a software product that you
# # will be making a charge for.
# #
# # I hope these conditions are acceptable to you and it will be good to
# # see the UK back on the map.
# #
# # Yours sincerely,
# # Colin Bell
# # Head of Applications Group
# #
# Permissions on data
# -------------------
#
# Data published by the U.S. government is by law non-proprietary.
#
# After a complaint from the U.K. Hydrographic Office and the
# subsequent discovery that country-by-country permissions are now
# required to use harmonic constants from outside the U.S., the
# distributions of data that spanned many countries (all of the data
# originating with the International Hydrographic Office or the Table
# des Marées des Grands Ports du Monde) were removed.  I no longer
# accept data without a statement from the authority either granting
# permission for non-commercial use with XTide or explaining that such
# permission is not required.  The old data may be reinstated
# piecemeal if the relevant permissions are documented.
#
# The following regional collections of data are still included.  It is
# my understanding that any necessary permissions to distribute them for
# non-commercial use with XTide were received by the contributors of
# that data.  However, if some authority raises an objection, I will
# immediately delete any affected data without argument.
#
# Note:  Ed Wallner is the author of the TIDES4 shareware for MS-DOS.
#
# Australia and environs:  most Australian data came from the Royal
# Australian Navy Hydrographic Service in 1994, before the
# privatization of the Australian tide authority.  It was provided to
# Ed Wallner via A. F. Marston with a disclaimer but no explicit
# restrictions.  Tasmania, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and a
# few Antarctica places were included.  One data set for Sydney was
# derived from raw observations that were sent by David Gorham of the
# New South Wales government.
#
# Canada:  all Canadian constants date to before the privatization of
# the Canadian tide authority.  Before privatization, it was widely
# shared and arrived to me through at least two different channels.
# Near the time of privatization (1997), a newer distribution was
# forwarded to Ed Wallner by an employee of the tide service but with
# uncertain permissions on distribution.  That newer data is not
# included here.  In 2000-04 an attempt was made to contact the
# employee by email and by physical mail to clarify the status of the
# new data.  Both went unanswered.
#
# Faroe Islands:  Thormann Kruse pieced together a distribution of data
# for the Faroe Islands from published sources and local experts, none
# of which trace to the IHO or the TMGPM.  Attempts to follow up and
# establish explicit permissions bounced on 2001-02-16 and again on
# 2001-02-21.
#
# Greenland:  was included in the Canadian data, so presumably there is
# no separate issue.
#
# Iceland:  Bjarni Valsson forwarded data from Sjómælingar Íslands
# (a.k.a. the Icelandic Hydrographic Service).  No restrictions were
# mentioned.  An attempt to follow up and establish explicit
# permissions was sent 2001-02-16; no response.  One of the data sets
# for Reykjavik came via Wallner from Olafur Gudmundsson; the other is
# via Wallner from an unknown source.
#
# Japan:  Toru Suzuki obtained approval from the Maritime Safety Agency
# to use Pub. 742 data with XTide, even though such approval is only
# stipulated for commercial applications.
#
# Mexico:  the remaining data for Mexico came mostly from the Anales
# del Instituto de Geofísica, which showed no restrictions on its use.
# Some actually came from NOAA, while some came originally from
# unknown or unrecognized sources.
#
# Miscellaneous islands are included in the distributions from NOAA.
#
# Netherlands:  the Netherlands data was contributed directly by Koos
# Doekes of the Rijkswaterstaat RIKZ/ITB, who grants permission by his
# own authority:
#
#         Herewith I grant permission for non-commercial use
#         of all harmonic constants for the Netherlands by
#         users of Xtide or Xtide-based products.
#
#         This covers the use of the constants for Dutch
#         ports in the Xtide-database by designers
#         of web applications, and the use in commercial
#         tidal prediction software in which the constants 
#         themselves are not stored - i.e. the user has
#         to copy them from the Xtide-database himself.
#
#         It does NOT cover the use in commercial software
#         in which the constants are incorporated, which is
#         considered commercial use of the constants here.
#         Any request for permission of use of Dutch constants
#         in software of this kind should be redirected to
#         RIKZ.
#
# New Zealand:  all New Zealand data was contributed to Ed Wallner in
# 1994 by the Royal New Zealand Navy Hydrographic Office.  It was
# provided with a disclaimer but no explicit restrictions.