Conservation & cave data privacy

CaveFinder does not store, distribute, or provide private cave data. Our terrain analysis uses publicly available LiDAR elevation data: no private cave databases are stored on or accessible through the platform.

What happens when you run an analysis: Your search area and results are processed for your account only. We keep your analysis results in your account so you can return to them, and delete them if you delete your account. We do not share them with other users, sell them to third parties, or use your searches to train or improve our proprietary detection methods. Your discoveries are yours alone.

When you export coordinates (CSV, KML, GPX), those files are generated on-the-fly and delivered directly to you. We do not keep copies. Your saved areas and bookmarks are tied to your account and are never visible to other users.

If you're new to caving, you might wonder why cavers are so protective of cave coordinates. It's not gatekeeping: it's hard-won experience with what happens when cave locations become public without context.

• Damage. Cave formations take thousands of years to grow and break in a second. Caves that turn up on public maps collect graffiti, litter and broken formations.
• Wildlife. Many caves shelter bats. Waking them in winter burns fat they need to survive, and visitors can carry white-nose syndrome, the fungus that has killed millions of North American bats, from one cave to the next.
• Access. Most caves sit on private land. When strangers turn up uninvited, landowners close caves that cavers have had permission to visit for decades.
• Safety. A dot on a map says nothing about vertical drops, flooding or bad air. Unprepared visitors get hurt, and rescues put volunteers at risk.
• History. Caves hold archaeological and fossil sites that are protected by law and easily looted.

That is why CaveFinder never shows or shares private survey data, and why the Known Caves (public data) layer uses only records that are already published.

Where the Known Caves (public data) layer comes from

The layer combines these public sources:

• OpenStreetMap © OpenStreetMap contributors, licensed under the Open Database License (ODbL).
• GrottoCenter © GrottoCenter contributors. Records are credited to the project.
• Andalusia cave inventory (Spain): Junta de Andalucia (CC BY 4.0)
• Asturias cave inventory (Spain): Gobierno del Principado de Asturias (CC BY 4.0)
• Atlas du Karst Wallon (Belgium): Atlas du Karst Wallon, CWEPSS / Service public de Wallonie (CC BY 4.0)
• California Caves, 1996 (California Department of Fish and Wildlife): approximate position, typically off by about 50 to 100 m (our comparison with other cave records): California Department of Fish and Wildlife, BIOS, California Caves [ds198], from USGS GNIS (CC BY 4.0)
• CANIE, Brazilian national speleological register: CANIE / CECAV, Instituto Chico Mendes (ICMBio), Brazil. Citation required by the register's terms.
• Czech state cave records (CUZK): Cesky urad zememericky a katastralni (CUZK) (CC BY 4.0)
• DarkCideS 1.0 cave dataset (published literature): DarkCideS 1.0 (Tanalgo et al. 2022), CC BY 4.0
• Friuli Venezia Giulia cave cadastre (Italy): Regione Autonoma Friuli Venezia Giulia, catasto regionale delle grotte (IODL 2.0)
• Friuli Venezia Giulia cave cadastre (Italy), 2026 additions: Regione Autonoma Friuli Venezia Giulia, Catasto Speleologico Regionale (IODL 2.0)
• Geological Survey Ireland karst database: Geological Survey Ireland (CC BY 4.0)
• GeoNames gazetteer: caves: GeoNames (geonames.org), CC BY 4.0
• Geoscience Australia topographic features: caves: Geoscience Australia, CC BY 4.0
• Navarre cave inventory (Spain): Gobierno de Navarra / Nafarroako Gobernua (CC BY 4.0)
• Puglia regional cave register (Italy): Regione Puglia, catasto delle grotte (CC BY 4.0)
• Slovak state cave records (ZBGIS): Urad geodezie, kartografie a katastra Slovenskej republiky (ZBGIS) (CC BY 4.0)
• Valencia cave inventory (Spain): Generalitat Valenciana (CC BY 4.0)
• Veneto regional cave register (Italy): Regione del Veneto, catasto delle grotte (IODL 2.0)

The combined “Known Caves” database is itself a Derivative Database under the ODbL and is offered under the same terms. No DRM is applied to the cache file.

If you're using CaveFinder for karst inventory, environmental assessment, or geotechnical work, we recommend the following.

• Field-verify before publishing: CaveFinder results are computational predictions, not confirmed cave locations. Always ground-truth candidates before including them in reports, inventories, or regulatory submissions.
• Restrict coordinate access: If your work produces new cave locations, share them with the appropriate state cave survey or regional grotto rather than publishing in public reports. Most state surveys maintain confidential cave databases specifically for this purpose.
• Follow state regulations: Several states have specific regulations around cave protection and the disclosure of cave locations on public land. Check your state's cave protection statutes before publishing coordinate data.

In the US, every analysis result lists the state cave survey and the local grottos (caving clubs) that cover the area you scanned. Click anywhere on the map and the popup shows the same, under Caving organizations. It is there on every plan.

Use it to get involved with caving near you, and to know who to tell about a cave you found. A state cave survey keeps its records confidential, and a local grotto can take you underground safely and help you reach the landowner.

CaveFinder supports the National Speleological Society's conservation policy. The NSS holds that caves have unique scientific, recreational, and scenic values, and that the responsibility for their protection lies with those who study and enjoy them.

We encourage all CaveFinder users to familiarize themselves with the NSS, join a local grotto, and participate in organized survey and conservation efforts in your region.

If you have questions about our conservation practices, data handling, or how CaveFinder interacts with sensitive cave resources, contact us at help@cavefinder.app.

We take these inquiries seriously.