SurveyWiki:Licensing and AI

This page explains how to handle images, documents, and other files you add to SurveyWiki. When you upload a file, the upload form asks you for two things: a license and an AI disclosure. This page explains how to choose both, and how to credit files that someone else created.

Use files you actually have rights to

Before uploading anything, make sure you have the rights to it. In practice, that means one of the following:

• You made it yourself — a photo you took, a diagram you drew, a document you wrote.
• It's explicitly licensed for reuse — public domain, or under a license (such as CC BY, CC BY-SA) that permits your intended use, including on an internal wiki.
• You have direct permission from the rights holder to upload and use it here.

If you're not sure whether you have the right to use a file, the safest move is not to upload it — ask first, or use one of the alternatives below.

Third-party files: last resort, and only with proper credit

Files you didn't create yourself should be treated as a last resort, not a default choice. Before uploading a third-party image or document, ask:

1. Can I link to the original source instead of copying the file here?
2. Can I create my own version (redraw a diagram, take a new photo) instead?

Only upload a third-party file if neither of those works. When you do, always credit it properly on the file's description page, using this pattern:

Title: [title of file, image or document]
Author: [name or organization]
Source: [URL or publication]
License: [e.g. CC BY-SA 4.0, public domain, used with permission]
Date accessed/published: [date]

Example:

Title: Original Image Title
Author: Jane Doe / NOAA
Source: https://example.com/original-image
License: CC BY 4.0
Date accessed: 2026-09-26

A file without clear authorship and licensing information may be removed. Also keep the original license a third-party file was published under — don't re-license someone else's work under a different license when you upload it.

AI disclosure

When you upload a file, you'll be asked to choose an AI disclosure option. Please answer honestly. The matching notice and category are added to the file page automatically.

Option	Choose it when...
Not AI-generated	The file is your own work or someone else's human-made work. Routine AI-powered tools (upscaling, noise reduction, background removal) applied to a human-made original don't change this.
AI-assisted (human-edited from AI output)	You started from AI-generated output and meaningfully edited it yourself. If you're unsure whether AI or human work dominates, choose this option.
AI-generated (no meaningful human authorship)	The file was produced by an AI system and not meaningfully edited by a human.

The disclosure applies to third-party files too: if someone else's file was AI-generated, choose the option that matches how it was made. In the description, please also name the tool used (e.g. Midjourney, DALL·E, Stable Diffusion) when you know it.

Available licenses

When you upload a file, you'll be asked to choose one of the following. Pick the one that matches what you actually intend to allow others to do with it.

Choosing the right license

You are the owner

Use these tables when you created the file yourself (photo, diagram, document — or AI-assisted work you edited). First check which AI disclosure option applies, then pick a license based on how open you want the file to be.

By AI disclosure

AI disclosure option	Guidance
Not AI-generated	Pick a license freely based on purpose — see the table below.
AI-assisted (human-edited from AI output)	A license can only cover your own human contribution, not the underlying AI output. Choose a license based on purpose, or use CC0 1.0 or Internal use only if unsure.
AI-generated (no meaningful human authorship)	AI-generated output often isn't eligible for standard copyright, so avoid promising attribution rights you may not actually hold.

Note: for AI-generated files, CC0 1.0 is the safest option, since it makes no copyright claim you might not be able to back up. Use Internal use file instead if the file shouldn't be shared outside the wiki at all.

By purpose

Purpose / intent	Recommended license
Fully open — anyone can use, modify, redistribute, including commercially	CC0 1.0 or CC BY 4.0
Open, but derivatives must stay open (share-alike)	CC BY-SA 4.0
Open for viewing/sharing, but no modifications allowed	CC BY-ND 4.0
Open, but no commercial use	CC BY-NC 4.0
No commercial use, and derivatives must stay open	CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Most restrictive: no commercial use, no modifications	CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
Sensitive internal document, screenshot, or content tied to a restricted namespace (e.g. Admin, Internal)	Internal use file, uploaded only into the relevant restricted namespace
Company/partner logo or brand mark	Trademark General Notice — do not apply a Creative Commons license to a trademark

Third-party ownership

Use this table when the file was created by someone else. Remember: linking to the original source is always preferred over uploading. Upload only as a last resort, and always credit the original author/source (see the credit pattern above).

Current licensing of the third-party file	Your intended use here	Recommended action / license
Already public domain or CC0	Any	Prefer linking. If uploading, use CC0 1.0 and credit the original source anyway (good practice even if not legally required).
Already CC BY (any version)	Any	Prefer linking. If uploading, keep CC BY 4.0 — don't relicense it — and credit the original author.
Already CC BY-SA	Any	Prefer linking. If uploading, keep CC BY-SA 4.0 and credit the original author; don't relicense.
Already CC BY-ND, CC BY-NC, CC BY-NC-SA, or CC BY-NC-ND	Within what the license permits	Prefer linking. If uploading, keep the same original license (matching template: CC BY-ND 4.0, CC BY-NC 4.0, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, or CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) and credit the original author — never loosen or tighten someone else's license. Note what each one blocks: ND — no modifications/derivatives; NC — no commercial use; NC-SA — no commercial use, and any derivative must carry the same license; NC-ND — no commercial use and no modifications.
Already CC BY-ND, CC BY-NC, CC BY-NC-SA, or CC BY-NC-ND	Beyond what the license permits (e.g. modifying an ND-licensed file, or commercial use of an NC-licensed file)	Not permitted under the license as-is — don't upload a modified or repurposed version. Contact the rights holder for permission, or find/create an alternative instead.
AI-generated by someone else, license unclear	Any	Prefer linking. If uploading is unavoidable, select the matching AI disclosure option and use Internal use file unless the source explicitly states a reuse license.
No clear license, or explicitly "all rights reserved"	Any	Do not upload. Link to the source instead, or contact the rights holder for permission.
Trademarked logo or brand mark owned by a third party	Any	Do not upload unless you have explicit permission; if uploaded with permission, use Trademark General Notice, not a CC license.

Why this matters

Clear sourcing, licensing, and AI disclosure protects contributors and the project from copyright issues, keeps the wiki's provenance transparent, and helps future editors know what they can safely reuse, edit, or need to double-check.