Nightingale User Terms

Last updated: March 2025

Nightingale is a project of the Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence in the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago (“Nightingale”), and this is a binding agreement with the University of Chicago.  By accessing any data provided by Nightingale (the “Data”), you agree to the following terms (the “User Terms”):  

  1. Ownership.  As between you and Nightingale, and other than the rights granted herein, Nightingale retains all rights, title, and interest in the Data.  You will take all steps reasonably necessary to preserve the confidentiality of Data.  
  2. Use.  You may only use the Data for legally permissible, non-commercial, research purposes only. Any commercial use, sale, or other monetization is prohibited, and you may not download, save, copy, reproduce, retransmit, distribute, publish, or otherwise transfer outside the secure environment of your institution, nor may you commercially exploit any material.  You are solely responsible for ensuring that your use of the Data complies with all applicable laws.  Any violation of these User Terms or other impermissible use shall be grounds for immediate termination of use of the Data.
  3. Patient Data.  You understand that the Data are de-identified patient data, and that any re-identification of the underlying data, or failure of the initial de-identification process, could produce sensitive health information that must be protected.  You will not make any attempt to re-identify any of the individual data subjects, and you will take all steps reasonably necessary to prevent the possibility of identification of research participants in any research papers or publications.  You further agree not to link or combine Data to other information or archived data in a way that could re-identify any individual or attempt to re-identify any individual.  In no event shall data or images generated through the use of the Data be used or relied upon in the diagnosis or provision of patient care.
  4. Distribution Prohibited.  You may not distribute, publish, or reproduce a copy of any portion or all of the Data to others without specific prior written permission from Nightingale.  If another user within your institution wishes to use the Data, they must register as an individual user and comply with all the terms of these User Terms.
  5. Acknowledgment and Citation. In any published materials that make use of the Data, you will acknowledge Nightingale and the specific dataset or datasets used. You will provide citations as specified in the relevant dataset documentation.
  6. Notification and Cooperation.  You agree to immediately report any violations, whether intentional or accidental, of these User Terms to The Center for Applied AI by emailing caai@chicagobooth.edu, including any identification of any individual data subject, any disclosure of the Data or other confidential information, or any unauthorized access to the Data or Nightingale information or systems.  In the event of any unauthorized disclosure or other issue, you agree to cooperate fully with the University of Chicago to remediate.
  7. Disclaimers and Limitation on Liability.  THE DATA ARE PROVIDED "AS IS," AND NIGHTINGALE, THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO, AND ITS COLLABORATORS DO NOT MAKE ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NOR DO THEY ASSUME ANY LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE USE OF THIS DATA.  Neither party shall be liable hereunder for consequential or punitive damages (including lost profits or savings), even if it has been advised of their possible existence. UChicago’s total and cumulative liability for any claim or claims hereunder concerning performance or nonperformance hereunder shall be one dollar (US$1.00).
  8. Termination. Your access to the Data can be terminated at any time.  On termination, any Data or access points to Data in your possession must be destroyed.
  9. Miscellaneous. Publicity. User shall not use any trademark, service mark, logo or other designation of origin of Nightingale, the Center for Applied AI, the Booth School of Business, or the University of Chicago without the prior written consent of the Nightingale project. Modifications. If an update to these User Terms materially affects your access to the Data or your legal rights as a user of our Services, we’ll notify you prior to the update's effective date by sending an email to the email address associated with your account. Severability. If a provision is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions of these User Terms will remain in full effect and an enforceable term will be substituted reflecting our intent as closely as possible.