UAP Independent Study Team Final Report

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data-analysis techniques should therefore be leveraged to provide critical
assistance. Once again, appropriate data collection, curation, and distribution
are paramount; NASA, with its world-leading experience in these aspects is
well-positioned to play a leading role.
Engaging the public is also a critical aspect of understanding UAP. The panel
sees several advantages to augmenting data collection efforts using modern
crowdsourcing techniques, including open-source smartphone-based apps that
simultaneously gather imaging data and other smartphone sensor metadata
from multiple citizen observers worldwide. NASA should therefore explore the
viability of developing or acquiring such a crowdsourcing system as part of its
strategy. In turn, the panel finds that there is currently no standardized system
for making civilian UAP reports, resulting in sparse and incomplete data devoid
of curation or vetting protocols. NASA should play a vital role by assisting
AARO in its development of this Federal system.
The negative perception surrounding the reporting of UAP poses an obstacle to
collecting data on these phenomena. NASA’s very involvement in UAP will play
a vital role in reducing stigma associated with UAP reporting, which almost
certainly leads to data attrition at present. NASA’s long-standing public trust,
which is essential for communicating findings about these phenomena to
citizens, is crucial for destigmatizing UAP reporting. The scientific processes
used by NASA encourage critical thinking; NASA can model for the public how
to best approach the study of UAP, by utilizing transparent reporting, rigorous
analysis, and public engagement.
Finally, the threat to U.S. airspace safety posed by UAP is self-evident. The
panel finds that a particularly promising avenue for deeper integration within
a systematic, evidenced-based framework for UAP is the Aviation Safety
Reporting System (ASRS), which NASA administers for the FAA. This confi-
dential and voluntary reporting system for pilots, air traffic controllers, and
other professional aviation staff, receives approximately 100,000 reports per
year. Although not initially designed for UAP collection, better harnessing it for
commercial pilot UAP reporting would provide a critical database that would be
valuable for the whole-of-government effort to understand UAP. In turn, NASA’s
long history of partnership with the FAA should be leveraged to investigate how
advanced, real-time analysis techniques could be applied to future generations
of air traffic management (ATM) systems.