By Ufology Research
Ufology Research has released the results of its 25-year-long study of Canadian UFO reports.
Most ufologists and Forteans know that Ufology Research, formerly UFOROM (Ufology Research of Manitoba), has been collecting and reviewing Canadian reports since 1989, publishing the results as the annual Canadian UFO Survey. When the 2013 edition was published in 2014, it marked 25 years of the annual analyses of UFO report data.
It seemed reasonable, then, to group all 25 years of data together and examine the data for trends and changes with time over a quarter of a century. When the final tally was produced, there were almost 15,000 UFO reports received as data since 1989. Coincidentally, this almost exactly matches the total number of UFO reports collected and analysed by the United States Air Force Project Blue Book during its official run of less than 20 years from 1952 to 1970.
The Ufology Research study is titled "UFOs Over Canada: 25 Years of UFO Reports." It is available from the Canadian UFO Survey web page here. In
The 25-year study should not need
much explanation to those familiar with the annual Canadian UFO Survey. However,
an outside reviewer has suggested I make a few points to clarify the process of
collecting and analyzing the data.
First, in
addition to UFO reports being received as data from UFO organizations and
investigators, cases were also received and collected from official agencies
such as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Canadian Forces, Transport
Canada and other official bodies. This is very unlike the American experience,
where official agencies have not, in general, made UFO reports easily available.
(UFO reports were also received for this study directly from witnesses, of
course.)
Second, a
word about hoaxes. In short, while hoaxes cannot be ruled out, the number of
hoax reports that have ended up in the database is quite low. In fact, in most
cases where a hoax was suspected or discovered, this has been noted in the data.
One reason why hoaxes are minimal with respect to the larger body of data is
because a very large percentage of reports could be explained or thought to have
possible explanations. In other words, these reports were not hoaxes but honest
mistakes, and there were real objects in the sky to misidentify.
Third,
although we believe we have captured a rather complete set of sighting report
data for this study, the database may not include all Canadian UFO sightings
during the past 25 years. It is known from other studies that only a fraction of
all UFO sightings are ever reported―this percentage is thought to be around 10
per cent. Our study reflects only those sightings which were actually reported
to UFO groups or official agencies. Also, which we were able to obtain many
reports from official agencies, it is very possible that an unknown percentage
of cases are never officially released, although the Canadian government has
been very transparent in this regard, with thousands of UFO-related documents
always being available to the public either at the National Archives in Ottawa
or online.
Next, our
study shows that people are reporting sightings of unusual objects, some of
which have no simple explanation. This result has no overt bearing on the
question of extraterrestrials visiting Earth. The interpretation that some of
the unexplained cases may represent alien visitation is left to the reader to
speculate. What can be said is that UFO witnesses have, in general, not been
hallucinating or making up tall tales; UFO witnesses are indeed seeing unusual
objects in the sky for which they have no explanations.
Also, while
the level of good investigation of UFO sightings has been regrettably low, some
UFO groups such as MUFON have made excellent strides in educating lay
investigators and encouraging proper UFO investigation.
Finally,
this study was only made possible through the dedication of a handful of
individuals who have taken the time to express curiosity about what has been
reported by Canadians as UFOs during the past 25 years. Data collection is very
time-consuming, and moreso thorough case investigation, which is done only
rarely in the present-day field of ufology. If every one of the nearly 15,000
cases studied were completely investigated, what would the results have
been?
Regardless
of one’s belief in the “reality” of UFOs (however that may be construed),
studies such as ours affirm that there is a persistent phenomenon that deserves
further scientific study. If UFOs are not “real,” then why are tens of thousands
of Canadians (and others worldwide) seeing unusual objects in the sky? Is there
a need for better education of the masses? If there is a residual percentage of
truly unexplained cases, what do these represent? Alien visitation? Clandestine
military exercises? A hitherto unrecognized natural atmospheric
phenomenon?
Our study 25
Years of Canadian UFO Reports is presented for your consideration.
The "25th Anniversary Written Report" (in pdf format)The "Data" (in pdf format)Since 1989, UFOlogy Research of Manitoba has solicited sightings data from active Canadian researchers. This data is annually compiled into the "Canadian UFO Survey." The survey is made publicly available in an attempt to promote the dissemination of information across the field of ufology. This page contains many of the surveys, as well as the data.
The "Survey Essay" page contains just that; the essays produced each year summarizing the findings of the survey for that year, along with explanations of trends, as well as describing some of the more interesting cases for each year.
The "Search The Database" link is currently inactive. In the future, the complete database will be put on the web, allowing any users to search the database for sightings based on the criteria of their choosing.
The "Data Tables" page contains the raw data, in html table format, for most of the Survey years. Basic data, such as date, time, number of witnesses, etc. is listed, as well as a very limited general description of each sighting. Right now we have the basic data for most years up on the web page, but are currently missing 1989, 1992, and 2009 on the website. We hope to get that data online sometime in the near future.
The "Charts" page contains assorted charts summarizing the data over the years. One can find such things as the distribution of sightings by province, time of day, etc. The charts are in .gif format.With respect to the charts, there is a trade-off that must be made. If one is to be able to view the results of the different variables being measured, the chart is frequently too large to fit on the monitor, and one has to scroll left or right to view the entire results. Shrinking the charts to fit the screen, while making the entire chart as a whole visable, makes it difficult to actually interpret the chart, as the labels become too small. I have chosen to forsake convenience and make the charts large enough that one can actually read the results. Given this, the various charts are best viewed with the latest version of Internet Explorer, as it gives you the ability to easily resize the images. Printing the charts using I.E. seems to work well too. With Netscape however, some of the charts don't print on a single page, and either come out on two pages, or it simply cuts off a portion of the chart.
The "Testimonies" page is currently inactive, but will contain eyewitness accounts, in the own words of the witnesses.
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The "Survey Essay" page contains just that; the essays produced each year summarizing the findings of the survey for that year, along with explanations of trends, as well as describing some of the more interesting cases for each year.
The "Search The Database" link is currently inactive. In the future, the complete database will be put on the web, allowing any users to search the database for sightings based on the criteria of their choosing.
The "Data Tables" page contains the raw data, in html table format, for most of the Survey years. Basic data, such as date, time, number of witnesses, etc. is listed, as well as a very limited general description of each sighting. Right now we have the basic data for most years up on the web page, but are currently missing 1989, 1992, and 2009 on the website. We hope to get that data online sometime in the near future.
The "Charts" page contains assorted charts summarizing the data over the years. One can find such things as the distribution of sightings by province, time of day, etc. The charts are in .gif format.With respect to the charts, there is a trade-off that must be made. If one is to be able to view the results of the different variables being measured, the chart is frequently too large to fit on the monitor, and one has to scroll left or right to view the entire results. Shrinking the charts to fit the screen, while making the entire chart as a whole visable, makes it difficult to actually interpret the chart, as the labels become too small. I have chosen to forsake convenience and make the charts large enough that one can actually read the results. Given this, the various charts are best viewed with the latest version of Internet Explorer, as it gives you the ability to easily resize the images. Printing the charts using I.E. seems to work well too. With Netscape however, some of the charts don't print on a single page, and either come out on two pages, or it simply cuts off a portion of the chart.
The "Testimonies" page is currently inactive, but will contain eyewitness accounts, in the own words of the witnesses.
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