Ce1. Location

[Drew UK]

In your opinion are sightings distibuted equally throughout the world? Or do you believe that they are more localised? In addition, can instability (i.e. Wars/Acts of God or Nature/Climate - Weather) influence the tendency of visitations predominating in a particular region?

Of course, population density may distort the analysis. So bearing this in mind -

In your honest opinion .......................

 

[CapnG]

A UFO sighting has two components; the object and the witness. Trying to determine distribution would require trying to determine how many UFOs are presently flying around unseen and unreported in remote areas of the world.

 

[Drew UK]

CapnG,

Thanks for re-emphasising the point -

Of course, population density may distort the analysis. So bearing this in mind -

Let's flesh it out a bit more -

"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted."

 

[Mexicola]

CapnG - please excuse my ignorance if I am missing something.

I am not sure as to why the population count of UFOs needs to be determined before a distribution analysis of sightings can take place?

An analysis of the geographic distribution of observations in either clustering or random patterns can be done by statistical methods. Population density (higher number of sightings in higher populated areas) can then be accounted for since the population of people/observers are known.

I think the real question here is - what do you take as an observation?? What is the criteria that allows a sighting to be entered into such an analysis??

I am really itching to plot sightings on a map...

 

[CapnG]

Don't misunderstand me, I realize Drew is wondering specifically about sightings per se, so obviously a UFO no one ever sees doesn't count, I'm just sort of wondering as an aside just how many there might be.

Also, mass sightings like Phoenix will I think do more to skew the numbers in purely per capita analysis so that begs the question- what criteria govern "a" sighting? If 50 people see the same UFO does that count as 1 or 50 sightings?

 

[Mexicola]

That's a really good point.

My feeling is that one sighting = one sighting no matter how many observers. This would stop the artificial inflation of sighting observations as you've pointed out.

I think the definition of a sighting event needs to be sorted out. I also think that a rigourous set of inclusion criteria needs to be established.

It is funny you bring up the Phoenix lights because I just listened to the episode with Mike Fortson descriping his sighting at 8:30 of a (paraphrasing) ridiculously huge "chevron shape" UFO. I never knew about this earlier event and had only seen the widely spread flare photos. I always wondered what the big deal was...