COMPUTERS and UFO RESEARCH
Possible applications of computer
technologies to ufology are several, yet those we may actually
consider realistic for the present situation of UFO movement are
mainly related to digital information production and management
of existing printed documents. Fulfillment of such a goal could
soon deliver the availability of a huge amount of information
being of great use for anybody going to carry out research works, including
sophisticated statistical surveys that could be developed in very short
times. In such a way a very first basic result would be achieved: the systematic
collection and prompt availability of the information evidence.
More advanced applications are nowadays technically possible,
but beyond current resources of most UFO groups and buffs. An
example is the use of 3D animation in order to simulate the dynamic
of a sighting and carry out a series of controls on the witness'
tale or the transformation of alleged UFO pictures into 3D
models. Even though I and few other Italian researchers have been
experimenting something in such fields, we must be patient: the
future will offer us several surprises.
A personal computer with suitable components and a
well-organized work plan is the perfect tool to store information
in standard format. The concept of "standard" is
extremely important: it may made available what has been produced
by a single researcher to the whole UFO community, efficiently
solving the communication problem. So it is necessary to follow a
few simple rules when producing a text or catalogue or
electronically archiving a given quantity of information. The priority
goal is the easy availability of such computer-based documents,
now and in the future, as present standards will be such
throughout the next years as well. Such rules are really generic, because
they want to be only a common minimum reference level to everybody
interested in using the computer for UFO-related works. Last but
not least, using these standards allows researchers to get rid
easily of problems concerning the data transfer between two
different computers (PC and Mac, for example).
These formats refer to standards in data
storage rather than in data structure. Their use will definitely
deliver great benefits to UFO research in the near future.
Anyway, there are some other problems related to the data
typology to be discussed and which suggestions of solution should be
spread among ufologists. An example: unfortunately, there is no
set of internationally common "recommendations" for the
definition of a minimum set of data to be used for the electronic filing
of sighting cases. A possible suggestion could be that one
reported in the next slide. Making it known to people involved in
UFO research it could be possible to start a common discussion
and achieve a set of "recommendations" to be used as guidelines
for all people using the computer for their works. The most
direct result would be an important correspondence among the data
included in the sighting catalogues (today they are often completely
incompatible) and the possibility to establish quickly huge
international catalogues on which to carry out first level
statistical analyses.
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