NASA is calling for a “government-wide approach” to collect data on UFOs, and is even asking the public to use smartphone apps to help identify mysterious aerial craft.
The report released Thursday morning comes a year after NASA formed a group of experts to examine how information about UFOs, which the government officially calls unidentified anomalous phenomena, is collected by the government and private sector. The study is based on unclassified reports and sightings and is separate from a Pentagon effort to collect information on UFOs.
By using sensors from NASA’s Earth-observing satellites and commercial remote-sensing technology, Washington could create “a robust and systematic data acquisition strategy within the whole-of-government framework,” according to the report.
It also added that “artificial intelligence and machine learning are essential tools for identifying rare occurrences.”
Looping in the public is a “critical aspect of understanding” UFO sightings, the report says. The panel recommended that the space agency look into the viability of creating or acquiring open-source smartphone-based apps that can gather imaging data and other data around the world.