EFR Empowers Citizen Researchers

DCI Phantom quadcopter UAV for commercial and recreational photography

In a Dec. 9 episode of Expanding Frontiers, host Erica Lukes and guest Mick West explored what can be discerned about the New Jersey drone reports. While a number of factors worthy of consideration contribute to the circumstances, one of the more important points to arise was the ways the public may take more ownership of the situation and be less dependent on authority figures and often poorly vetted sources to inform its views.

Expanding Frontiers Research is proud of the leadership exhibited by Erica Lukes in examining the situation with objectivity and authenticity. What resulted was a meaningful conversation on collecting evidence, what gives it value, and, as Dr. Tyler Kokjohn observed, opportunities for interested parties to do their own research and leave behind a previous reliance on search engines and dubious actors to tell them what is and is not populating the sky.

Lukes facilitated West explaining the process of most effectively recording and documenting a potential drone sighting. This may of course also apply to UFOs, UAP, or many other phenomena of interest.

When the witness records even ambiguous video of a target, proper documentation of the circumstances may help identify the object in many instances. Perhaps equally importantly, it may include being unable to identify the object through traditional means such as flight patterns and use of websites that offer related information that may be used as tools. That process of elimination may assist in identifying any reports of interest that rise out of the pack of misidentifications and low information. This facilitates taking a proactive investigative role and shedding a passive dependency on statements from public officials, dubious UFO researchers, and social media influencers who often hold a wide range of agendas and poorly formed conclusions that influence our perceptions.

When considering posting a drone or UAP video or report, first of all, make a conscious decision whether it is wise for you to publish your video and information on the internet. Give some thought to what you would do with your evidence before you ever go drone or UFO hunting. If you happen by your evidence in a random chain of events, like grabbing a clip while loading groceries in the car, it is still advisable to consider whether or not you go public with it. Are you recording from your apartment building or is it a public place, like a parking lot or intersection? Will you be willing to publish your name, or would you prefer to provide your evidence to an investigator in confidence? These are issues to consider.

Also recommended are instructional videos produced by Aerial Phenomena Investigations (API). They have you covered for issues ranging from tips for shooting the most effective phone-video on the fly to how to pack a field investigator kit and conduct research on the regular. API also clarifies policy on protecting witness information and related privacy issues about submitting reports.

Once you have your video, whether happenstance or the result of an intentional hunt for evidence, there is information you need to document. This includes the location, time, date, and direction. Documenting this information will give you and investigators the highest chance of successfully identifying the object(s) recorded or concluding that it does not match conventional go-to explanations. As Mick and Erica recently discussed (timestamped at 18:40):

Once recorded, you may then investigate your video by correlating the important information with what can be gleaned from various websites that provide, for instance, flight traffic and positions of celestial bodies based on time and location. You may of course also submit your video with the documented information to Mick's website, Metabunk, or API as referenced above.

Lastly, let us here at EFR know what you learn. We're all about the process and facilitating its improvement. It is not necessary to wait for others to tell you what is and is not flying around. Go get some footage and learn the most effective way to investigate what it reveals.