unidentified flying object
Enable an AI agent to record an apparently airborne object whose identity remains unresolved, assess the evidence and identification state, and select justified investigative or reporting actions.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
Researched by: Codex
Purpose and description
Enable an AI agent to record an apparently airborne object whose identity remains unresolved, assess the evidence and identification state, and select justified investigative or reporting actions.
It can be Associate or separate reports according to evidence that they concern the same apparent object.; Preserve original recordings and distinguish them from cropped, enhanced or reposted versions.; Reconstruct viewing geometry and bound apparent motion without inventing distance.; Compare candidate explanations against time, direction, appearance and sensor behavior.; Request specific missing evidence that could distinguish competing explanations.; Update identification state or route an apparent immediate hazard to the appropriate response process..
Distinguishing features
The record concerns something reported as an object apparently in the air; a vague anomaly without that appearance requires a broader phenomenon model.
Identification is unresolved for a stated assessment, evidence set and time; an object merely unnamed in a caption is not thereby unidentified.
An unexplained image mark qualifies only as a reported object candidate until checks distinguish scene content from reflections, processing effects or sensor artifacts.
Unusual apparent motion does not establish unusual physical performance unless distance, timing and observer motion sufficiently constrain the inference.
A supported conventional identification changes the identification state while preserving the historical record of its earlier uncertainty.
Scope
+ The reported object and the observations provisionally associated with it
+ Evidence supporting apparent airborne presence and object-like appearance
+ Witness accounts, sensor records and their observational limitations
+ Candidate identifications, discriminating checks and remaining uncertainty
+ Changes in identification state and proportionate follow-up actions
- Engineering, ownership and operation of an identified aircraft or drone
- Physical models of identified astronomical or atmospheric phenomena
- The wider category of anomalous phenomena with no apparent airborne object
- Extraterrestrial entities or technologies inferred without supporting evidence
- Airspace management, emergency response and incident-command procedures
- Media narratives and audience reactions beyond their effect on report provenance
Characteristics
- Identification state
- unassessed | unresolved | provisionally identified | identified | disputed Separates lack of investigation from uncertainty that persists after investigation.
- Reported manifestation
- point light | extended luminous form | apparent solid silhouette | sensor-only return | mixed | other Determines which observations and candidate explanations can be meaningfully compared.
- Observation interval
- timestamp interval with timezone, clock basis and timing uncertainty Supports comparison with aircraft tracks, celestial positions and other observations.
- Observer or sensor vantage
- observer or platform, location, orientation and motion, each with uncertainty Allows apparent object motion to be assessed relative to the observing platform.
- Apparent angular extent and motion
- degrees or radians; degrees per second or radians per second; uncertainty and measurement basis Records observable geometry without assuming physical size, range or speed.
- Range constraint
- metres with uncertainty and derivation, bounded interval, or unknown Controls whether physical dimensions and velocities can be inferred.
- Evidence dependence
- independent observation | shared sensor stream | copied account | possible dependence | unknown Prevents multiple reproductions of one observation from being counted as corroboration.
- Evidence availability
- original available | derivative only | account only | unavailable; completeness recorded separately Limits which authenticity, geometry and identification checks remain possible.
- Candidate explanation status
- untested | supported | contradicted | insufficiently testable Makes uncertainty explicit for each explanation without treating elimination as proof of another.
Also called
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 5 bundles · 10 layers · 10 findings · 20 questions.
Reported object boundary Establishes what was reported and whether separate observations concern the same apparent airborne object.
An unresolved report must remain distinguishable from a confirmed physical object and from an aggregation of unrelated sightings.
Airborne object basis
Records the observational basis for describing the manifestation as an object in the air.
Objecthood and airborne appearance
Separates the witness or sensor description from assumptions about solidity, flight and origin.
- What visible appearance or sensor behavior led the observer to describe an airborne object? definition
- Could the record instead concern a projection, reflection, celestial source or sensor artifact, and what evidence distinguishes those boundaries? boundary
Sighting association
Controls when sightings and tracks may be treated as observations of one object.
Same-object association
Makes report linkage provisional where timing, position or continuity do not establish identity.
- Which observations have compatible times, directions and track continuity sufficient to support association? measurement
- What conflicting evidence would require splitting this record into separate reported objects? boundary
Appearance and viewing geometry Captures observed appearance and the geometry needed to interpret apparent movement.
Claims about size, altitude or exceptional motion can depend on unknown range and moving viewpoints.
Observable manifestation
Describes what was directly seen or recorded before assigning a physical explanation.
Appearance over time
Records angular extent, brightness, shape and changes alongside observation conditions.
- What angular size, color, brightness pattern or silhouette was observed, and which details are measured rather than recalled? measurement
- How did cloud, glare, focus, exposure or viewing aids limit the reported appearance? measurement
Motion reconstruction
Distinguishes angular movement in the observation from inferred movement through space.
Kinematic inference limits
Requires explicit range, timing and platform-motion assumptions for physical speed or acceleration claims.
- What trajectory remains after accounting for camera rotation, zoom, stabilization and observer motion? measurement
- What independently supported range and timing constraints permit estimates of physical speed, altitude or acceleration? measurement
Witness and sensor evidence Tracks the origin, transformations and independence of evidence supporting the reported object.
A reposted clip, recollection and independent sensor detection provide different grounds for assessing a sighting.
Record lineage
Connects available evidence to its capture or initial account.
Capture and transformation history
Identifies originals, derivative material and missing context relevant to interpretation.
- Who or what produced the earliest available account or recording, and how soon after the observation was it recorded? provenance
- Which crops, edits, enhancements, transcodes or metadata losses separate the available material from its original? provenance
Corroboration and detection limits
Assesses whether additional accounts or sensors independently support the same manifestation.
Independent detection assessment
Distinguishes genuine additional observations from shared inputs and evaluates meaningful non-detections.
- Did the witnesses or sensors observe independently, or could their accounts derive from the same recording, cue or discussion? provenance
- Were the instruments sensitive, synchronized and correctly oriented enough for either detection or non-detection to constrain this sighting? measurement
Identification and explanation Organizes candidate explanations and records what justifies the current identification state.
Unidentified describes an assessment outcome and must not become a positive claim of extraordinary origin.
Candidate comparison
Tests explanations against the actual observation rather than resemblance alone.
Discriminating explanation checks
Compares relevant aircraft, balloons, celestial sources, atmospheric effects and artifacts using explicit predictions.
- Which candidate explanations fit the recorded time, viewing direction, duration and appearance, and what evidence supports each? definition
- What obtainable observation or reference record would distinguish the leading candidates? action
Identification state history
Preserves assessments and their evidential basis as identification changes.
Assessment basis and revision
Records who assessed the object, what evidence was available and why uncertainty remains or was resolved.
- Who assigned the current identification state, when, and using which evidence and decision criteria? provenance
- Does unresolved status reflect missing information, conflicting evidence or unsuccessful tests, and what would justify revising it? boundary
Follow-up and response Connects the unresolved sighting to useful evidence collection and justified operational handoffs.
An agent needs to act on uncertainty without assuming either harmlessness or an extraordinary threat.
Targeted evidence recovery
Prioritizes recoverable information likely to improve identification.
Next discriminating step
Selects follow-up based on evidential value, availability and loss risk.
- Would obtaining the original recording, precise location, clock correction or uncropped sequence most reduce the current ambiguity? action
- Which relevant recordings or contemporaneous records may soon become unavailable and can be preserved with appropriate authority? action
Hazard and reporting handoff
Separates evidence of immediate operational danger from uncertainty about identity.
Proportionate response basis
Supports a factual handoff when observed circumstances warrant another model's response procedures.
- What observed proximity, collision risk or interference supports an immediate hazard assessment independently of identification? boundary
- Which responsible recipient should receive the observation, and which facts, estimates and unresolved claims must remain distinguishable in that report? action
What the second pass must settle
- Does the registry intend this entry to represent a reported object, a sighting information artifact or an established physical object with unknown identity?
- What operational boundary should separate this entry from broader unidentified anomalous phenomena, especially for sensor-only observations?
- Which evidential criteria should distinguish provisional identification, identification and disputed identification across different observation types?
- How should conflicting assessments by witnesses, investigators and institutions coexist without imposing an unsupported single conclusion?
- Which existing Vercy models already own observation events, evidence artifacts and identified airborne entities, and how should this entry link to them?