UFO Sightings Since 1906

Overview of the Dataset

The UFO sightings dataset contains records of UFO sightings reported globally since 1906. The dataset includes the following columns:

datetime: The date and time of the sighting.

day: The day of the week when the sighting occurred.

city: The city where the sighting was reported.

state: The state or region where the sighting occurred.

country: The country where the sighting was reported.

shape: The shape or form of the UFO observed.

duration (seconds): The duration of the sighting in seconds.

duration (hours/min): The duration of the sighting in hours and minutes.

comments: Additional comments or descriptions provided by the witness.

day_posted: The day the sighting was reported or posted.

date posted: The date the sighting was reported or posted.

latitude: The latitude coordinate of the sighting location.

longitude: The longitude coordinate of the sighting location.

days_count: The number of days between the sighting and when it was posted

Analysis Process

Data Cleaning and Preparation (Excel):

    Removed duplicate entries and handled missing values.

    Standardized formats for dates, times, and categorical variables (e.g., shapes, countries).

    Calculated additional metrics such as days_count (time between sighting and posting).

Exploratory Data Analysis (SQL):

    Aggregated data to analyze trends, such as the number of sightings per country, state, or city.

    Calculated average durations of sightings by UFO shape.

    Identified the most common UFO shapes and their distribution across countries.

    Analyzed temporal trends, such as sightings per day or over time.

Visualization (Tableau):

    Created interactive dashboards to visualize key insights.

    Developed charts such as:

        Average Duration of Sightings by Shape: Highlighting which UFO shapes were observed for the longest durations.

        UFO Shapes by Country: Showing the distribution of UFO shapes across different countries.

        UFO Shapes Total: A global overview of the most commonly reported UFO shapes.

        UFO Sightings in All Countries: A map or bar chart showing the number of sightings per country.

        UFO Sightings per Day: A time series analysis of sightings over days.

        UFO Sightings in the USA: A focused analysis of sightings in the United States, broken down by state or city.

Key Insights and Conclusions

Most Common UFO Shapes:

    The most frequently reported UFO shapes include lights, circles, and triangles.

    These shapes are consistent across multiple countries, suggesting common patterns in UFO sightings.

Geographical Distribution:

    The United States has the highest number of reported UFO sightings, followed by Canada and the United Kingdom.

    Within the U.S., states like California, Florida, and Texas report the most sightings.

Temporal Trends:

    Sightings have increased significantly since the mid-20th century, with a peak in the 2000s.

    Certain days of the week (e.g., weekends) show higher reporting rates, possibly due to increased outdoor activity.

Duration of Sightings:

    The average duration of sightings varies by shape. For example, cigar-shaped UFOs tend to be observed for longer periods compared to light or disk shapes.

    Most sightings last less than a minute, but some reports describe durations of several hours.

Reporting Delays:

    The days_count column reveals that many sightings are reported weeks or even months after they occur, indicating potential delays in witness reporting or data collection.

Global Patterns:

    While the U.S. dominates the dataset, other countries show unique patterns in terms of UFO shapes and sighting frequencies.

    For example, Australia and Germany report a higher proportion of triangular UFOs compared to other shapes.

Recommendations for Further Analysis

Geospatial Analysis: Use latitude and longitude data to create heatmaps of sightings and identify potential hotspots.

Text Analysis: Analyze the comments column using natural language processing (NLP) to extract common themes or keywords.

Correlation with External Data: Investigate whether UFO sightings correlate with astronomical events, military activity, or other phenomena.

Machine Learning: Build predictive models to identify patterns or classify sightings based on shape, duration, or location.

Conclusion

The UFO sightings dataset provides a fascinating glimpse into global reports of unidentified flying objects. Through careful analysis, I identified key trends in UFO shapes, durations, and geographical distribution. The United States emerges as the epicenter of UFO sightings, with lights and circular shapes being the most commonly reported. Temporal analysis shows a significant increase in sightings over the decades, possibly due to improved reporting mechanisms or increased public interest. This dataset offers ample opportunities for further exploration, particularly in geospatial and text analysis.

By sharing this dataset on Kaggle, I hope to encourage other data enthusiasts to explore and uncover more insights into this mysterious phenomenon.