From: Michael.Corbin@p0.f428.n104.z1.FIDONET.ORG (Michael Corbin)
Newsgroups: alt.alien.visitors
Subject: New Classification and Rating System
Message-ID: <344.2B8B664B@paranet.FIDONET.ORG>
Date: 24 Feb 93 11:09:04 GMT
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Organization: FidoNet node 1:104/428.0 - <ParaNet(sm) , Arvada CO
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      VALLEE/MICAP/PARANET CLASSIFICATION AND RATING SYSTEM

In  order to encompass the full range of phenomena one  finds  in
the  modern literature, it is important to acknowledge that  UFOs
are  related in significant ways to other anomalies.  It  is  the
rule,  rather  than  the  exception,  to  find  significant   UFO
sightings  preceded or followed by other anomalies,  notably  the
poltergeist   variety.   The  following  classification   scheme,
created  by Dr. Jacques Vallee, is being adopted by  ParaNet  and
MICAP.

AN  Rating  - ANOMALY - These do not specifically deal  with  UFO
Reports:

AN1  - are anomalies that do not have lasting  physical  effects,
such as amorphous lights or unexplained explosions.

AN2  - are anomalies with lasting physical effects, such as  some
poltergeist phenomena, apports (materialized objects), and  areas
of flattened grass.

AN3  - are anomalies with associated entities.  This class  could
include  reports  of  ghosts,  yetis,  and  other  instances   of
cryptozoology as well as elves and spirits.

AN4 - are those anomalous reports in which witnesses  experienced
personal interaction with entities in the reality of the entities
themselves.   They  include  near-death  experiences,   religious
miracles and visions, and many cases of out-of-body experiences.

AN5 - are those anomalous reports of injuries or deaths, such  as
spontaneous  combustion  or unexplained wounds.  Also,  cases  of
permanent  healing  often  described in  the  literature  of  the
paranormal.

MA  Rating  -  MANEUVER - are best classified  according  to  the
apparent  behavior  of the object rather than  the  circumstances
independent  of  it, such as daylight or night, or  radar  rather
than visual observation:

MA1 - gathers those UFO observations that involve an object  with
a discontinuous trajectory (such as drop, a maneuver, or a loop).

MA2 - includes those cases that give rise to physical effects  in
addition to a discontinuous trajectory.

MA3   -  contains  the  cases  of  objects   with   discontinuous
trajectories  when  beings are observed on board.   Some  of  the
"airship"  cases  of  the late nineteenth century  were  in  this
category,  as well as the famous 1959 sighting by Father Gill  of
New Guinea.

MA4  -  covers instances of maneuvers accompanied by a  sense  of
transformation of reality for the percipient.

MA5  -  is a maneuver as a result of which the  witnesses  suffer
permanent injury or death.

FB Rating - FLY-BY:

FB1  - is a simple sighting of a UFO "flying by" in the sky,  the
category most frequently reported.

FB2 - is a flyby accompanied by physical evidence.

FB3  - is a flyby of an object accompanied by the observation  of
beings  on  board.  Although rare, this type  of  observation  is
reported occasionally.

FB4  - is a flyby where the witness experienced a  transformation
of his or her reality into the object or its occupants.

FB5  - would be a flyby as a result of which the witnesses  would
suffer permanent injuries, as in the celebrated Cash-Landrum case
in  Texas, which can be found in the literature.  In  that  case,
two  women and a boy were hurt by the effects of a bright  object
that flew above them without landing or stopping.

CE Rating - CLOSE ENCOUNTERS:

CE1  - is a report where the object comes within 500 feet of  the
observer, but no interaction is involved with the observer or the
environment.

CE2  - is a report similar to CE1, however it leaves  a  physical
record of its visit in the form of landing traces.

CE3 - is a report where one or more animated entities are present
in proximity to an UFO.  The term "animate" is not used to  allow
for the possibility of robots or something other than "flesh  and
blood."

CE4 - is a report that encompasses the "abduction" report,  where
the  witnesses report extensive contact and physical  interaction
with the entities inside their craft.

CE5  - is a report that involves CE4, with  additional  permanent
physiological injuries, effects or subsequent death.

THE SVP CREDIBILITY RATING

NO  classification system is complete without a way of  assigning
credibility  or "weight" to an observation.  Using a three  digit
code  to indicate the weight of a UFO case, it can be  determined
how  credible the report is using source reliability, site  visit
and possible explanations.

first digit:  source reliability (S):

0  Unknown source or unreliable source
1    Report  attributed  to  a  known  source   of   uncalibrated
reliability
2  Reliable source, secondhand
3  Reliable source, firsthand
4   Firsthand personal interview with the witness by a source  of
proven reliability

second digit:  site visit (V):

0  No site visit, or answer unknown
1  Site visit by a casual person not familiar with such phenomena
2  Site visit by persons familiar with such phenomena
3  Site visit by a reliable investigator with some experience
4  Site visit by a skilled analyst

third digit:  possible explanations (P):

0  Data consistent with one or more natural causes
1   Natural explanation requires only slight modification of  the
data
2  Natural explanation requires gross alteration of one parameter
3   Natural  explanation  requires gross  alteration  of  several
parameters
4  No natural explanation possible, given the evidence

A rating of 222 or better (meaning that each of the three  digits
is  two  or  higher), indicates the  events  reported  through  a
reliable  source in which a site visit has been made and where  a
natural  explanation  would require the gross  alteration  of  at
least one parameter.

--  
Michael Corbin - via ParaNet node 1:104/422
UUCP: !scicom!paranet!User_Name
INTERNET: Michael.Corbin@p0.f428.n104.z1.FIDONET.ORG