Cooperation with IPACO (Analysis of UAP photo/video documents)

A professional website (http://www.ipaco.fr/page24.html ) has recently been launched designed to present a state-of-the-art stand point in the field of extracting objective information from digital still or video imagery in which a (so far) non-identified object or phenomenon appears. It also offers for sale user licenses of the IPACO software, which has been specifically developed for that task, as well as offering a resident expert service to produce imagery analysis reports on demand.

This IPACO is a very welcome expertise as the UAP research the photographic domain includes many hoaxes and numerous types of possible mistakes and unintentional wrong moves. The IPACO founders state that: ”The analysis will be conducted quite objectively and without any preconceived ideas, its conclusion consisting either of an explanation (probable or certain) duly proven, or of a statement of non-identification with, in that case, a synthesis of the characteristic elements of the recorded phenomenon, qualitative and quantitative, that may have been recorded. It is possible, with experience, to process many files following relatively standard procedures, whereas a few others sometimes justify far more extensive (and consequently more expensive) investigations. That is why we propose two service levels:

Standard expert analysis: the file is analyzed, for a fixed lump sum, with the output consisting of a Standard analysis report which presents the conclusions, together with – if justified – a quotation for an extensive analysis. Extensive expert analysis: after the standard expert analysis, more specialized investigations are conducted, according to the presented and accepted quotation, and they are made concrete through an Extensive analysis report. Each Analysis report is delivered in the form of a PDF file, such as those presented in our sample galleries…”

One of the IPACO founders is François Louange, who collaborates as a consultant on photo analysis, as well as on detection projects, with GEPAN, SEPRA and GEIPAN. He has contractually produced a dozen technical reports for CNES.

The IPACO software, derived from a long experience in the field of military intelligence, aims to provide the analyst in ufology with a user-friendly and easy-to-use working environment, thanks to which he may concentrate on the very object of his analysis, with permanent access to a toolkit that fits most investigation scenarios. The analysis work is conducted in a highly interactive environment, but it remains always possible to save and edit results, in the form of text reports and images, processed and completed by graphics. However, certain particular cases may still require the use of other software tools, which are highly specialized in one or other specific domain.

The ongoing evolution of the IPACO software aims at satisfying both maintenance requirements (correction of residual errors, improvement of existing functions), and wishes expressed by users for adding new tools. IPACO is presently operational in 2 languages (French and American English), but extension to other languages has been anticipated in the software architecture, which will possibly be made concrete through particular cooperations to be set up. The 3 external databases (UFOCAT, IFOCAT and CamCAT), as well as handling of data models, referred to in the IPACO Users’ guide, are not implemented yet, because their detailed specifications will depend on feedback from the IPACO software’s use.

Analysis methodology (from a 2008 CNES GEIPAN document: APN & PAN – Méthodologie d’analyse des photos numériques de PAN), details and demonstration of the IPACO software, sample galleries of explained and unexplained documents (e.g.: http://www.ipaco.fr/EN_IFO_B_banne_120614.pdf), and contact details can be found at:

http://www.ipaco.fr/page24.html

Initiated during 2009 and under the framework of the International Year of
Astronomy, The UAP Observations Reporting Scheme is a project aimed at
facilitating the collection of UAP reports from both amateur and professional
astronomers, via a questionnaire to be downloaded from a dedicated website
(www.uapreporting.org)