The Standard · Part 3 of 5 — Classification
A catalog of explanations, from the mundane to the exotic, where every possible cause has its own permanent place in one shared tree — and a flag for what science can test.
The Origin Classification System organizes 96 hypotheses into a single tree across three domains. Broad domains branch down to 72 specific explanations at the ends of the branches, the level a case is actually classified to, and 82 of the 96 are flagged as scientifically testable. Every explanation, conventional or exotic, gets a permanent place in one shared catalog instead of becoming an argument. A misidentified drone and an extraterrestrial craft live in the same tree, three branches apart.
Adapted framework
The OCS adapts Col. Karl Nell (U.S. Army, ret.)’s Proposed Taxonomy of UAP Origin Hypotheses, presented at the Sol Foundation Symposium, Stanford University, November 2023. The three-domain structure (Physical, Psychosocial, Metaphysical) follows that framework.
1Theories attributing UAP to tangible, material objects or phenomena.
1.1Intradimensional21 nodesManifestations from dimensions/realms within our own physical reality.
1.2Extradimensional13 nodesUAPs from other dimensions, parallel universes, or realms beyond our physical reality.
1.3Interdimensional17 nodesUAPs traversing between different dimensions or realities.
2Theories attributing UAP to psychological, perceptual, and sociological factors.
2.1Sociological5 nodesSocial dynamics, group phenomena, and cultural factors producing UAP reports.
2.2Psychological5 nodesIndividual psychological processes producing UAP perceptions.
2.3Neurological5 nodesNeurobiological factors producing anomalous perceptions.
3Theories with origins beyond conventional scientific understanding.
3.1Paranormal6 nodesPhenomena involving extraordinary human potential or non-material entities.
3.2Occultnot testable6 nodesHidden knowledge traditions and reality models outside mainstream science.
3.3Transcendentalnot testable6 nodesReligious, spiritual, and theological explanations for UAP.
A record never asserts an origin directly. Instead, an evaluator makes a claim that names one explanation from this tree as its primaryHypothesis, with a confidence between 0 and 1 and, optionally, weighted alternatives. When evaluators disagree, their competing classifications coexist on the same record — how that works is Part 4: Claims.