The Standard · Part 1 of 6 — The unit of record
Every UAP case becomes an Observation: one structured record with a shared vocabulary for when, where, what was seen, who saw it, and what evidence exists.
A single UAP observation record — the core unit of the DisclosureOS lexicon. Its 30 top-level fields are read straight from the standard itself — 36 defined building blocks in all. Expand a field to see everything beneath it: every sub-field, the kind of value it takes, and any fixed list of allowed options.
The required spine of every record: what it is, when and where it happened, and its lifecycle.
idstringrequiredStable unique identifier for this observation.
When an observation occurred — a sortable anchor date plus optional fuzzy/range/relative nuance.
Where an observation occurred — identity, coordinates, site classification, and proximity context.
Lifecycle/publication state of an observation record.
createdAtstringrequiredISO timestamp when the record was created.
updatedAtstringrequiredISO timestamp when the record was last updated.
What was reported, in plain terms — the narrative, the object, the source, and any investigation.
summarystringOne-or-two sentence summary of the observation.
descriptionstringFull narrative account of the observation.
Physical description of the observed object(s).
eventTypestringLocal event-type tag (e.g. "multi-sensor military encounter"). The word "classification" is reserved for the origin taxonomy in @disclosureos/origins; this is just a free-text descriptor.
Where the observation data came from. Forensic custody/authenticity now lives in the optional `Observation.provenance` slot (@disclosureos/records/extensions/provenance).
Official/independent investigation of the observation.
Structured depth for cases that have it: flight behavior, witnesses, sensors, effects, and context.
How the object moved — kinematics and notable maneuvers.
Aggregate summary of who witnessed the observation.
Instrument-recorded evidence for an observation (radar, FLIR, EO, etc.).
Official, media, and public response to the observation.
Environmental and weather conditions at the time of observation.
Typed links to related observations, plus flap/wave/cluster groupings.
Aviation context when the observation involved aircraft.
Attached photos, videos, audio, and documents — the record’s exhibit list.
A media file associated with an observation (image, video, document, or audio).
A media file associated with an observation (image, video, document, or audio).
Deeper ground for the hardest questions: chain of custody, sworn testimony, physical evidence, and cross-references.
Forensic provenance for an observation: custody status/chain and digital authenticity.
External identifiers cross-referencing this observation, with an optional primary.
A single witness statement, its context, and supporting documentation.
A physical artifact associated with an observation and its handling record.
Provenance metadata for a source document (classification, agency, redaction).
Versioning, data-source bookkeeping, and the extensions area where third parties attach their own data.
dataSourceIdstringIdentifier of the dataset or pipeline this record came from.
schemaVersionstringVersion of the records schema this record was authored against.
extensionsmapThird-party extension bag for slots not owned by a first-party package.
internalNotesstringPrivate working notes for maintainers — not part of the public record.