National UFO Reporting Center

The National UFO Reporting Center (NUFORC) is a civilian US organisation that collects, documents, and publishes public UFO sighting reports. Founded in 1974 by Robert J. Gribble in Seattle, Washington, NUFORC was led for decades by Peter Davenport, its longest-serving director. As of 2020s it continues under new leadership and operates from eastern Washington State.

Database

NUFORC maintains one of the world's largest public UFO-report databases, with more than 170,000 entries as of the early 2020s. Reports are collected via a 24-hour telephone hotline and an online web form, then categorised, dated, and published in searchable form. NUFORC's dataset is one of the primary sources used by researchers, journalists, and government bodies (including AARO-era analyses) for statistical studies of US UAP reporting patterns.

Significance

NUFORC is frequently cited alongside MUFON (Mutual UFO Network) as a key civilian UFO data source in the English-speaking world. Its longevity, standardised intake form, and open public-access archive make it a reference point for quantitative UAP analysis. The NUFORC dataset has been analysed in peer-reviewed academic journals for spatial, temporal, and demographic patterns in US UAP reporting.