GLOSSARY

Definitions of every term Hermes uses. UAP terminology is chronically muddled; Hermes defines its own usage here and sticks to it.

Core terms

UAP	Unidentified Anomalous Phenomenon. The preferred modern term. Covers aerial, transmedium, and submerged observations that remain unidentified after conventional screening. Hermes uses UAP in preference to UFO because UAP is less connotatively loaded and does not presuppose the object is physical, aerial, or of any specific nature.
UFO	Unidentified Flying Object. Legacy term. Used in Hermes only when referring to historical archives that themselves use the term (such as the NUFORC corpus) or to external networks that use the term in their branding.
Report	A single witness account of an unidentified observation, submitted in structured form. Plural: reports. Not the same as a "sighting" (a specific event) because the same sighting can generate multiple reports from different witnesses.
Sighting	A specific observation event, defined by time, place, and witness. A sighting can generate one or many reports. Hermes auto-links reports within 30 minutes and 50 miles as candidate corroborating reports of the same sighting.
Case	A record in the Hermes corpus, identified by `case_id`. One report produces one case; investigator review may link multiple cases to the same underlying sighting.
Witness	A person who directly observed a sighting. Distinct from an investigator, who processes reports after the fact.
Investigator	A person trained to elicit high-fidelity reports from witnesses, corroborate across reports, and attach supplementary evidence. Not required to file a report; Hermes is designed for both self-filed and investigator-filed reports.

Analysis terms

Elimination	A conventional explanation that Hermes ruled out based on the available data. Example: "Low wind: sky lanterns unlikely." Eliminations increase the confidence grade.
Flag	A conventional explanation that Hermes could not rule out. Example: "Bright planet Venus at 35 altitude known misidentification source." Flags decrease the confidence grade.
Verdict	The structured output of Hermes automated analysis: status, confidence grade, list of eliminations, list of flags, and notes.
Confidence grade	One of `LOW`, `MEDIUM`, `MEDIUM-HIGH`, `HIGH`. Describes how many conventional explanations were ruled out vs left open. See How Hermes Works for the exact formula. Does not describe the probability that the object was extraordinary.
Anomaly flag	Specific to the volume forecast. Raised when regional monthly report counts exceed mean+2SD. Describes report activity, not phenomena.
Cohort	A subset of the corpus selected by query parameters (shape, date range, location, etc.). Every cohort query produces a reproducibility hash.
Cluster	A geographic grouping of reports identified by DBSCAN spatial cluster detection. Does not imply common origin; describes concentration only.
Reproducibility hash	A SHA-256-derived 16-hex identifier unique to a specific query. Same query, same hash; different query, different hash. Used to cite a specific Hermes analysis.
Methodology version	A semantic version number (currently v0.16.0) describing the current Hermes analysis methodology. Every publication should note the methodology version in effect at time of query.

Observational terms

Bearing (facing)	Compass direction of observation, in degrees true. 0=N, 90=E, 180=S, 270=W. Hermes field name: `facing`.
Elevation angle	Angle above the horizon in degrees. 0 = horizontal, 90 = straight up. Not to be confused with elevation above sea level.
Observer elevation	Altitude of the witness above sea level. Field name: `elevation_ft`.
Duration	Length of time the object was observed. Archived reports sometimes have normalized `duration_seconds`; Hermes-native reports preserve the witness's original phrasing.
Azimuth	Synonym for bearing in astronomy contexts. Hermes uses "bearing" in the form and "azimuth" in the celestial check output.
Naked eye	Observed without optical aid. "No" implies the witness used binoculars, a camera, IR, or another instrument.
IR illuminator	An active infrared light source, distinct from a passive thermal imager. IR-illuminated sightings have specific analysis paths because of characteristic artifacts.

Shape vocabulary (intake enum)

The shape field uses a controlled vocabulary to enable cohort queries. The accepted values are:

Point of light unresolved bright dot, no apparent structure
Orb / sphere resolved round object
Disk / saucer circular with clear top/bottom distinction
Triangle three-sided, typically with lights at corners
Boomerang / chevron V-shaped or curved
Cigar, Cylinder elongated tube
Rectangle, Diamond four-sided, orientation-specific
Oval, Egg rounded non-circular
Teardrop, Cone, Cross distinctive geometric forms
Formation multiple objects in coordinated arrangement
Shape-shifting apparent change of form during observation
Other does not fit any above category; narrative description is primary

Scientific framing (preferred vs avoided language)

Prefer	Avoid	Why
"report activity forecast"	"UAP activity forecast"	We forecast reports, not phenomena
"report volume"	"sighting frequency"	Volume is observable; frequency implies knowing the true sighting rate
"unexplained after screening"	"anomalous"	Screening is limited; unexplained extraordinary
"misidentification conditions"	"false alarm rate"	We don't know ground truth, so can't compute false alarms
"cluster of reports"	"cluster of sightings"	Reports are what we have; sightings are what we infer
"confidence grade"	"UAP likelihood"	The grade is about elimination ratio, not phenomenon probability

Terms Hermes does not use

"Alien," "extraterrestrial," "ET" Hermes is not a position on the origin of UAP, and these terms presuppose one.
"Believer," "skeptic" These frame the field as a belief contest rather than an evidence exercise.
"Debunked" We say "ruled out," "elimination," or "misidentification candidate." Debunking is advocacy; elimination is analysis.
"True UFO" Used in some historical literature to distinguish unexplained cases from identified ones. Hermes uses "unexplained after screening" instead, because it specifies which screening.