DAVID MARLER
TALK DESCRIPTION
CONNECTING THE DOTS: CENTRALIZING, DIGITIZING, AND ANALYZING UFO HISTORY
For eight decades, civilian UFO investigators worldwide interviewed witnesses and collected their sighting reports. Their counterparts in various military branches and intelligence agencies also collected similar reports. In addition to the raw history these case files preserve, equally valuable is the wealth of data they offer us. The reported characteristics they document are all data points.
Hampering efforts to make sense of this wealth of information over the years were numerous factors. These ranged from collections stored in various locations across the country or globe; organizational rivalries that prevented collaboration and data sharing between groups; information being lost or stolen due to absence of adequate security measures; lack of succession plans that led to many collections being lost or intentionally discarded and destroyed.
In an effort to centralize and preserve this history and make it more readily accessible, David Marler and his colleagues founded The National UFO Historical Records Center. This is the nation’s largest collection of historical UFO case files ever assembled in North America. The files are derived from various countries, organizations, and researchers. They include the famous case files from APRO, NICAP, CUFOS, and numerous other groups. The files number in the thousands. In addition to the reports themselves, the records center also contains books, journals, audio/video recordings, films, photos, microfilms, and artifacts.
Work is currently underway to digitize these holdings. Once digitized, they can be more readily accessible. More importantly, this mountain of digital data (that previously only existed in hard copy form) can now be analyzed using the latest AI technology. We are on the threshold of better understanding this subject through the marriage of historical preservation efforts meeting modern AI technology. Seemingly disparate cases may soon yield trends, patterns, and correlations in the data never before seen or understood.
We can only understand this subject better if we use the wealth of data we already have and start connecting the dots!
BIO
David has had a lifelong interest in the UFO subject and has actively investigated and researched the subject for 37 years. He has established himself as an internationally recognized UFO researcher, lecturer, and historian.
Evidence of his historical research is his acclaimed book, Triangular UFOs: An Estimate of the Situation. In it, he has provided a comprehensive analysis of triangular UFOs. He has collected, collated, and analyzed hundreds of reports. In the process, he has created a detailed profile of these objects and written a rich narrative of their history. This work is just one example of his data-driven approach towards the UFO subject.
In November of 2020, he became the curator of the historic National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena (NICAP) and the Center for UFO Studies (CUFOS) case files in addition to Dr. J. Allen Hynek’s original Air Force Project Blue Book files. David also serves on the board of CUFOS as their official Archivist.
David’s perpetual work in the field was recognized when he was awarded the 2022 UFO Congress’ Lifetime Achievement Award. In November of that same year, David and his colleagues launched the National UFO Historical Records Center in the Albuquerque, NM area. This 501(c)(3) non-profit organization is led by David who serves as the Executive Director.
In November of 2023, the archive secured the legendary UFO case files of the Aerial Phenomena Research Organization (APRO). This renowned collection, comprised of thousands of UFO case files, was considered “lost” for 35 years, but is now available to the general public thanks to David and his colleagues’ efforts. Together, the NICAP, CUFOS, and APRO case files along with numerous other UFO collections comprise the nation’s largest historical collection of UFO case files ever assembled in North America.
In early 2026, David also accepted a Board Member position for The National UFO Reporting Center. This is currently the largest clearing house for UFO reporting in North America that was founded in 1974.
For the last two years David has served as an adviser to U.S. government agencies who are examining the UFO/UAP subject. His institutional knowledge of the history and case material coupled with his organization’s vast historical archive is considered valuable to current governmental UFO/UAP research efforts.
David received his Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville (SIUE). David has worked extensively in the healthcare industry for 29 years. For the last seven years, he has worked for a large New Mexico-based hospital network and currently serves in the role of Project Manager. He resides in the Albuquerque, NM area with his wife and two daughters.