Portfolio Project
UFO Sightings Dashboard
Tableau Geospatial Analytics
Context
I wanted to see patterns in UFO sighting reports across the U.S.
Approach
- Cleaned and standardized a UFO sightings dataset.
- Built a Tableau dashboard with maps and time-based charts.
Impact
- Most reports happen just after sunset (earlier in winter, later in summer).
- California has the most reports, while central states have fewer.
Dashboard Design
I built a one-page Tableau dashboard to explore sightings by place, time, and reported shape.
- Maps: state and city views to compare hotspots at different levels.
- Time: a month/hour heatmap to spot seasonal and time-of-day patterns.
- Shapes: a breakdown of common shapes and how they change over the year.
Data Preparation
- Standardized location fields so points map consistently.
- Normalized timestamps so reports compare cleanly by month and hour.
- Cleaned shape labels to reduce duplicates from spelling and formatting.
Insights and Interpretation
- Reports cluster around dusk and nighttime.
- The peak hour shifts with daylight (later in summer, earlier in winter).
- California stands out in volume; central regions are lower.
What I'd Improve
- Normalize by population (per-capita rates), especially for smaller areas.
- Add filters for year, duration, and report quality.
- Surface data-quality issues (missing locations, unclear shapes) in the UI.
