Background
The National Aviation Reporting Center on Anomalous Phenomena (NARCAP) was founded in 1999 by former NASA scientist Dr. Richard F. Haines. Its focus is aviation safety: NARCAP collects and analyses confidential reports from pilots, air traffic controllers and radar operators.
Significance
In its first Technical Report (2000) NARCAP coined the deliberately de-stigmatised term "Unidentified Aerial Phenomena" (UAP) to make it easier for aviation professionals to report. A staff of about 50 specialists handles investigations, analysis and publications.