THE TIMELINE
REPORTS / DECADE✳ A DATA SCIENCE EXPEDITION
Into the woods.
Into the data.
Thousands of encounters. One enduring mystery.
Exploring the patterns behind Bigfoot reports,
one data point at a time.
OPEN DATA. OPEN QUESTIONS.
FOREST STUDY № 01 AI-GENERATED ILLUSTRATION
STORIES IN THE ARCHIVE5,021individual reports
ACROSS THE MAP49U.S. states represented
A LONG HISTORY1869–2021dated encounters
THE APPROACHCuriosity.with a healthy dose of skepticism
01 / THE EXPLORER
Where the stories lead.
Follow the reports across place and time.
Choose a filter. See what emerges.
Loading reports…
REPORTED ENCOUNTERS
Loading locations… One reported encounter
THE SEASONS
When the woods get interesting.
Reported season is used directly; it is not inferred from dates.
LOOK A LITTLE CLOSER
Every dot has a story.
| REPORT | ENCOUNTER DATE | LOCATION | CLASS | Source link |
|---|
02 / THE METHOD
Curious by nature.
Clear about sources.
Explore the information and make your own assessment.
Sources, coverage, and methods show how
the collection was assembled.
Start with the stories.
5,021 reports from the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization, compiled by Timothy Renner and shared in the September 2022 TidyTuesday archive. This is a fixed historical snapshot.
Explore the source archive ↗Keep the gaps visible.
Reports are deduplicated by ID. Missing dates and coordinates stay missing. Maps include usable U.S. locations; timelines include dated reports. Filters update every chart and the report table.
Get the data dictionary ↓Count reports. Ask why.
Reporting is voluntary. Population, outdoor activity, publicity, and access to reporting can all affect the patterns. Raw counts are not population-adjusted and don’t estimate the chance of an encounter.
Understand BFRO classifications ↗What do Class A, B, and C mean?+
Class A — Reports classified by BFRO as clear sightings.
Class B — Indirect evidence or observations with less visual clarity.
Class C — Secondhand or historical accounts.
The classifications describe reports in the source archive. They can be used to compare the source’s different report types.
The best discoveries
begin with a question.