Data Science Projects

Tens of thousands of people across North America have reported experiences that they claim are or may be of a potential Sasquatch (Bigfoot) species. These accounts have been documented in many places, but rarely systematically in the ways that scientists would prefer. However, these accounts provide a lot of data regarding the claims of and contexts in which people experience the Sasquatch phenomenon - and are well worth exploring despite any shortcomings.

The Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO) has amassed the largest database of reported sasquatch sighting and experiences, but only 7-9% of the reports are available to the public via their website. Published studies by others have used only this small fraction of the data.

This means that over 90% of the available data has never been meaningfully analyzed by any academic team. Matt Moneymaker, founder of the BFRO, has generously given Darby Orcutt a copy of the full dataset, meaning that Orcutt and his collaborators (including undergraduate and graduate students) are currently the only academics exploring and publishing analyses of the full dataset.

The first research articles exploring this rich dataset are anticipated to be submitted for peer review by early 2026. In addition, similar datasets beyond that of the BFRO will be included and explored in the near future.