Quickstart

Create your account

Ghost Planet requires a user account to create investigations and store evidence.

First name and last name (kept private)
Public username (visible to community)
Profile settings and preferences

Your real name is never shared publicly. Only your username is visible to other users.

Set your status

Choose your visibility status:

Online: Available for community interaction
Offline: Not currently active
Idle: Away from the platform

Complete your profile

Add optional details to enhance your profile:

Profile page URL
Bio and interests
Investigation preferences

Choose your mode

Ghost Planet offers two modes optimized for different investigation phases:

Mobile mode

Best for field investigations

Live photo/video capture
Audio recording for notes and EVPs
Quick text evidence entry
Location tracking

Desktop mode

Best for evidence management

File uploads and organization
Map-based location browser
Investigation review and editing
Community location discovery

Start with desktop mode to explore locations and plan your investigation, then switch to mobile mode when you’re in the field.

Your first investigation

Step 1: Create or select a location

Every investigation needs a location. You can either choose an existing community location or create your own.

Use existing location
Create new location

Browse the community location database:

Navigate to the Mappy interface in desktop mode
Browse the map or search by name
Click on location markers to view details:
- Location name and address
- Historical lore
- Past investigations
- Popularity metrics
Select a location for your investigation

Public locations are contributed by verified community members and include rich historical context.

Create a custom location for private or future public use:Required fields:

{
  "name": "Abandoned Mill House",
  "address": "456 River Road, Salem, MA 01970",
  "lore": "Built in 1847, locals report seeing a woman in Victorian dress near the water wheel",
  "latitude": 42.5195,
  "longitude": -70.8967,
  "visibility": false
}

Coordinate tips:

Use Google Maps or GPS device for accurate coordinates
Latitude range: -90 to 90
Longitude range: -180 to 180

Visibility options:

false (private): Only you can see this location
true (public): Shared with community (requires verification status)

Ensure you have permission to investigate private properties. Never trespass.

Step 2: Start your investigation

With a location selected, create your investigation:

Fill out investigation details

Provide essential information:

{
  "location_id": 123,
  "phenomena": "Reports of unexplained footsteps and temperature fluctuations in second floor hallway",
  "emergency_contact": "+1-555-0123",
  "visibility": true
}

Fields explained:

location_id: Links to your chosen location
phenomena: What you’re investigating
emergency_contact: Safety contact (highly recommended)
visibility: Public (true) or private (false)

Be specific about phenomena to help you stay focused and provide context for evidence review.

Add emergency contact

Always include an emergency contact when investigating:

Friend or family member aware of your location
Expected return time communicated
Contact should have address/coordinates

Never investigate alone, especially in abandoned or remote locations. Your safety is the top priority.

Choose visibility

Decide if your investigation will be shared:Private investigations:

Only visible to you
Perfect for preliminary investigations
Can be made public later

Public investigations:

Visible to community
Contributes to location history
Helps other investigators

Step 3: Collect evidence

Once your investigation is created, start gathering evidence:

Text notes
Photos
Audio recordings

Document observations in real-time:

<form>
  <input 
    type="text" 
    id="subject" 
    placeholder="Cold spot in master bedroom" 
  />
  <textarea 
    id="body" 
    name="body" 
    rows="5" 
    cols="33"
    placeholder="Temperature dropped approximately 15 degrees..."
  />
  <select name="locations" id="location-select">
    <option value="123">Abandoned Mill House</option>
  </select>
  <input type="button" value="Submit"/>
</form>

Best practices:

Include timestamps in your notes
Note environmental conditions (weather, time of day)
Record equipment settings
Document baseline readings

Validation:

Subject: Required, max 500 characters
Body: Required, max 10,000 characters

Capture visual evidence:Mobile mode:

Use in-app camera for instant capture
Photos automatically linked to current investigation
Add captions immediately

Desktop mode:

Upload existing photos
Bulk upload supported
Webcam capture for investigator documentation

Requirements:

Formats: JPEG, JPG, PNG, WebP
Max size: 5 MB per file
Caption required (max 500 characters)

{
  "evidence_id": 42,
  "source_url": "https://storage.ghostplanet.com/photos/123456.jpg",
  "caption": "Orb visible in upper left corner near ceiling",
  "file_type": "jpeg",
  "file_size_bytes": 2457600
}

Thumbnails are automatically generated for faster browsing and reduced bandwidth usage.

Record sounds, notes, and potential EVPs:Mobile mode:

Use device microphone for field recordings
Mark recordings as EVP candidates
Add titles for organization

Desktop mode:

Upload audio files from recording devices
Review and classify recordings
Add detailed metadata

Requirements:

Max size: 5 MB per file
Title/description required
Duration automatically calculated

{
  "evidence_id": 42,
  "title": "EVP Session 1 - Master Bedroom",
  "source_url": "https://storage.ghostplanet.com/audio/789012.mp3",
  "duration": "00:05:23",
  "file_size_bytes": 3221225,
  "is_evp": true
}

EVP flag:

Set is_evp: true for potential Electronic Voice Phenomena
Set is_evp: false for investigator notes or ambient recordings

Record a baseline audio sample before starting EVP sessions to compare environmental noise levels.

View your evidence

Access all your collected evidence through the Evidence page:

<EvidenceList />

Evidence is displayed in a table with:

Evidence ID
Creation timestamp
Text notes preview
Audio notes count
Photos count
EVPs count
Visibility status

Evidence visibility inherits from the parent investigation. Private investigations keep all evidence private.

Understanding the data structure

Ghost Planet uses a relational structure to connect your investigations:

User
  └── Investigations
        ├── Location
        │     ├── Coordinates (lat/long)
        │     ├── Address
        │     └── Lore
        └── Evidence
              ├── Text Notes
              ├── Audio Notes (EVPs)
              └── Photos

Key relationships:

Each investigation belongs to one user and one location
Each piece of evidence belongs to one investigation
Locations can have many investigations from multiple users
Evidence visibility is controlled at the investigation level

Next steps

Recording evidence

Learn best practices for capturing and documenting paranormal evidence

Managing locations

Master the location database and contribute to the community

API reference

Integrate with the Ghost Planet REST API

Core features

Explore investigations, evidence, and location features

Getting help

If you encounter issues or have questions:

Check validation errors

Ghost Planet provides detailed validation feedback:

Field requirements (character limits)
Data format errors (coordinates, file types)
Missing required fields

Review community forums

Connect with other investigators:

Share experiences
Ask for advice
Learn from the community

Forum posts support custom signatures and are timestamped for reference.

Report issues

Found a bug or have a feature request?

Submit detailed reports through the platform
Include screenshots when possible
Describe expected vs. actual behavior

Ghost Planet is actively developed. Your feedback helps shape the platform’s future.

Get Started

Core Features

Guides

Create your account

Choose your mode

Mobile mode

Desktop mode

Your first investigation

Step 1: Create or select a location

Step 2: Start your investigation

Step 3: Collect evidence

View your evidence

Understanding the data structure

Next steps

Recording evidence

Managing locations

API reference

Core features

Getting help

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get Started

Core Features

Guides

​Create your account

​Choose your mode

Mobile mode

Desktop mode

​Your first investigation

​Step 1: Create or select a location

​Step 2: Start your investigation

​Step 3: Collect evidence

​View your evidence

​Understanding the data structure

​Next steps

Recording evidence

Managing locations

API reference

Core features

​Getting help

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Create your account

Choose your mode

Your first investigation

Step 1: Create or select a location

Step 2: Start your investigation

Step 3: Collect evidence

View your evidence

Understanding the data structure

Next steps

Getting help