Glossary & Data Types

Understanding our data classification system

This page explains the various types and classifications used throughout the HiWars database to categorize military information.

Conflict Types

Classification of military conflicts by their nature and participants

Code	Name	Description
`INTERSTATE_WAR`	Interstate War	Armed conflict between two or more sovereign states
`CIVIL_WAR`	Civil War	Armed conflict within a single country between organized groups
`COLONIAL_WAR`	Colonial War	Conflict involving colonial powers and indigenous populations
`REBELLION`	Rebellion	Armed resistance against established authority
`INSURGENCY`	Insurgency	Organized movement aimed at overthrowing a government through armed conflict
`REVOLUTION`	Revolution	Fundamental change in political power or organizational structures
`BORDER_CONFLICT`	Border Conflict	Armed dispute over territorial boundaries
`PROXY_WAR`	Proxy War	Conflict where opposing powers support combatants that serve their interests
`ETHNIC_CONFLICT`	Ethnic Conflict	Conflict between different ethnic groups
`RELIGIOUS_CONFLICT`	Religious Conflict	Conflict motivated by religious differences
`TERRITORIAL_DISPUTE`	Territorial Dispute	Disagreement over the possession or control of land
`OTHER`	Other	Conflicts not fitting other categories

Conflict Scales

Size and scope of military engagements

Code	Name	Description
`WORLD_WAR`	World War	Global conflict involving multiple major powers across continents
`REGIONAL_WAR`	Regional War	Conflict spanning multiple countries within a geographic region
`CAMPAIGN`	Campaign	Series of military operations forming a distinct phase of a war
`BATTLE`	Battle	Combat between two forces at a specific time and place
`SKIRMISH`	Skirmish	Brief, unplanned fight between small forces
`SIEGE`	Siege	Military blockade of a fortified position
`RAID`	Raid	Quick surprise attack on an enemy position
`OPERATION`	Operation	Coordinated military action with specific objectives
`OTHER`	Other	Operations not fitting other scale categories

Belligerent Types

Categories of parties involved in conflicts

Code	Name	Description
`NATION`	Nation	Sovereign state or country
`ALLIANCE`	Alliance	Formal agreement between nations for mutual support
`ARMY`	Armed Forces	Official military organization of a nation
`REBEL_GROUP`	Rebel Group	Armed group fighting against established government
`MILITIA`	Militia	Civilian military force, often locally organized
`GUERRILLA`	Guerrilla	Irregular military force using guerrilla warfare tactics
`POLITICAL_GROUP`	Political Group	Organization with political objectives, may have armed wing
`ETHNIC_GROUP`	Ethnic Group	Group defined by shared ethnic identity
`RELIGIOUS_GROUP`	Religious Group	Group defined by shared religious beliefs
`MERCENARY`	Mercenary	Private military force fighting for payment
`RESISTANCE`	Resistance	Movement opposing occupation or oppression
`PARAMILITARY`	Paramilitary	Organization with military structure but not part of official armed forces
`TERRORIST`	Terrorist	Group using terror tactics against civilians
`OTHER`	Other	Groups not fitting other categories

Event Types

Classification of military and political events

Code	Name	Description
`BATTLE`	Battle	Major military engagement between forces
`SIEGE`	Siege	Military blockade of a fortified position
`CAMPAIGN_START`	Campaign Start	Beginning of a military campaign
`CAMPAIGN_END`	Campaign End	Conclusion of a military campaign
`WAR_DECLARATION`	War Declaration	Official declaration of war
`SURRENDER`	Surrender	Formal yielding to opponent forces
`PEACE_TREATY`	Peace Treaty	Formal agreement ending hostilities
`ALLIANCE_FORMATION`	Alliance Formation	Formation of military or political alliance
`MILITARY_OPERATION`	Military Operation	Organized military action with specific goals
`OCCUPATION`	Occupation	Military control of territory
`RETREAT`	Retreat	Withdrawal of military forces
`REBELLION`	Rebellion	Uprising against established authority
`COUP`	Coup	Sudden seizure of power
`ASSASSINATION`	Assassination	Targeted killing of political or military figure
`MOBILIZATION`	Mobilization	Preparation and assembly of military forces
`DIPLOMATIC_CRISIS`	Diplomatic Crisis	Severe deterioration in diplomatic relations
`TERRITORIAL_CHANGE`	Territorial Change	Change in territorial control or sovereignty
`LEADERSHIP_CHANGE`	Leadership Change	Change in political or military leadership
`STRATEGIC_DEPLOYMENT`	Strategic Deployment	Deployment of forces for strategic purposes
`WEAPONS_DEPLOYMENT`	Weapons Deployment	Introduction of new weapons systems
`CIVILIAN_IMPACT`	Civilian Impact	Event affecting civilian population
`OTHER`	Other	Events not fitting other categories

Location Types

Categories of geographic locations

Code	Name	Description
`MILITARY_SITE`	Military Site	Military base, fort, or installation
`BATTLEFIELD`	Battlefield	Site of military engagement
`MONUMENT`	Monument	Memorial or commemorative structure
`GOVERNMENT`	Government	Government building or facility
`TRANSPORT_HUB`	Transport Hub	Transportation center (port, airport, station)
`SETTLEMENT`	Settlement	Town, city, or village
`BUILDING`	Building	Individual structure of significance
`NATURAL_SITE`	Natural Site	Natural geographic feature
`STRATEGIC_POINT`	Strategic Point	Location of strategic military importance
`RUINS`	Ruins	Destroyed or abandoned structure
`OTHER`	Other	Locations not fitting other categories

Territory Types

Administrative and geographic divisions

Code	Name	Description
`CONTINENT`	Continent	Major landmass
`REGION`	Region	Large geographic or administrative area
`COUNTRY`	Country	Sovereign nation or state
`STATE`	State	Administrative subdivision (state, province, oblast)
`CITY`	City	Urban settlement
`AREA`	Area	Specific geographic zone
`OTHER`	Other	Territories not fitting other categories

Conflict Roles

Roles that belligerents play in conflicts

Code	Name	Description
`AGGRESSOR`	Aggressor	Party that initiated the conflict
`ATTACKER`	Attacker	Party conducting offensive operations
`DEFENDER`	Defender	Party conducting defensive operations
`ALLY`	Ally	Party providing formal military support through alliance
`SUPPORTER`	Supporter	Party providing material or indirect support
`NEUTRAL`	Neutral	Party not taking sides in the conflict
`PARTICIPANT`	Participant	Party involved without a specific role

Intel Report Classification System

4-level hierarchical classification system for intelligence reports, used to categorize and filter military-related information from public sources.

User Categories

6 simplified categories for easy filtering and browsing

Code	Name	Description
`ACTIVE_COMBAT`	Active Combat	Combat actions and battle results (includes Military Operations, Casualties & Losses)
`TROOP_ACTIVITY`	Troop Activity	Deployments and command changes (includes Force Movement, Command & Control)
`WEAPONS_TECH`	Weapons & Tech	Military hardware and technology (includes Weapons & Equipment)
`INTEL_SURVEILLANCE`	Intel & Surveillance	Intelligence gathering operations (includes ISR Activity)
`LOGISTICS`	Logistics Support	Supply chains and support operations (includes Logistics)
`STRATEGIC`	Strategic & Political	High-level analysis and political-military affairs (includes Strategic Assessment, Political-Military, Information Operations)

Intel Categories

10 detailed military intelligence categories (Primary/Secondary)

Code	Name	Description
`MILITARY_OPERATIONS`	Military Operations	Combat actions, strikes, engagements
`FORCE_MOVEMENT`	Force Movement	Deployments, rotations, withdrawals
`WEAPONS_EQUIPMENT`	Weapons & Equipment	Weapons systems, technology
`ISR_ACTIVITY`	ISR Activity	Intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance
`COMMAND_CONTROL`	Command & Control	HQ activity, leadership changes
`LOGISTICS`	Logistics	Supply lines, fuel, ammunition
`CASUALTIES_LOSSES`	Casualties & Losses	Personnel/equipment losses
`INFORMATION_OPERATIONS`	Information Operations	Propaganda, psyops, cyber influence
`POLITICAL_MILITARY`	Political-Military	Military aid, sanctions, alliances
`STRATEGIC_ASSESSMENT`	Strategic Assessment	Trends, escalation risks, intent

Intel Subcategories

Detailed subcategories within each intel category for granular classification

Parent Category	Code	Name	Description
`MILITARY_OPERATIONS`	`AIRSTRIKE`	Airstrike	Air-to-ground attack operations
	`ARTILLERY_FIRE`	Artillery Fire	Artillery bombardment operations
	`GROUND_ASSAULT`	Ground Assault	Ground force offensive operations
	`DEFENSIVE_ACTION`	Defensive Action	Defensive military operations
	`NAVAL_ENGAGEMENT`	Naval Engagement	Naval combat operations
	`SPECIAL_OPERATIONS`	Special Operations	Special forces operations
`FORCE_MOVEMENT`	`TROOP_REDEPLOYMENT`	Troop Redeployment	Movement of troops to new positions
	`ARMOR_COLUMN`	Armor Column	Movement of armored vehicles
	`RESERVE_MOBILIZATION`	Reserve Mobilization	Activation of reserve forces
	`BORDER_MOVEMENT`	Border Movement	Troop movements near borders
`WEAPONS_EQUIPMENT`	`MISSILE_USAGE`	Missile Usage	Missile launch and deployment
	`DRONE_UAV`	Drone/UAV	Unmanned aerial vehicle operations
	`AIR_DEFENSE`	Air Defense	Air defense systems and operations
	`EW_SYSTEM`	EW System	Electronic warfare systems
	`NEW_WEAPON_SYSTEM`	New Weapon System	Introduction of new weapons
`ISR_ACTIVITY`	`UAV_RECON`	UAV Recon	UAV reconnaissance operations
	`SATELLITE_IMAGERY`	Satellite Imagery	Satellite surveillance and imaging
	`RADAR_ACTIVITY`	Radar Activity	Radar detection and tracking
	`SIGINT`	SIGINT	Signals intelligence gathering
	`ELINT`	ELINT	Electronic intelligence gathering
`COMMAND_CONTROL`	`HQ_ACTIVITY`	HQ Activity	Headquarters operations and movements
	`HQ_STRIKE`	HQ Strike	Attacks on command centers
	`COMMS_DISRUPTION`	Comms Disruption	Communication system disruption
	`LEADERSHIP_CHANGE`	Leadership Change	Changes in military leadership
`LOGISTICS`	`FUEL_DEPOT`	Fuel Depot	Fuel storage and distribution
	`AMMO_STORAGE`	Ammo Storage	Ammunition storage facilities
	`RAILWAY`	Railway	Rail transport operations
	`SUPPLY_ROUTE`	Supply Route	Supply line operations
	`INDUSTRIAL_BASE`	Industrial Base	Military industrial production
`CASUALTIES_LOSSES`	`PERSONNEL_LOSSES`	Personnel Losses	Military personnel casualties
	`EQUIPMENT_LOSSES`	Equipment Losses	Military equipment destroyed/damaged
	`POW_CAPTURE`	POW Capture	Prisoner of war capture
	`CIVILIAN_IMPACT`	Civilian Impact	Impact on civilian population
`INFORMATION_OPERATIONS`	`PROPAGANDA`	Propaganda	Propaganda campaigns
	`DISINFORMATION`	Disinformation	Disinformation operations
	`PSYOPS`	PsyOps	Psychological operations
	`CYBER_INFLUENCE`	Cyber Influence	Cyber influence operations
	`MEDIA_MANIPULATION`	Media Manipulation	Media manipulation tactics
`POLITICAL_MILITARY`	`MILITARY_AID`	Military Aid	Military assistance and support
	`SANCTIONS`	Sanctions	Economic and military sanctions
	`MOBILIZATION_POLICY`	Mobilization Policy	National mobilization decisions
	`ALLIANCE_ACTIVITY`	Alliance Activity	Alliance formations and activities
	`DIPLOMATIC_SIGNAL`	Diplomatic Signal	Diplomatic messaging and signals
`STRATEGIC_ASSESSMENT`	`BATTLEFIELD_TREND`	Battlefield Trend	Battlefield situation analysis
	`ESCALATION_RISK`	Escalation Risk	Conflict escalation assessment
	`CAPABILITY_DEGRADATION`	Capability Degradation	Military capability assessment
	`INTENT_ASSESSMENT`	Intent Assessment	Strategic intent analysis
	`WARGAME_PROJECTION`	Wargame Projection	Scenario projection and wargaming

Analytical Domains

5-level classification of operational scope and impact

Code	Name	Description
`STRATEGIC`	Strategic	Strategic level operations and assessments
`OPERATIONAL`	Operational	Operational level campaigns and operations
`TACTICAL`	Tactical	Tactical level engagements and maneuvers
`INFORMATIONAL`	Informational	Information domain operations
`HYBRID`	Hybrid	Operations spanning multiple domains