Data Dictionary

April 20, 2026 · View on GitHub

Top-level keys and the schema of their entries.

meta

Provenance block — sources, license, extraction date & method, editorial changes.

event_codes

Source: GDELT CAMEO.eventcodes.txt + CAMEO.goldsteinscale.txt

FieldTypeDescription
codestring2-, 3-, or 4-digit CAMEO event code
levelint2 = root, 3 = subcategory, 4 = specific
parentstring or nullCode one level up (null for roots)
rootstring2-digit root code
descriptionstringHuman label
goldsteinfloat (optional)Goldstein conflict-cooperation scale, -10 to +10

country_codes

Source: GDELT CAMEO.country.txt, enriched via datasets/country-codes.

FieldTypeDescription
codestring3-letter CAMEO country code (often matches ISO 3166-1 alpha-3)
labelstringCountry / entity name (editorial: TurkeyTürkiye)
isoobject (optional)ISO enrichment (alpha-2, numeric, currency, region, FIFA, IOC) — only present where ISO alpha-3 matched

CAMEO also defines sub-national codes (e.g. WSB West Bank, GZS Gaza Strip, BAG Baghdad) which have no ISO equivalent and therefore no iso block.

known_groups, ethnic_groups_lookup, religions_lookup, actor_types_lookup

Simple {code, label} lookups from the corresponding GDELT files.

domestic_role_codes

Source: CAMEO Manual Table 3.1 (Generic Domestic Role Codes). Rich descriptions; grouped into Primary (COP, GOV, etc.), Secondary (AGR, BUS, etc.), and Tertiary (MOD, RAD) role codes.

FieldTypeDescription
codestring3-letter role code
descriptionstringDescription (and grouping label when the row is a section divider)

generic_codes

Generic non-geographic actor codes (e.g. IGO, NGO, UIS, MNC).

international_region_codes

Sub-continental and supranational region codes (e.g. EUR, NAM, SAM, MEA).

international_actors_special_codes

International organizations with custom CAMEO codes (UN, IMF, NATO, etc.).

religious_classification

Source: CAMEO Manual chapter "CAMEO Religious Classification". Hierarchical religion codes up to 9 chars (e.g. BUDMAH118). Extracted via regex fallback — may need review against the PDF.

FieldTypeDescription
codestringUppercase alphanumeric hierarchical code
descriptionstringReligion / denomination / sect label

keds_project_actor_codes

Source: CAMEO Manual chapter "KEDS Project Actor Codes". The canonical KEDS actor dictionary — countries, insurgent groups, government sub-entities.

FieldTypeDescription
codestringKEDS actor code (varying length, often ISO3 or ISO3+ROLE+GROUP)
actorstringActor label

regional_dictionaries

Per-region sub-dictionaries extracted from the Regional Dictionaries chapter.

Sub-keyDescription
main_ethnic_groups_a / _bEthnic group codes used across multiple regions (pages 2-3)
middle_eastMiddle East actor/region codes
turkeyTürkiye-specific ambiguous and special actor codes
nigerian_statesNigerian states with custom codes
liberian_countiesLiberian county codes
west_african_actorsWest African actors with special codes
balkansBalkan region actor codes

second_three_letter_codes

Source: CAMEO Manual, Religious Coding Scheme page 4. Conventions for the second three-letter component of compound religion codes.


Conventions

  • All code fields are case-preserved from the source (usually UPPERCASE).
  • Empty/missing values are represented as empty strings, not null, except where explicitly noted (e.g. event_codes.parent).
  • CSV exports under data/lookups/ and data/tables/ carry the same semantics as the corresponding JSON section.