# SIGINT **Entity class:** Intelligence discipline **Domain:** Signals intelligence / national security **Maturity:** Developed ## Definition **Signals intelligence (SIGINT)** is intelligence derived from intercepted signals, including communications intelligence and electronic or instrumentation signals, under applicable legal authorities. It can identify communicators, technical characteristics, timing, location, and network behavior. SIGINT is one layer of counterterrorism, not the location of all relevant data. Financial institutions, customs systems, immigration records, human sources, and open sources hold other parts of the operational picture. This distinction is central to understanding why PRISM-style communications collection does not replace [[wiki/Financial Intelligence|financial intelligence]] or systems such as [[wiki/ICEPIC|ICEPIC]]. ## Relationships - **supports:** [[wiki/Counterterrorism Intelligence|Counterterrorism Intelligence]]. - **integrated through:** [[wiki/All-Source Intelligence|All-Source Intelligence]]. - **distinct from:** [[wiki/Financial Transaction Data|Financial Transaction Data]], [[wiki/HUMINT|HUMINT]], and [[wiki/OSINT|OSINT]]. - **can support:** [[wiki/Pattern-of-Life Analysis|Pattern-of-Life Analysis]]. ## Sources / Provenance - [Office of the Director of National Intelligence — What is Intelligence?](https://www.dni.gov/index.php/what-we-do/what-is-intelligence) ## Connected marketplace roles The source article connects this entry with [[wiki/RF Geolocation|RF Geolocation]], [[wiki/SIGINT Support|SIGINT Support]]. These routes locate the associated people, implementations, methods, and operational contexts in [[articles/The Coming Market for Civilian Spycraft|The Coming Market for Civilian Spycraft]]. **Collections:** [[collections/The Civilian Intelligence Marketplace|The Civilian Intelligence Marketplace]] · [[collections/Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and the Intelligence Environment|Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and the Intelligence Environment]]. ## Civilian intelligence marketplace — operational bridge Commercial and civilian contributions can supply useful signals observations under a defined requirement. [[wiki/HawkEye 360|HawkEye 360]] and [[wiki/RF Geolocation|RF Geolocation]] show the space-based commercial layer, while [[wiki/SIGINT Support|SIGINT Support]] names the field-service role discussed in the Premise account. [[wiki/Commercial ISR|Commercial ISR]] connects those observations with operational products. **Source article:** [[articles/The Coming Market for Civilian Spycraft|The Coming Market for Civilian Spycraft]]. **Collection:** [[collections/The Civilian Intelligence Marketplace|The Civilian Intelligence Marketplace]].