FIELD DESCRIPTIONS FOR
BASINS AT RISK WATER EVENT DATABASE
Shira Yoffe – February 2002
DRAFT – FOR DISTRIBUTION WITH THE WATER EVENT DATA
Citation for BAR Event Database: Yoffe, Shira and Kelli Larson. “Basins at Risk: Water Event
Database Methodology” in Shira Yoffe. Basins At Risk: Conflict and Cooperation Over International
Freshwater Resources, Ph.D. Dissertation, Department of Geosciences, Oregon State University, 2002.
DATE
This field indicates the date (or closest approximation thereof) of when an event occurred. All dates are
entered in a month/day/year format. For meetings or events covering a period of days, often the last date
of the event is used, with additional date information covered in the event summary or comments fields.
If only a year is available for the event date, it is still entered in the database in a month, day, year format
and the convention 01/01/year is used. If only a month and year are available, the 1st or 15th of the month
is used as the day. A note is placed in the comment field that the date is an approximation.
DYAD_CODE
This field is a concatenation of the fields CCode1 and CCode2, in that order.
BCODE
A four letter code indicating the basin in which the event occurred. See the BAR Master Codes.xls file
for the key to the basin codes.
#_OF_BASINS
The total number of basins associated with an event. A “99” indicates ‘basin not specified’.
LOCATION
More specific information (beyond the basin identification) of where an event occurred.
CCODE1 and CCODE2
These fields contain the three letter country codes for the countries involved in an event. For each pair of
actors, the country code used in the CCode1 column is the one that comes first alphabetically, based on
the country codes. See the BAR Master Codes List.xls file for the key to the country codes.
COUNTRY_LIST
Perhaps a more appropriate title for this column is entity_list. In this column are listed all the names of
the countries or entities involved in an event (and not just the country pair for that row). Country names
are spelled out and separated by a double dash (“--“). Information in ( ) following a country names
provides more specific identification information. For example, China (Yunnan Province); German Dem.
Rep. (East Germany); Turkey (Kurdish rebels).
#_OF_COUNTRIES
The total number of entities associated with an event. The number of countries should match the number
of entities in the Country_List column.
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BAR_SCALE
A numerical score ranging from –7 to +7, with –7 denoting the most negative events, 0 denoting neutral
events, and + 7 denoting the most positive events. See Table describing Water Event Intensity Scale in
Appendix 1 for descriptions of the BAR Scale categories.
EVENT_SUMMARY
A detailed description of the event.
ISSUE_TYPE1 and ISSUE_TYPE2
This field contains a number indicating the main issue area of an event. The Issue_Type1 column is for
the main issue area and the Issue_Type2 column is for additional issue areas. See Appendix 2 for a list
and description of Issue Areas.
COMMENTS
This field is used to provide additional information or clarification regarding the coding of an event, raise
questions or concerns, or provide information regarding the event’s relationship to other events in the
Event Database.
SOURCE_BAR
Indicates where we obtained the event information, e.g., another database; electronic news files; historical
compendiums. These sources are often not primary data sources.
SOURCE_SOURCE
Indicates the more specific source of the event data, often the primary data source from which the
information was obtained.
FBIS_REGION
Indicates the world region for FBIS and WNC documents. Facilitates finding original source articles if
searching FBIS electronic files.
DOC_DATE
Indicates the date a source article (or book, web page,…) was published.
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APPENDIX 1: WATER EVENT INTENSITY SCALE
COPDAB
SCALE
15
14
13
12
11
ANTIRELOGGED, RECENTERED
CENTERED
(BAR) SCALE
SCALE
-7
-6
-5
-4
-3
-198.3
-130.4
-79.4
-43.3
-19.8
EVENT DESCRIPTION
Formal Declaration of War
Extensive War Acts causing deaths, dislocation or high
strategic cost: Use of nuclear weapons; full scale air, naval,
or land battles; invasion of territory; occupation of territory;
massive bombing of civilian areas; capturing of soldiers in
battle; large scale bombing of military installations; chemical
or biological warfare.
Small scale military acts: Limited air, sea, or border
skirmishes; border police acts; annexing territory already
occupied; seizing material of target country; imposing
blockades; assassinating leaders of target country; material
support of subversive activities against target country.
Political-military hostile actions: Inciting riots or rebellions
(training or financial aid for rebellions); encouraging guerilla
activities against target country; limited and sporadic terrorist
actions; kidnapping or torturing foreign citizens or prisoners
of war; giving sanctuary to terrorists; breaking diplomatic
relations; attacking diplomats or embassies; expelling
military advisors; executing alleged spies; nationalizing
companies without compensation.
Diplomatic-economic hostile actions: Increasing troop
mobilization; boycotts; imposing economic sanctions;
hindering movement on land, waterways, or in the air;
embargoing goods; refusing mutual trade rights; closing
borders and blocking free communication; manipulating trade
or currency to cause economic problems; halting aid;
granting sanctuary to opposition leaders; mobilizing hostile
demonstrations against target country; refusing to support
foreign military allies; recalling ambassador for emergency
consultations regarding target country; refusing visas to other
nationals or restricting movement in country; expelling or
arresting nationals or press; spying on foreign government
officials; terminating major agreements. Unilateral
construction of water projects against another country’s
protests; reducing flow of water to another country,
abrogation of a water agreement.
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Water Event Intensity Scale (cont.)
COPDAB
SCALE
10
9
8
7
6
RECENTERED
(BAR)
SCALE
-2
-1
0
1
2
ANTI-LOGGED,
RE-CENTERED
SCALE
-6.6
-1.0
0.0
1.0
6.6
EVENT DESCRIPTION
Strong verbal expressions displaying hostility in
interaction: Warning retaliation for acts; making threatening
demands and accusations; condemning strongly specific
actions or policies; denouncing leaders, system, or ideology;
postponing heads of state visits; refusing participation in
meetings or summits; leveling strong propaganda attacks;
denying support; blocking or vetoing policy or proposals in
the UN or other international bodies. Official interactions
only.
Mild verbal expressions displaying discord in interaction:
Low key objection to policies or behavior; communicating
dissatisfaction through third party; failing to reach an
agreement; refusing protest note; denying accusations;
objecting to explanation of goals, position, etc.; requesting
change in policy. Both unofficial and official, including
diplomatic notes of protest.
Neutral or non-significant acts for the inter-nation
situation: Rhetorical policy statements; non-consequential
news items; non-governmental visitors; indifference
statements; compensating for nationalized enterprises or
private property; no comment statements.
Minor official exchanges, talks or policy expressions-mild verbal support: Meeting of high officials; conferring
on problems of mutual interest; visit by lower officials for
talks; issuing joint communiqués; appointing ambassadors;
announcing cease-fires; non-governmental exchanges;
proposing talks; public non-governmental support of regime;
exchanging prisoners of war; requesting support for policy;
stating or explaining policy.
Official verbal support of goals, values, or regime: Official
support of policy; raising legation to embassy; reaffirming
friendship; asking for help against third party; apologizing for
unfavorable actions or statements; allowing entry of press
correspondents; thanking or asking for aid; resuming broken
diplomatic or other relations.
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Water Event Intensity Scale (cont.)
COPDAB
SCALE
RECENTERED
(BAR)
SCALE
5
4
3
3
4
5
ANTI-LOGGED,
RE-CENTERED
SCALE
19.8
43.3
79.4
2
6
130.4
1
7
198.3
EVENT DESCRIPTION
Cultural or scientific agreement or support (nonstrategic): Starting diplomatic relations; establishing
technological or scientific communication; proposing or
offering economic or military aid; recognizing
government; visit by head of state; opening borders;
conducting or enacting friendship agreements; conducting
cultural or academic agreements or exchanges.
Agreements to set up cooperative working groups.
Non-military economic, technological or industrial
agreement: Making economic loans, grants; agreeing to
economic pacts; giving industrial, cultural, or educational
assistance; conducting trade agreements or granting most
favored nation status; establishing common transportation
or communication networks; selling industrialtechnological surplus supplies; providing technical
expertise; ceasing economic restrictions; repaying debts;
selling non-military goods; giving disaster relief. Legal,
cooperative actions between nations that are not treaties;
cooperative projects for watershed management,
irrigation, poverty-alleviation.
Military economic or strategic support: Selling nuclear
power plants or materials; providing air, naval, or land
facilities for bases; giving technical or advisory military
assistance; granting military aid; sharing highly advanced
technology; intervening with military support at request of
government; concluding military agreements; training
military personnel; joint programs and plans to initiate and
pursue disarmament.
International Freshwater Treaty; Major strategic
alliance (regional or international): Fighting a war
jointly; establishing a joint military command or alliance;
conducting joint military maneuvers; establishing
economic common market; joining or organizing
international alliances; establishing joint program to raise
the global quality of life.
Voluntary unification into one nation: Merging
voluntarily into one nation (state); forming one nation with
one legally binding government.
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APPENDIX 2: ISSUE_TYPE CATEGORIES
Issue
Area #
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Description of Issue Areas*
Water Quality
Events relating to water quality or water-related environmental concerns
Water Quantity
Events relating to water quantity
Hydro-power/Hydroelectricity
Events relating to hydro-electricity or hydro-power facilities
Navigation
Events relating to navigation, shipping, ports
Fishing
Events relating to fishing
Flood Control/Relief
Events relating to flooding, flood control, flood damage, flood relief
Economic Development
Joint Management
General economic/regional development
Events involving joint management of basin or water resources, especially
where the management concerns cover a range of issue areas
Irrigation
Events relating to irrigation of agricultural areas
Infrastructure/Development
Events relating to the infrastructure or development projects, including
dams, barrages, draining of swamps for development purposes, canals.
Technical
Cooperation/Assistance
Events relating to technical or economic cooperation or assistance,
including project evaluations or river surveys and funds for ranges of
improvements to water-related technology/infrastructure
10
11
12
13
Border issues
Territorial issues
Events relating to rivers as shared borders/boundaries
Events relating to territorial claims, where the territory is associated with a
water body, e.g., a river island
*Note that not all issue areas listed are relevant "events" in and of themselves.
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