Base Signature Strength

Every "Type" of Cosmic Signature has a Base Signature Strength (or, simply, Signature Strength) which determines how strongly scanner probes will interact with it. When tightly grouped signatures are scanned, the differences in each site's signature strength will cause the observed signal strengths to be grouped together into distinct sets of "bands" that contain sites with the same base signature strength.

These bands are:

The higher a site's Signature Strength, the easier it will be to scan a site to 100% signal strength, with 1/5 being easy and 1/80 being hard.

Each of the different types of Cosmic Signatures will always have the same signature strength. This means that a pilot may use their first scan of a system to measure the base signature strength of all signals in a system and then compare the results with known signature "bands" to discern what each result may be without having to scan every signature to 100%.

Furthermore, not all signatures appear in all areas of space. Many signatures are unique to certain places. An Angel Cartel hideout would not, for example, be found in Gurista Pirate territory, nor would a 10/10 DED-Rated Complex be found in high security space. To simply the process of identifying these signatures, the following listings have been made:

High-sec Signature Strength List

Low-sec Signature Strength List

Null-sec Signature Strength List

Anoikis (W-Space) Signature Strength List.

Complete Signature Strength List (all sites on one page for easy reference)

To help identify where the various pirate factions' signatures are found, the first three of these listings also contain a link to the Pirate Faction Occupancy Chart.

Example

The following example shows the process one might use to identify signatures without scanning them. The images are from a scan of the Hasiari system (in high sec). This initial scan contains 5 undiscovered signatures.

To make this scan, a single Deep Space Scan Probe with 9.8 Base Sensor Strength has been used: set to its maximum range of 256 AU and placed near the middle of the system. This wide scan radius ensures that all signatures in the system are captured in the scan results. Also, because most systems tend to be less than 60 AUs wide, a probe set to a 256 AU range will commonly have very little drop in signal strength due to distance, allowing signatures to line up clearly into their respective bands.

At this probe's 9.8 sensor strength, a result of .37% is in the 1/5 band, the .19% result is in the 1/10 band, the .12% results are in the 1/15 bands, and the .09% result is in the 1/20 band.

With each signal's Signature Strength determined, we can now break down the possible results for each of the signals. First we must note that the scan is in high sec (listing), so we can discount a large number of possibilities based on sec status. Further, we note that we are in Amarr Sovereign space, meaning certain types of ores, like omber, are impossible. Also, we are in the Derelik region, meaning any local pirate signatures will belong to the Sansha Faction (see Pirate Faction Occupancy Chart). In high sec, the 1/5 result could be a drone yard or a pirate hideout or a small hidden asteroid belt. The 1/10 result could be a number of different things but is most likely to be a K162 wormhole (generic exit), which is the most common 1/10 signature. In high sec, a 1/15 signature could only be an R943 wormhole to class 2 space, and, finally, the 1/20 result could, again be a number of things.

Specifically, the possibilities are as follows:

None of the Signatures can be a Grav site, because all 1/5, 1/10 and 1/20 band Grav sites in high sec contain omber and thus do not appear in Amarr territory.

The 1/5 Signature could be

Unknown (DED Complex, Unrated Complex, Wormhole)

Haunted Yard

Sansha Hideout of the faction hideouts, it must be Sansha because it is in Derelik (Pirate Faction Occupancy Chart)

1/10

Again, of the many radar, mag, and unknown signatures, these can only be Sansha because the scan is in Derelik

Radar

Local Sansha Mainframe

Local Sansha Virus Test Site

Magnetometric

Crumbling Sansha Antiquated Outpost

Crumbling Sansha Excavation

Looted Sansha Collision Site

Looted Sansha Explosive Debris

Unknown (DED Complex, Unrated Complex, Wormhole)

Desolate Site

Sansha Lookout

Rogue Drone Asteroid Infestation

Sansha's Command Relay Outpost

K162_(Wormhole) to anywhere but class 4 (class 4 systems have no outgoing wormholes to k-space... this is the most likely 1/10 signature)

Z971_(Wormhole) to class 1

A641_(Wormhole) to high sec

1/15

Unknown (DED Complex, Unrated Complex, Wormhole)

R943_(Wormhole) to class 2 (there are no other possibilities in high sec)

1/20

Radar

Local Sansha Data Processing Center

Local Sansha Shattered Life-Support Unit

Magnetometric

Crumbling Sansha Crystal Quarry

Crumbling Sansha Solar Harvesters

Looted Sansha Abandoned Station

Looted Sansha Battle Remnants

Unknown (DED Complex, Unrated Complex, Wormhole)

Sansha Watch

Chemical Yard

Sansha's Nation Occupied Mining Colony

X702_(Wormhole) to class 3

R051_(Wormhole) to low sec

After a thorough scan of the system, we can see the following results.

The 1/5 result is a Sansha Hideout.
The 1/10 result is a K162 wormhole.
As expected, both the 1/15 results are R943 wormholes.
And finally, the 1/20 result is an X702 wormhole.

Clearly, we were able to significantly narrow down the possibilities with the first scan, and, as each signature is raised above 25% signal strength, we can further narrow each Signature's identity when its group type (unk, mag, radar,... ect) becomes visible.

Signal Drop-off

A probe's Sensor Strength tends to vary with the scanner's skill, ship, and probe type, and different probe strengths will give slightly different results. For small signal strengths (below 25%), a doubling of probe strength will typically double the observed signal strength. Above the 25% value, signal strength starts to show diminishing returns. In any case, a single scan probe set to maximum range will always return results below this threshold.

Moreover, it should be kept in mind that the observed signal strength will diminish significantly as a probe's distance from a signature increases. Thus, signatures on the edge of a scan sphere may appear to belong to a lower band. This is usually only a problem when using the much shorter-ranged Core or Combat probes to measure signature strength. Because signatures are always found nearby to planets, this problem can be solved by taking multiple scans centered at the various groups of planets in a system and using the strongest results for each signature.

A more specific formula for calculating signal strength from one's probe strength can be found in the Signal Strength article.

Uses

The real power of this technique comes when a pilot is looking for a specific signature whose strength is already known. The pilot may simply scan the whole system once using a single probe, and ignore any results which do not fit into the band of the signature for which he is looking.

For example, if one is looking in Highsec for a Small Omber Deposit, all results outside the 1/5 band may be ignored. The only unwanted results which will then need to be scanned to 100% are Haunted Yards and (Pirate Faction) Hideouts. Potentially, entire systems full of signatures may be skipped in this way.

In w-space (a.k.a. Anoikis), this is a particularly powerful technique because signatures fit into a very rigid signature strength scheme:

All "Perimeter" Ladar and Grav Sites are 1/10

All "Frontier" Ladar and Grav Sites are 1/20

All "Core" Ladar and Grav Sites are 1/40

All w-space Radar and Magnetometric sites are 1/40

Wormholes

For each class of w-space, there is a limited set of wandering wormholes which may appear in it, and every system has only one static wormhole (class 2 systems have 2 statics). A full listing of nearly all wormhole signature strengths is available in the Wormhole Signature Strength List. Using this list, Pilots who know the possible wormholes which may appear in the system they are currently scouting, can speed their search for exits. Remember, only one (or two) static wormholes will be present in any given system. Its identity depends on what constellation the wormhole system lies within; thus, the other types of statics found in that class of system may be discounted (see also List of All W-Space Systems):

Wormhole Signature Strength List

Signature Signature Strength List

The following links lead to complete listings of all cosmic signatures sorted by Base Signature Strength. The listings group these signatures into "bands" of signatures with the same signature strength:

High-sec Signature Strength List

Low-sec Signature Strength List

Null-sec Signature Strength List

W-Space (Anoikis) Signature Strength List

Complete Signature Strength List (all sites on one page for easy reference)

Incomplete Data

The following signatures' locations are unknown at this time, if you should happen to find one, please post to the talk page. Similarly, if you should happen to find something where it doesn't belong or find something that belongs somewhere that it isn't, please post to the talk page.

Wormholes:
U319 ? to c6
S047 ? to high
B520 ? to high
N290 ? to low
C391 ? to low
C248 ? to null
K329 ? to null

Ladar:
Bandit Nebula
Helix Nebula somewhere in Derelik (high sec, low sec, or both?)
Spacious Nebula
Flowing Nebula

Radar:
Abandoned Research Complex DM077 found only in the Drone Regions, seems to offer drone components and 'Integrated' Drone BPCs