Contributing to SIGMA — Unified Global Standards Index

Thank you for your interest in contributing to SIGMA — the world's first free unified index of global standards, treaties, frameworks, and guidelines.

SIGMA needs you. Currently 28 of 40 domains have only 1 seeded entry. Every expert who knows a standard is missing can make a real difference.

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🌐 Contribute Without Coding

You do NOT need GitHub, Python, or coding skills to contribute.

Option 1 — Google Sheet (Easiest)

The curation sheet 000_SIGMA_MASTER_DATABASE accepts new entries from anyone: 👉 [Open the SIGMA Curation Sheet](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/12B83jPjlKSbk9QX8IQjAJylqwby8puiwabHwHoFBj0Q/edit?usp=sharing)

Add a new row following the 22-column schema. The project maintainer reviews new rows weekly and imports them into the processed data layer.

Columns to fill (minimum for a valid entry):

• sigma_id — format: [DOMAIN_CODE]-[ISSUER]-[STD_NUMBER]-[YEAR] (e.g., HL-WHO-IHR-2005)
• entry_type — Standard / Framework / Treaty / Guideline / Regulation / Standards Body
• domain — from the 40-domain taxonomy (see data/reference/domain_taxonomy.csv)
• name_full — complete official name
• issuer — issuing organisation
• official_url — primary authoritative source URL (not Wikipedia)
• why_it_matters — 1–3 sentences in plain language explaining who uses this and why

Option 2 — GitHub Issue Form

Use the pre-filled issue forms — no coding needed:

Option 3 — Email

Not on GitHub? Email the project owner at the contact listed in README.md with:

• Standard name + official identifier
• Issuing body
• Official URL
• Why it should be included (1–2 sentences)

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🖥️ Contribute with Code (Technical Path)

Setup

git clone https://github.com/sigma-standards/sigma-index.git
cd sigma-index
python3 -m venv .venv && source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -e ".[dev]"
make validate   # Confirm everything passes before changing anything

Workflow

git checkout -b feature/my-contribution
# Make your changes
make validate   # Must pass before submitting PR
git add .
git commit -m "feat: add X to domain Y"
git push origin feature/my-contribution
# Open PR on GitHub

Adding New Entries (CSV path)

1. Identify the correct processed file in data/processed/ for your domain
2. Add rows following the 22-field SIGMA schema (see SCHEMA.md)
3. Assign a SIGMA ID: [DOMAIN_CODE]-[ISSUER]-[STD_NUMBER]-[YEAR]
4. Populate ALL mandatory fields: sigma_id, entry_type, meta_layer, domain, name_full, issuer, official_url, why_it_matters
5. Set data_source to describe where you got the data (specific URL or database)
6. Run make validate — must pass with 0 errors

Adding a New Domain Ingestor (Python path)

1. Read AGENTS.md and scripts/run_domain_worker.py
2. Create scripts/process_[domain]_priority.py following existing patterns
3. Create data/reference/[domain]_priority_sources.csv as input table
4. Add Makefile target following the existing pattern
5. Register the agent in data/reference/domain_worker_registry.csv
6. Run the new target: make [domain]-priority
7. Run make validate — must pass
8. Submit PR with both the script and generated data/processed/ output

Code Style

• Python 3.8+ compatible
• Follow PEP 8
• Add docstrings to all functions
• Add a test in tests/ for any new processing logic
• Run: python -m pytest before submitting

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📋 Schema Quick Reference

Mandate values: Mandatory / Voluntary / Voluntary-with-regulatory-adoption / Treaty-binding

Full schema documentation: [SCHEMA.md](SCHEMA.md)

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🔑 Quality Rules

Every PR must pass make validate (0 errors):

• No duplicate sigma_id values
• All mandatory fields populated (no blank required cells)
• All official_url values start with http
• Domain codes match the canonical 40-domain taxonomy
• Relationship edges have from_id, to_id, relationship_type, confidence, source_url

Source requirement: Every entry must have an authoritative primary source URL in official_url. Wikipedia, news articles, and secondary references are not acceptable as the sole source.

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🏆 Highest-Priority Contributions Right Now

These 8 domains have only 1 entry each and are marked critical priority:

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📜 License

By contributing, you agree to license your contributions under CC BY 4.0. All contributions must be based on publicly available, authoritative sources. Do not contribute content that reproduces full copyrighted standard texts.

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📬 Questions?

Open an issue: https://github.com/sigma-standards/sigma-index/issues Project owner: Mohammad Ariful Islam — CPI Bangladesh Mission