Military Symbol Glossary: MSS, SIDC, Echelon
The terms used in symbol.army and in this documentation, with a short definition for each. The terms are the labels the application itself shows.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| 1-Point Symbol | Symbol placed at a single point, such as a unit, equipment or installation; informally “unit symbol”. |
| Affiliation | Whether a symbol is friend, hostile, neutral or unknown (plus the assumed, suspect and exercise variants); sets frame shape and colour. |
| Base Symbol | The symbol chosen from the library (unit, equipment, installation or tactical graphic) before modifiers are added. |
| Display Image Format | Option that sets how the symbol is shown in the Main Window: Vector Graphic (SVG) or Grid Graphic (PNG). |
| DTG (date-time group) | Military date-time format such as 01120000ZOCT26: day, time, time-zone letter, month and year; used by date and time modifiers. |
| Easy Symbol | Name of the application, shown in the title bar of the Main Window; also called Military Symbol Generator. |
| Echelon | Size of a unit or level of command (team to region), shown above the frame. |
| Export Format | Options group with the file format and pixel size used to download a symbol. |
| Free-Format Options | Line, fill, arrow and text styles of free-format graphics, set in the MSS Symbol Editor. |
| Hint | Coloured box in this documentation with a short note (blue) or a warning (red). |
| Label Distribution | Option for the distance between repeated text labels along a tactical graphic. |
| Main Window | Start view of the application, titled “Easy Symbol”: shows the current symbol and the buttons for search, editors, download, share, options and delete. |
| METOC | Meteorological and oceanographic symbols (weather); they support neither affiliation nor echelon. |
| MIL-STD-2525 | US joint military symbology standard; MSS implements revision MIL-STD-2525C. |
| Military Symbol Generator | Descriptive name of the application Easy Symbol at symbol.army. |
| Modifier | Additional information shown with a symbol, as text around it or as a graphic element (e.g. higher formation, date-time group). |
| MSS (Military Symbol Service) | gs-soft AG’s service that renders military symbols and tactical graphics and provides their names, modifiers and rules. |
| MSS Symbol Editor | Editor for the modifiers, affiliation and operational condition of a symbol. |
| MSS Symbol Search | Sub-window to find a Base Symbol by name, with filter settings. |
| Operational Condition | Status of a symbol: planned / anticipated, present, damaged or destroyed. |
| Optional Frame Format | Option to draw symbols whose frame is optional (mainly equipment) Framed or Unframed. |
| Point Editor | Sub-window to move, add and delete the reference points of a tactical graphic. |
| Progressive Web App (PWA) | Web application that runs in the browser and can also be installed like an app. |
| Reference Point | One of the points that define the position and shape of a symbol. In symbol.army, reference points are edited in the Point Editor. |
| Share Symbol via URL | Function that copies a link to the clipboard containing the complete symbol and its symbol format, including the Work Mode. |
| SIDC (Symbol Identification Code) | 15-character code of MIL-STD-2525 that identifies a symbol; shown in the app as “Symbol Code”. |
| Status Light | Modifier that shows the operational state of a symbol as a coloured indicator; its size can be optimized under Symbol Format. |
| Sub-Window | View that opens in place of the Main Window (search, editors, options); the check button applies the changes, the cross discards them. |
| symbol.army | Website and brand of the Military Symbol Generator. |
| Symbol Format | Options group with the appearance settings of all symbols (line width, size, colours, frame, date-time format). |
| Tactical Graphic (N-Point Symbol) | Line, area or arrow symbol defined by several reference points, typically a task or control measure. |
| Work Mode | Selects the symbol library: International (MIL-STD-2525C) or Extended (all International symbols plus the Swiss military and civil symbols; a few international symbols are replaced by their Swiss counterparts). |
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