  Matched filtering is a popular data analysis framework used to search for
gravitational wave signals emitted by compact object binaries. The templates
used in matched filtering searches are constructed predominantly from the
quadrupolar mode because this mode is the energetically most dominant channel.
However, for highly precessing binaries or binaries with moderately large mass
ratios, significant power is also carried by higher-order modes. We investigate
how the inclusion of higher modes in the templates increases the prospects for
detecting gravitational waves. Specifically, we use numerical relativity
waveforms from the late inspiral and coalescence of binary black holes to
identify mode hierarchies that cover the sky of binary orientations. We show
that the ordering in these hierarchies depends on the characteristics of the
binary system and the mode strengths. Our study demonstrates that detecting
moderately high precessing or unequal mass binaries requires the inclusion of
higher modes in the templates banks.
