THE IAEA INSPECTION FIELD SUPPORT SYSTEM

Over the past years the IAEA has developed a number of micro-computer-based applications addressing specific issues relevant to IAEA inspections. These inspection- oriented applications have proven to be of such great interest and benefit that it has been decided to follow a more comprehensive approach in order to respond to further demand by expanding according to a growing, well-defined need and, at the same time, assuring the integration and continued usability of system components already completed. The Inspection Field Support System (IFSS) has been developed to assist IAEA safeguards inspectors in the field to collect, maintain, analyze and evaluate inspection data at facilities. This will allow the inspector more time for measurements and other verification-related activities.The IFSS system is built around a 'core-engine' designed for modular expansion and integration for facility-specific components. This allows their use or adaptation to diverse inspection environments. The use of industry-standard personal computer equipment and operating systems provides interfaces to other computing environments, e.g. instrumentation, operator's computers and the central IAEA Safeguards Information System (ISIS). Currently, of the initial components, some have been successfully introduced into field-testing, some are under final development, and are expected to become available during the first half of this year.Further development work, however, will be required to complete all identified needed capabilities, to expand the system into a number of diverse inspection environments, to enhance instrumentation interfaces, and to fine-tune the components, so that benefits to the inspectors will be maximized.