U. S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY SAFEGUARDS INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (SIMS) INITIATIVE

The recognized requirement to effectively use large amounts of information in a world that is literally swamped with ever increasing sources of data has led many organizations to develop and employ modern information management tools to assist them in data interpretation and decision making. One such organization so affected is the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The information explosion coupled with an increased role for the IAEA in the post-Iraq era has demonstrated a growing need to expand into non-traditional forms of information. If the IAEA is to carry out the new responsibilities in an increased Safeguards environment, it must have the right tools. Therefore, the U. S. Department of Energy has responded to the needs of the IAEA by implementing the Safeguards Information Management Systems (SIMS) Initiative. This paper describes SIMS objectives, the DOE approach, and the way in which the DOE/multilaboratory team has organized itself to assist the IAEA. User requirements are presented, and examples of the current DOE responses