USE OF EQUIPMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM (EQUIS) TO DETERMINE PRIORITY FOR PURCHASING SAFEGUARDS EQUIPMENT

To manage its large world-wide inventory of safeguards equipment, the IAEA Safeguards Department uses a computerized EQuipment Information System (EQUIS). EQUIS data have been analyzed using Queueing Theory to determine if inventory is adequate to meet inspector demands and in those cases where it is inadequate, to indicate how many additional units should be procured. Results are tabulated for various types of non-destructive analysis (NDA) equipment. For equipment where there is a high turnover and hence a large amount of data, the analysis provides a powerful tool for assisting procurement decisions.