IAEA Member States that are not members of the OECD's Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) are enjoying access to a huge array of OECD-NEA nuclear science software packages and databases, thanks to a special arrangement between the two organizations.
The service facilitates access to a wide range of modelling tools from the OECD-NEA Data Bank to support national activities in nuclear science, from spent fuel composition analysis to nuclear data visualization. More than 25 requests per month are handled under the arrangement.
“This service is helping the Brazilian Metrology Laboratory of Ionizing Radiation (LNMRI) to simulate the response of ionizing radiation measuring instruments by facilitating access to updated computer codes,” said Simoes Da Fonseca of LNMRI. “These simulations are one of the steps needed to ensure the calibration and traceability of the radiation beams used in thousands of treatments and diagnoses performed in Brazil every year.”
The NEA Data Bank compiles, tests and disseminates over 1400 software packages, which have been developed by experts in more than 40 countries, and organizes training courses on widely used programmes to enhance nuclear knowledge sharing and preservation. Requesting experts receive the packages in DVD form.
The tools have applications in a wide range of disciplines, from nuclear energy to medicine. They include Spent Fuel Isotopic Composition (SFCMPO), an exhaustive database with details on the makeup of various types of spent fuel, and the International Reactor Physics Handbook Database and Analysis Tool (IDAT), which facilitates the study of nuclear reactor dynamics according to variables such as core configuration.
“The OECD-NEA Data Bank has a wealth of highly useful databases and analytical tools, and their renewed availability to Member State institutions is a boon to the scientific community,” said Mikhail Chudakov, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Energy. “We look forward to continuing to build on what has been a very productive, mutually beneficial partnership.”
Countries that are not part of the OECD or the NEA can benefit from the service, which is operated through the IAEA’s International Nuclear Information System (INIS). It provides access to all packages in the Data Bank archives with the exception of those developed in the United States. Guidelines for IAEA Member States to request access to the Data Bank are available here.
“The Data Bank services to IAEA countries outside NEA’s membership is a solid example of the excellent cooperation between the agencies,” said William D. Magwood IV, Director General of OECD-NEA. “This arrangement bolsters the NEA Data Bank’s mission to foster the international exchange of scientific knowledge."
Peaceful Uses Initiative
The resumed service is supported by Peaceful Uses Initiative (PUI) funding from the United States. Since 2010, extrabudgetary contributions made through PUI have been used to support a wide variety of IAEA activities aimed at promoting broad development goals in Member States.
