IMPROVING DATA QUALITY SUBMITTED TO THE U.S. NUCLEAR MATERIALS MANAGEMENT AND SAFEGUARDS SYSTEM

The Nuclear Materials Management and Safeguards System (NMMSS) is the national database for tracking nuclear information. Department of Energy (DOE) Contractors and Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Licensees report summary level data for inclusion in the system. Each of these sites is responsible for the quality of data submitted for inclusion in the NMMSS. The larger sites use internal computer programs to create data files to send to NMMSS. The smaller sites create the data files by manually entering data into commercial off the shelf software that is capable of producing an 80-column text format. Approximately 20 percent of the data records submitted have some type of error. Types of errors include omission of key data element, inclusion of unnecessary data, use of incorrect data codes, mathematical errors and typographical mistakes. The DOE Office of Uranium, Plutonium, and Special Materials is now placing emphasis on data quality submitted to NMMSS. The emphasis is designed to improve data quality, reduce costs at NMMSS, and increase efficiencies at DOE Contractor sites. A number of initiatives have been implemented. Each DOE site submitted a plan on how to reduce errors to less than 5 percent. The NMMSS staff is providing training and having ongoing discussions with site personnel to assist in ways to improve data quality. Free software, Safeguards Management Software (SAMS), is furnished to any site that wants a copy. The SAMS software has the capability to allow a site to either enter the data manually or electronically import data from their site system. This software processes their data through the same edits as in the NMMSS. The sites using SAMS are successfully improving their data quality. Other sites have taken a different approach. They are monitoring the specific types of errors submitted in their data by using NMMSS error tracking reports. The site then uses this information to modify the facilities in house system. The site submitting the second largest amount of data to NMMSS uses this approach. They have improved their data quality by reducing errors to less than 1 percent per month. What does all this mean? It means site personnel spend less time on error correction because initial data submittals to NMMSS are of a higher quality. Site personnel and NMMSS staff work more efficiently and have additional time for other activities.