Year
2002
Abstract
In the recent years, the IAEA has undertaken a significant program to upgrade its safeguards monitoring equipment to allow remote access to data. This remote monitoring program was started several years ago in an attempt to decrease inspection costs through a program of virtual presence. The review of collected safeguards data can be a carried out remotely via long distance communications circuits. At present, only a limited number of sites utilize the remote-access method. There are several factors limiting the faster, larger scale deployment of the remote monitoring system. One of these is the high cost of international communications where large block transfers of data are involved. In a co-funded, Bot Engineering Limited-IAEA study, we have undertaken a detailed examination of all cost-reduction methods available to the Agency in the area of international communications. In this study, terrestrial long distance services, leased lines, internet VPN and satellite communication systems have been considered systematically. In the last regard, a separate study, commissioned by the European Space Agency was conducted in which the concept of co-use of a communications and spacebased infrastructure with a number of international bodies has been explored. Results of the two studies were then compared and combined. We found that a number of agencies would consider it highly desirable to share operational costs in respect to new projects involving heavy use of telecommunications. Both the IAEA and the ESA study have concluded that satellite-based communications is the least expensive option, provided an adequate number of communications points are deployed. This finding was particularly convincing in a shared-infrastructure model, primarily due to the diversity and numbers of users involved in terms of operational theaters. Most of the couser applications involve remote locations or at least locations in which terrestrial communications are limited or non-existent, e.g., rural areas. In addition, we explored in the course of a third study, undertaken in cooperation with the Government of Kazakstan, the opportunities for adding national governments as potential users of the same satellite infrastructure for such revenue-generating activities as Customs collection and border management. This paper presents an overview of the various modalities we studied as well as details on the lowest-cost solutions identified. In addition to the approach proposed for telecommunications, it was also recognized that other space assets can be jointly utilized, particularly if combined with space-based communications infrastructure. The focus of interest in this regard has been the use of Earth Observations systems in a joint operational modality. The paper briefly details the efforts in this area as well.