Year
2018
Abstract
Under the MOSAIC project, the IAEA Department of Safeguards (SG) has transitioned from 20-year old mainframe technology to a modern environment in which safeguards data are available to all SG staff in every office in a user friendly interface with secure and configurable access controls. This paper provides an overview of the benefits and strengthened capabilities of the Department as a direct result of MOSAIC. A set of modern information technology (IT) applications have been custom developed to help the Department of Safeguards more effectively and efficiently carry out its in-field and headquarters activities in the face of growing demands and static resources. Development was done in close collaboration between users, developers, and analysts following a user centric agile development methodology. This collaborative approach dramatically increased the understanding between the parties, and was essential in improving the IT solutions. Training and user outreach has also been a critical factor in the success of this digital transformation process. The new IT applications enable a level of data integration and situational awareness that was previously not possible. Appropriate security features and security awareness training is also deployed to protect systems, data and people from cyber-security threats. This paper describes some of the key modernization aspects achieved through MOSAIC, including new and secure channels for the exchange of data between the Agency and States; refurbished capabilities for planning, conducting, and evaluating in-field verification activities; upgraded capacity for nuclear material accountancy data processing; enhanced Additional Protocol information capture and analysis; modern means to manage Safeguards containment and surveillance activities; and specialized tools to implement safeguards at the state level.