Year
2016
Abstract
Since at least the 1990s, researchers in the field of international safeguards have proposed the use of advanced information technologies to support International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards inspectors working in the field. Evolving expectations of safeguards inspectors’ investigative responsibilities, combined with the rapidly increasing availability of information that is potentially safeguards-relevant within a State, accentuates the promise that advanced information systems could offer. However, the impact of such systems must be considered across a range of safeguards inspection activities and priorities. In this paper, we describe the development of an impact assessment methodology of advanced information technologies for IAEA safeguards inspections, utilizing the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) as its foundation. We then discuss the application of that methodology to four hypothetical safeguards inspection scenarios which offer various levels of advanced information technology integration. We conclude with the outcome of the safeguards inspection impact assessment and a discussion of its implications for IAEA safeguards.