DEVELOPING A NUCLEAR FORENSICS LIBRARY IN UKRAINE: CURRENT STATUS AND LESSONS LEARNED

The Institute for Nuclear Research of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine developed a pilot nuclear forensic database in cooperation with LLNL/Department of Energy NA-242 and with support from the US Department of State (STCU Partner Projects P459). Ukraine plans to use this database as a component of a national nuclear forensic database as well as an on-line point of contact for any authorized representatives involved in countermeasures when nuclear and other radioactive materials are found out of regulatory control. User needs are the main priority of the INR database development team. Rather than adapting existing standard database models (relational) to the needs of Ukraine, the INR team is leveraging the extensive database and interface experience of the project team to develop a database design satisfying user needs. This requires developing a database structure that is flexible to allow for multiple user interfaces and that may also incorporate diverse data sets. Based on our approach to database development, we have constructed database core layers that are general with the goal of not modifying the core structure throughout the life cycle of the information system. Moreover, by not following a standard relational database model, we hope to eliminate limitations that are necessary when data are grouped into object categories and/or object attribute lists, or when data are reported with different units and physical values. The main structure of the INR database stores all objects in a single table, and composite names are defined to make relations between objects and to form links between objects and their attributes. Tests of the pilot database are carried out by various user groups: INR experts; representatives from State Border Guard Service of Ukraine and State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate. Initial testing suggests that the database format is robust and that the main structure of core layers will not require modification for both present and future tasks. Further improvements to database development will include: multilingual capabilities; graphical information representation to make data more user-friendly; development of a Web-interface with simplified methods to use the database - especially for less-trained users; developing statistical analysis tools for attributive data.