IAEA strengthens round-the-clock tool for notification and information exchange in nuclear and radiological incidents and emergencies

By Sinead Harvey

An online communication system through which the IAEA enables Member States and International Organizations to notify each other of nuclear and radiological incidents and emergencies round the clock has been made easier to use.

Through the IAEA’s Unified System for Information Exchange in Incidents and Emergencies (USIE), more than 1200 users from over 150 countries can notify each other or request information about emergencies and their development. They can also request or offer assistance.

“USIE is a crucial tool for effective international information exchange in relation to a nuclear or radiological incident and emergency,” said Elena Buglova, Head of the IAEA Incident and Emergency Centre. “Thanks to the new updates, information can be shared faster and is better protected. Such prompt communication bolsters the effective response to emergencies and reduces the risk for misinformation and rumours which can hinder efforts to protect the public.”

The update makes the system more intuitive and improves user authentication. Other improvements include a short message feature that allows users to provide updates on specific topics much faster, and an improved, more accessible format for status summary reports. Users can also now access the history of all published versions and downlaod the information into a report in pdf format. 

The updates were tested by IAEA staff during a recent Full Response Exercise before their recent release to all users. The IEC regularly holds webinars for USIE users – information is available on the USIE homepage.

The IAEA launched USIE in 2011 to replace an earlier secure website used for  information exchange on nuclear or radiological emergencies, which had been  in place since 2000.