From dry fields to melting glaciers, IAEA scientists and experts are collecting, analysing and sharing data to advance peace, security and sustainable development.
Data help us to identify the root causes of major challenges facing the world today and to design effective solutions. In the nuclear field, data are essential for research and development as well as policy. They not only expand our knowledge but enable us to measure impact, monitor progress and identify successful strategies and technologies. By collecting and sharing data, the IAEA fosters international collaboration and fact based policy decisions that benefit everyone.
This issue of the IAEA Bulletin shows how data underpin the Agency’s work across the many sectors in which we are active — from health and nutrition to agriculture and the environment, from energy to nuclear safety and security — and highlights the diverse array of IAEA databases supporting the work of scientists and policymakers around the world.
This Bulletin is full of fascinating stories. Our efforts range from the micro to the macro — from collecting samples by hand in the frozen landscape of Antarctica to using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to analyse ‘big data’.
In these pages, you can read about a Bolivian scientist who trekked for six days to install technology on a glacier in Nepal, enabling local scientists to collect data on glacier melt and monitor its potential impact on the country’s soil and water resources. Or you can learn how an IAEA database helped German security officials protect stadiums in the ten German cities that hosted the UEFA European Football Championship EURO 2024.
Data are the foundation for evidence based approaches, and countries rely on IAEA data, analytical tools and support for planning. For example, Malawi benefited from IAEA data and analysis, as well as support from the Rays of Hope initiative, to plan and build its first public cancer treatment centre. Estonia used an Agency tool for analysing energy systems to develop a model for achieving net zero emissions.
Data are crucial to scientific discovery. To advance the progress of fusion energy from experimentation to commercialization, the IAEA collects and shares data on all phases of research and development, from the science of the fusion process to plant design and operation.
This edition of the IAEA Bulletin also highlights how AI and machine learning can enhance research and analysis, thereby expanding knowledge and accelerating progress. For example, the IAEA’s Zoonotic Disease Integrated Action (ZODIAC) flagship initiative will use AI and machine learning to identify patterns in zoonotic respiratory diseases, which jump from animals to humans, to detect the emergence of new variants that could cause pandemics.
AI is quickly becoming an essential tool for science and industry, and the nuclear sector is no exception. In fact, nuclear power could play an important role as AI continues to become more central to our lives. In 2022, data centres that power AI consumed about 460 terawatt-hours (TW h) globally; this amount is about what it takes to power France for a year. In December, the IAEA will convene an international symposium to explore how nuclear energy can help meet growing demand for electricity from data centres, as well as how AI can support the nuclear power industry.
Data are a critical resource because they fuel ingenuity. In promoting international collaboration in collecting and using data, the IAEA is helping to advance knowledge that can help us tackle shared challenges and build a better future for all.
