Technical Meeting on the Use of Uncrewed Aerial Systems for Radiation Detection and Surveillance

Introduction

The growing sophistication, availability, and adaptability of uncrewed aerial systems (UASs), commonly referred to as “drones,” have made them both an emerging capability and threat for nuclear security. From personal recreation to military applications, modern UASs come in a wide range of sizes, shapes, cost, and capabilities for which greater understanding and assessment are needed for both the potential use of, and countermeasures against, UASs to support Member States’ nuclear security programmes.

The Technical Meeting on the Use of UASs for Radiation Detection and Surveillance is part of a series of events that will address the need for improved research, development, training, testing and guidance on UASs in radiation detection and surveillance operations for nuclear security and environmental remediation and monitoring. 

Objectives

The primary objective of this meeting is to address pressing concerns regarding use cases, capabilities, and specifications for uncrewed aerial systems (UASs) that are used for radiation detection and surveillance purposes. 

Additional objectives include to:

• characterize the capabilities of UASs that are currently available on the market;
• encourage information sharing related to best practices for use and evaluation;
• discuss future performance test methods that are related to field and operational environments; and
• capture Member State needs and functional requirements that can be used to inform internationals standards and specifications.

Topics

The topics covered in the Technical Meeting will include but are not limited to:

• Development of Uncrewed Aerial Systems Technology
• Radiation Sensors for Uncrewed Aerial Systems
• Supplementary Surveillance Sensors for Uncrewed Aerial Systems
• Uncrewed Aerial Systems Radiological Data Processing and Post-Processing
• Uncrewed Aerial Systems Data Transmission
• Commercial Off-the-Shelf Versus Custom Built Designs
• Operational, Legal, & Policy Considerations for Uncrewed Aerial Systems
• Experiences and Lessons Learned Using Uncrewed Aerial Systems for Radiological Detection and Security Surveillance.

The IAEA encourages participants to give presentations on the work of their respective institutions that falls under the topics listed above.

Participants who wish to give presentations are requested to submit an abstract of their work, not later than 19 August 2022. Authors will be notified of the acceptance of their proposed presentations by 26 August 2022.

The abstracts submission details are included in the information sheet of this meeting. 

Participation and Registration

All persons wishing to participate in the event have to be designated by an IAEA Member State or should be members of organizations that have been invited to attend.

In order to be designated by an IAEA Member State, participants are requested to send the Participation Form (Form A) to their competent national authority (e.g. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Permanent Mission to the IAEA or National Atomic Energy Authority) for onward transmission to the IAEA by 19 August 2022. Participants who are members of an organization invited to attend are requested to send the Participation Form (Form A) through their organization to the IAEA by the above deadline.

Selected participants will be informed in due course on the procedures to be followed with regard to administrative and financial matters.

Participants are hereby informed that the personal data they submit will be processed in line with the Agency’s Personal Data and Privacy Policy and is collected solely for the purpose(s) of reviewing and assessing the application and to complete logistical arrangements where required.