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25 Years of the International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995/10

May 1995 marks the 25th anniversary of the International Nuclear Information System (INIS) of the IAEA which produced its first output products in both electronic and printed form in May 1970.

The INIS system, the very first in the world to enable the decentralized creation of an international database, covers all the world's literature on the peaceful applications of nuclear science and technology. Through INIS, Member States of the IAEA, international organizations, scientists, engineers, managers, planners and policy-makers, members of academic and research institutes, students and users in industry throughout the world are able to benefit from the comprehensive services offered.

At the time of its establishment, the computer-based INIS system was deemed to be at the forefront of information technology; during the intervening 25 years it has steadily developed so as to maintain its position in the vanguard of information transfer activities, while maintaining its non-commercial character and facilitating the availability of nuclear information to users in all participating countries irrespective of their levels of development.

While initially the information carried by INIS was made available in printed form and on magnetic tapes sent to participating Member States, subsequent developments in information technology have enabled the database to be made available also online from the computer at the IAEA and from other international database hosts that have appropriate arrangements with the national INIS centres. With the advent of international networking, database hosts that offer the INIS database are accessible from essentially all corners of the globe. The total database is also available on a set of 6 CD-ROM disks requiring only a local personal computer with CD-ROM drive to enable full local searching of references from the database. The system also assures the availability of the full text of those documents difficult to obtain through normal commercial channels (non-conventional literature) and makes them available from the Secretariat in Vienna.

The recent meeting of the Advisory Committee for INIS provided an outline of the strategy for INIS developments in 1995-2000 and beyond. This strategy foresees that access to nuclear information would be ensured not only by producing the INIS database as it has been in the past, but that access to information available through other databases would become part of the overall INIS approach to the provision of nuclear information. This approach of "partnerships" with other sources of information stresses the continued provision of comprehensive nuclear information services to its users in the Member States by a combination of data ownership and access to data stored elsewhere.

INIS continues to play a key role in providing access to nuclear information to support world wide nuclear projects of all types, not only in nuclear power but specifically also in nuclear safety and radiation protection, safeguards, verification, environmental effects of nuclear compared to other energy sources and non-energy applications of nuclear techniques in areas such as food and agriculture, human health, industry and earth sciences and physical and chemical sciences. Currently 90 IAEA Member States and 17 international organizations are cooperating with the Secretariat in the creation of the INIS database that now has records referring to over 1.8 million items of nuclear literature and is growing at the rate of about 85.000 records per year. INIS is by far the largest of the electronic databases created by the IAEA in cooperation with its Member States, and its continuing success reflects the active support and participation of IAEA Member States.

Last update: 16 Feb 2018

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