International Radiological Information Exchange (IRIX) Standards for Emergency Radiation Monitoring Data Reporting

The Incident and Emergency Centre (IEC) of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has developed a web application, the International Radiation Monitoring Information System (IRMIS). IAEA Member States (MS) can share and visualize large quantities of radiation monitoring data (viz. gamma dose rate, isotope specific ground depositions and air concentrations) using IRMIS. The radiation monitoring data may be uploaded into IRMIS in the International Radiological Information Exchange (IRIX) format. IRIX is a technical standard developed by the IAEA, in cooperation with the MSs and the European Commission (EC). IRIX enables the development of interoperable systems and solutions for exchanging emergency information and data between organisations at both national and international level during a nuclear or radiological emergency. IRIX is an open format based on the Extensible Markup Language (XML), which makes it both machine and human readable. The system interface specification (or web-service specification) enables organizations to interconnect their emergency information systems to automate information exchange. The XML provides a software- and hardware-independent way of storing, transporting, and sharing data. The article will discuss applications of IRIX in IRMIS.