Knowledge management for radioactive waste disposal: moving from theory to practice

The exponential growth in the knowledge base for radioactive waste management is a cause for concern in many national programmes. In Japan, this problem is exacerbated by a volunteering approach to siting of a deep geological repository, which requires particular flexibility in the tailoring of site characterisation plans, repository concepts and associated Performance Assessments (PAs). Recognition of this situation led, in 2005, to initiation by Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) of an ambitious project to develop an advanced Knowledge Management System (KMS) aimed to facilitate its role as the supplier of background R&D support to both regulators and implementers of geological disposal. The paper will review progress to date in this work, with emphasis on tailoring of existing Knowledge Engineering tools and methods to radioactive waste management requirements, and outline future developments and challenges.