LOCATION
Daejeon, Republic of Korea 

DATES
16-20 October 2023 
 

LANGUAGE
The working language will be English
 

OBJECTIVES
The Treaty Protocol specifies that the IDC is required to react to requests from State Signatories for so-called Requested Services. In this Technical Meeting, we are most interested in defining the Standard Operating Procedures for the specific requests of a Special Analysis, which can have two distinct services called Special Studies and Expert Technical Analysis. 

Special Studies provide in-depth, technical reviews by expert analysis of data coming from the CTBT’s International Monitoring System (IMS) to improve the estimated values for the standard parameters, resulting in an Updated Radionuclide Report (URR) or an Updated Event Bulletin (UEB).

The purpose of the Expert Technical Analysis (ETA) of IMS data and other relevant data provided by the requesting State Signatory is to assist the State Signatory concerned in identifying the source of specific events. The output of an ETA is the State Requested Methods Report (SRMR).

The National Screened (Radionuclide) Event Bulletin (NS(R)EB) is also a possible Requested Service and was already introduced in past meetings. It needs to be reviewed and refined.

The Expert Meetings on Special Studies and ETA for Waveform Methods, and for RN and ATM Methods, will be held concurrently. There will be several joint sessions where experts from all disciplines will join to discuss experiences with data fusion and work on the shared parts of the procedures, products (reports), and respective methods.  

The objectives for both Expert Meetings are:

• Refine the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for executing Special Studies and ETA, and their associated templates, documents, and its list of (scientific) methods; 
• Discuss advances and introduce new approaches to scientific methods (for the respective technologies) which would be used during ETAs;
• Provide an update on IDC preparations to be ready to execute Special Studies and ETA;
• Discuss the possible content of the reports, e.g., UEB/URR and SRMR reports;
• Explore the possible use of various non-IMS data for SRMR;
• Discuss Data Fusion options between RN and SHI events;
• Advance the common understanding of the defined procedures. 

Additional specific objectives for the Expert Meeting on Special Studies and ETA with Waveform Methods:

• Advancing and reviewing the ETA-SHI software suite
• Develop or refine the possible content of the UEB, SSEB, NSEB, and SRMR;

Additional specific objectives for the Expert Meeting on Special Studies and ETA with Radionuclides (RN) and Atmospheric Transport Model (ATM) Methods:

• Discuss methods to determine which samples are related to the same event (Screening);
• Discuss ATM methods to locate the source region for single or multiple samples;
• Characterise the atmospheric isotope background based on known man-made sources;
• Advancing and reviewing the ETA-RN software suite
• Develop or refine the possible content of the URR, SSREB, NSREB, and SRMR.

Meeting participants are welcome to contribute to the Technical Meetings by making a brief presentation related to one of the objective’s topics in their related field.


AGENDA
To be determined. 

The focus will be on Special Studies and Expert Technical Analysis - developing and reviewing procedures, methods, guidelines on the use of data, and the content of the radionuclide (URR, SSREB, NSREB) and waveform products (UEB, SSEB, and the ETA-SHI software suite) as well as the shared product SRMR.


PARTICIPANT PROFILE
Experts from NDCs and research establishments involved in testing, applying, and developing waveform, radionuclide, or ATM methods that may be suitable for inclusion into the IDC automatic processing pipelines or may be applicable to Special Studies and Expert Technical Analysis.


APPLICATION  AND REGISTRATION PROCEDURES

All applicants are requested to visit ctnw.ctbto.org and register online latest by 14 July 2023 

Financial support may be available to a limited number of participants. Such assistance must be requested at the time of registration (by selecting the relevant box during online registration) and no later than 14 July 2023. 

Participants requesting financial assistance have to submit an abstract of their suggested presentation, relevant to a topic of the meeting. 

States Signatories wishing to nominate experts are requested to inform the Provisional Technical Secretariat (see Point of Contact) through their respective Permanent Mission.


FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Applicable to PTS-funded participants only

Participants receiving funding from the Commission, are to note that, in line with the Staff Rules and Regulations and Administrative Directives of the Organisation, the PTS will provide the following:

• A Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) that is sufficient to cover related expenses during the meetings;
• The PTS travel agent will reserve, issue, and send the flight tickets to the participants for the most direct and economical route;
• Funded participants are not allowed to purchase their tickets unless, under exceptional circumstances, be authorized to do so and only if this proves to be most cost-efficient for the PTS;
• Information on hotel booking and method of covering expenses will be sent to participants after the registration/application deadline;
• Health insurance will be provided for the duration of the meetings, including transportation time.

Requirement: Scanned passport copies.


OTHER PERTINENT INFORMATION

Visas
Participants should apply for visas, if needed, at the corresponding consular office upon receipt of an Acceptance Letter from the Provisional Technical Secretariat, in order to ensure timely processing. 

Health/Accident Insurance 
It is strongly recommended that prior to departure all participants not funded by the PTS should acquire health and accident insurance for the duration of the meetings.

Travel and Health Regulations
Please visit https://www.koreanair.com/at/en/travel-update/covid19/map for more information on travel, pre-entry registrations and public health regulations for the Republic of Korea.