The JRC took the lead in developing the International Standard IEC 63047 which specifies a data format for list-mode digital data acquisition used in radiation detection and measurement. The standard has been developed in support of DG HOME in the frame of standardisation mandate M/487 and was published on 11 October 2018.
Digital miniaturisation has boosted the use of digital data acquisition instrumentation in nuclear applications over the last years. A main issue is the lack of a standard that specifies the format of the data provided by such instruments. Consequently, the interoperability of data acquisition hardware and software for data analysis is seriously hindered. The need to develop a standard was recognised by the technical committee "Societal and Citizen Security" of the European Standardisation Organisation CEN, who was mandated in 2011 by DG HOME to perform a gap analysis and prioritisation of the security landscape in Europe.
The JRC addressed the need by submitting, on 15 October 2015, a proposal for a new standard to the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). The proposal was accompanied by a preliminary draft, developed in close collaboration with an EU-funded consortium of Member States organisations. The draft was based on the outcome of the pre-normative research performed by the Thematic Group on Radiological and Nuclear Threats to Critical Infrastructure of the European Reference Network for Critical Infrastructure Protection (ERNCIP), coordinated by the JRC. Instrument manufacturers were invited via a call in the Official Journal of the EU to review and implement drafts of the standard.
The binary standard is applicable to data files and streams, and enables encryption and authentication of the data. The format supports various types of timestamped data and can be used in a wide range of applications involving radiation detection and measurement.
Details
- Publication date
- 19 October 2018