CTBTO Spectrum - December 2002 Issue 1 - Comprehensive ...

Verification highlightsThe Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-BanTreaty (CTBT) includes a definition ofa global verification regime to monitorcompliance with the Treaty.Establishing this regime, which must becapable of detecting nuclear explosionsunderground, in water and in theatmosphere, is the main activity of thePreparatory Commission for theCTBTO. The verification regime mustbe operational at the Treaty’s entry intoforce. The regime consists of anInternational Monitoring System (IMS)supported by an International DataCentre (IDC), consultation andclarification, on-site inspections (OSI)and confidence-building measures.IMS station statusThe global network of stations whichconstitutes the International MonitoringSystem is unprecedented in the history ofengineering. Stretching from the Arcticto Antarctica and from the Atlantic to thePacific Ocean, it covers the entire earth.In 1997 work began on the 321monitoring stations in 90countries that make up the“listening posts” of theIMS (see Figure 1).Located in some cases inthe most remote areas ofthe world, the stations useseismic, hydroacoustic,infrasound andradionuclide monitoringtechnologies.To date, site surveysfor stations have beencompleted at 87 % of the sites. 137stations (43%) are installed andsubstantially meet the Commission'sspecifications. PTS staff and numerouscontractors around the world haveworked in difficult environments toprepare the sites, construct the necessaryinfrastructure, purchase the equipmentand install and test it.Thirty-four IMS stations have so farundergone the formal process ofcertification. A certified station meets allthe requirements necessary to become arecognized part of the IMS. This includesCONSTRUCTION OF WIND-NOISE-REDUCING PIPE ARRAYS AT INFRASOUNDSTATION IS07 WARRAMUNGA (AUSTRALIA)meeting all of the technical specificationsestablished by the Commission, ensuringthat data are tamper-proof andauthenticated, and that data are sent in anuninterrupted stream to the InternationalData Centre in Vienna over an officialGlobal Communications Infrastructure(GCI) link.Following certification, the PTSbegins to pay the station operation andmaintenance costs, usually through acontract with the local technicalinstitution that has assisted with theestablishment of the station.FIGURE 1. OVERVIEW OF IMS STATION STATUS AS OF 4 OCTOBER 2002PAGE 12CTBTO SPECTRUM 1 | WWW.CTBTO.ORG