[en] The Comprehensive nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) bans all nuclear weapon tests. Its unique verification regime is designed to detect nuclear explosions anywhere on the planet - in the oceans, underground and in the atmosphere. once complete, the international Monitoring system (iMs) will consist of 337 facilities located in 89 countries around the globe. The iMs is currently operating in test mode so that data are already transmitted for analysis from monitoring facilities to the international Data Centre (iDC) at the headquarters of the preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) in Vienna. Data and analysis results are shared with Member states.

[en] Despite various challenges, the Preparatory Commission in 2011 managed to build on its efforts in promoting the Treaty and expanding the capabilities of its verification regime. The Commission continued to enjoy strong political support and registered notable progress in universalization of the Treaty. With ratification of the Treaty by Ghana and Guinea, the number of ratifying States reached 155. The approval of the ratification of the Treaty by the Parliament of Indonesia in December 2011 was another key development that received worldwide media attention. In 2011, as a result of coordinated efforts of the States hosting facilities of the International Monitoring System (IMS), local operators, States Signatories and the Provisional Technical Secretariat (PTS), further progress was made in expanding the coverage and data availability in all IMS technologies. The number of certified IMS stations and radionuclide laboratories reached 270, representing 80% of the total foreseen by the Treaty. The number of certified IMS noble gas systems increased to 8, which is 20% of the planned network. Moreover, with the certification of an auxiliary seismic station in Bangladesh (AS7), the number of such stations reached 100. This achievement marks an increase in the data available from the verification regime, especially from radionuclide and auxiliary seismic stations. The major project to repair IMS hydroacoustic station HA3 and infrasound station IS14 (Chile), which were destroyed by a tsunami in 2010, continued to proceed well. The procurement process for HA3 was started. Efforts were being made to return IS14 to full operation in 2012. The PTS succeeded in further consolidating infrasound and noble gas systems into the operations of the International Data Centre (IDC). At the end of the year, 47 infrasound and 8 noble gas systems were in provisional operation. Efforts were also made to further enhance the atmospheric transport modelling capabilities and to continue delivering high quality products to States Signatories. Atmospheric backtracking calculations are performed daily for each of the IMS radionuclide stations with near real time meteorological data obtained from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. The state of health system deployed in the IDC Operations Centre was developed further. In addition, a wide range of activities were focused on IDC software development. The Fukushima nuclear accident presented an unexpected major challenge to the Commission. Over and above its regular activities, it took exceptional measures to ensure data collection from its IMS facilities and processing of the data to produce various high quality products, which had to be analysed and provided to States Signatories and international organizations in the shortest possible time. The Commission also served as a reliable source of information for the public and the media. The performance of the verification regime was beyond expectations. It proved its capabilities and demonstrated its vast potential in verification as well as in the support of early warning and disaster management systems. In this regard, important lessons were drawn that are being used for further improvement in equipment development, atmospheric transport modelling, seismic monitoring, radionuclide monitoring, health and safety procedures and the delivery of data and products to users. Promoting the operational capabilities of the organization in the area of on-site inspection (OSI) was a major priority in 2011. Further progress was made on a range of equipment related issues. These included the definition of the technical specifications and draft list of equipment to be used during the initial period of an OSI. The second cycle of OSI training continued as planned. Over fifty participants from 43 States Signatories attended an advanced course, which included a four day field exercise in Hungary. As part of the training cycle, two tabletop exercises were conducted for the groups in the inspection team responsible for radionuclide monitoring and the application of continuation period techniques. In addition, several OSI technical expert meetings were organized. The meeting addressed communications, use of a geographical information system and noble gas monitoring technology for OSI purposes. They also covered multispectral and infrared imaging, as well as active seismic survey techniques and drilling. An OSI Equipment Storage and Maintenance Facility in a warehouse near Vienna was inaugurated in March 2011. The facility was used for a number of training courses, tabletop exercises, expert meetings, equipment demonstrations and technical visits by delegations from States Signatories. The 'Science and Technology 2011' conference, held in Vienna in June, was a major initiative to foster further interaction with the scientific community and to seek cost effective technological improvements. The conference was attended by around seven hundred and fifty scientists, experts and government officials from over one hundred countries, and nearly three hundred oral and poster presentations were given. Discussions were organized around five themes: the earth as a complex system; understanding the nuclear explosion source; advances in sensors, networks and observational technologies; advances in computing, processing and visualization for verification applications; and creating knowledge through partnerships, training and information/communication technology. The Commission continued to expand its Capacity Development Initiative, whose aim is to build the necessary capacity in States Signatories so that they can more effectively meet their Treaty obligations and contribute to the verification regime.

[en] Despite various challenges, the Preparatory Commission in 2011 managed to build on its efforts in promoting the Treaty and expanding the capabilities of its verification regime. The Commission continued to enjoy strong political support and registered notable progress in universalization of the Treaty. With ratification of the Treaty by Ghana and Guinea, the number of ratifying States reached 155. The approval of the ratification of the Treaty by the Parliament of Indonesia in December 2011 was another key development that received worldwide media attention. In 2011, as a result of coordinated efforts of the States hosting facilities of the International Monitoring System (IMS), local operators, States Signatories and the Provisional Technical Secretariat (PTS), further progress was made in expanding the coverage and data availability in all IMS technologies. The number of certified IMS stations and radionuclide laboratories reached 270, representing 80% of the total foreseen by the Treaty. The number of certified IMS noble gas systems increased to 8, which is 20% of the planned network. Moreover, with the certification of an auxiliary seismic station in Bangladesh (AS7), the number of such stations reached 100. This achievement marks an increase in the data available from the verification regime, especially from radionuclide and auxiliary seismic stations. The major project to repair IMS hydroacoustic station HA3 and infrasound station IS14 (Chile), which were destroyed by a tsunami in 2010, continued to proceed well. The procurement process for HA3 was started. Efforts were being made to return IS14 to full operation in 2012. The PTS succeeded in further consolidating infrasound and noble gas systems into the operations of the International Data Centre (IDC). At the end of the year, 47 infrasound and 8 noble gas systems were in provisional operation. Efforts were also made to further enhance the atmospheric transport modelling capabilities and to continue delivering high quality products to States Signatories. Atmospheric backtracking calculations are performed daily for each of the IMS radionuclide stations with near real time meteorological data obtained from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. The state of health system deployed in the IDC Operations Centre was developed further. In addition, a wide range of activities were focused on IDC software development. The Fukushima nuclear accident presented an unexpected major challenge to the Commission. Over and above its regular activities, it took exceptional measures to ensure data collection from its IMS facilities and processing of the data to produce various high quality products, which had to be analysed and provided to States Signatories and international organizations in the shortest possible time. The Commission also served as a reliable source of information for the public and the media. The performance of the verification regime was beyond expectations. It proved its capabilities and demonstrated its vast potential in verification as well as in the support of early warning and disaster management systems. In this regard, important lessons were drawn that are being used for further improvement in equipment development, atmospheric transport modelling, seismic monitoring, radionuclide monitoring, health and safety procedures and the delivery of data and products to users. Promoting the operational capabilities of the organization in the area of on-site inspection (OSI) was a major priority in 2011. Further progress was made on a range of equipment related issues. These included the definition of the technical specifications and draft list of equipment to be used during the initial period of an OSI. The second cycle of OSI training continued as planned. Over fifty participants from 43 States Signatories attended an advanced course, which included a four day field exercise in Hungary. As part of the training cycle, two tabletop exercises were conducted for the groups in the inspection team responsible for radionuclide monitoring and the application of continuation period techniques. In addition, several OSI technical expert meetings were organized. The meeting addressed communications, use of a geographical information system and noble gas monitoring technology for OSI purposes. They also covered multispectral and infrared imaging, as well as active seismic survey techniques and drilling. An OSI Equipment Storage and Maintenance Facility in a warehouse near Vienna was inaugurated in March 2011. The facility was used for a number of training courses, tabletop exercises, expert meetings, equipment demonstrations and technical visits by delegations from States Signatories. The 'Science and Technology 2011' conference, held in Vienna in June, was a major initiative to foster further interaction with the scientific community and to seek cost effective technological improvements. The conference was attended by around seven hundred and fifty scientists, experts and government officials from over one hundred countries, and nearly three hundred oral and poster presentations were given. Discussions were organized around five themes: the earth as a complex system; understanding the nuclear explosion source; advances in sensors, networks and observational technologies; advances in computing, processing and visualization for verification applications; and creating knowledge through partnerships, training and information/communication technology. The Commission continued to expand its Capacity Development Initiative, whose aim is to build the necessary capacity in States Signatories so that they can more effectively meet their Treaty obligations and contribute to the verification regime.

[en] The PTS continued to deploy the International Monitoring System (IMS), a worldwide network consisting of 321 stations (seismic, hydroacoustic, infrasound and radionuclide) and 16 radionuclide laboratories. During 2003, a further 33 stations and 3 radionuclide laboratories were certified as meeting the technical requirements of the Commission, bringing the total number of certified stations to 79 and that of certified radionuclide laboratories to 4. Thus, at the end of 2003, approximately 55% of the IMS network had been installed and met or substantially met specifications. States continued to express their legal commitment to hosting these facilities. At present, appropriate legal arrangements are in place for a total of 306 stations and 15 laboratories in 80 countries. The International Data Centre (IDC) in Vienna received, analysed, reported on and archived the waveform and radionuclide data from a growing number of IMS stations. On the part of States Signatories, around 60 National Data Centres had been established at the end of 2003 and a total of 527 users from 70 countries had been nominated to access IMS data and IDC products. Activities in 2003 to support the verification regime as well as to promote the understanding of the Treaty, such as training courses and workshops, were held all over the world with the participation of more than 450 experts. It is grateful to Austria, Azerbaijan, Fiji, France, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Malaysia, the Russian Federation and Uganda for successfully hosting events of the Commission. In relation to the Treaty, one of the highlights in 2003 was the Conference on Facilitating the Entry into Force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (Article XIV conference), which took place in the Austria Center Vienna on 3-5 September. A total of 102 ratifiers and States Signatories as well as 5 non-signatory States attended the conference. More than 20 States were represented at a political level. Strong support for the Treaty as well as for the work of the PTS was expressed in the statements delivered at the conference. The particular relevance of the CTBT as a cornerstone of the international nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament architecture was underlined. The final declaration adopted by consensus at the conference contains a series of concrete measures to promote early entry into force of the CTBT as well as an appeal to all States which have not yet done so to sign and ratify the Treaty without condition. A brief overview of the conference as well as of the related PTS activities is presented at the end of this report. Signatures and ratifications of the CTBT continue to increase in 2004. As of 31 March 2004, the Treaty had 171 signatures and 110 ratifications, including ratifications by 32 of the 44 States listed in Annex 2 to the Treaty, whose ratification is necessary for entry into force. Thus the CTBT is now approaching the status of universality. The PTS, for its part, will continue to advance in its work with the aim of contributing to the peace and security of the international community

[en] The PTS continued to deploy the International Monitoring System (IMS), a worldwide network consisting of 321 stations (seismic, hydroacoustic, infrasound and radionuclide) and 16 radionuclide laboratories. During 2003, a further 33 stations and 3 radionuclide laboratories were certified as meeting the technical requirements of the Commission, bringing the total number of certified stations to 79 and that of certified radionuclide laboratories to 4. Thus, at the end of 2003, approximately 55% of the IMS network had been installed and met or substantially met specifications. States continued to express their legal commitment to hosting these facilities. At present, appropriate legal arrangements are in place for a total of 306 stations and 15 laboratories in 80 countries. The International Data Centre (IDC) in Vienna received, analysed, reported on and archived the waveform and radionuclide data from a growing number of IMS stations. On the part of States Signatories, around 60 National Data Centres had been established at the end of 2003 and a total of 527 users from 70 countries had been nominated to access IMS data and IDC products. Activities in 2003 to support the verification regime as well as to promote the understanding of the Treaty, such as training courses and workshops, were held all over the world with the participation of more than 450 experts. It is grateful to Austria, Azerbaijan, Fiji, France, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Malaysia, the Russian Federation and Uganda for successfully hosting events of the Commission. In relation to the Treaty, one of the highlights in 2003 was the Conference on Facilitating the Entry into Force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (Article XIV conference), which took place in the Austria Center Vienna on 3-5 September. A total of 102 ratifiers and States Signatories as well as 5 non-signatory States attended the conference. More than 20 States were represented at a political level. Strong support for the Treaty as well as for the work of the PTS was expressed in the statements delivered at the conference. The particular relevance of the CTBT as a cornerstone of the international nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament architecture was underlined. The final declaration adopted by consensus at the conference contains a series of concrete measures to promote early entry into force of the CTBT as well as an appeal to all States which have not yet done so to sign and ratify the Treaty without condition. A brief overview of the conference as well as of the related PTS activities is presented at the end of this report. Signatures and ratifications of the CTBT continue to increase in 2004. As of 31 March 2004, the Treaty had 171 signatures and 110 ratifications, including ratifications by 32 of the 44 States listed in Annex 2 to the Treaty, whose ratification is necessary for entry into force. Thus the CTBT is now approaching the status of universality. The PTS, for its part, will continue to advance in its work with the aim of contributing to the peace and security of the international community

[en] The PTS continued to deploy the International Monitoring System (IMS), a worldwide network consisting of 321 stations (seismic, hydroacoustic, infrasound and radionuclide) and 16 radionuclide laboratories. During 2003, a further 33 stations and 3 radionuclide laboratories were certified as meeting the technical requirements of the Commission, bringing the total number of certified stations to 79 and that of certified radionuclide laboratories to 4. Thus, at the end of 2003, approximately 55% of the IMS network had been installed and met or substantially met specifications. States continued to express their legal commitment to hosting these facilities. At present, appropriate legal arrangements are in place for a total of 306 stations and 15 laboratories in 80 countries. The International Data Centre (IDC) in Vienna received, analysed, reported on and archived the waveform and radionuclide data from a growing number of IMS stations. On the part of States Signatories, around 60 National Data Centres had been established at the end of 2003 and a total of 527 users from 70 countries had been nominated to access IMS data and IDC products. Activities in 2003 to support the verification regime as well as to promote the understanding of the Treaty, such as training courses and workshops, were held all over the world with the participation of more than 450 experts. It is grateful to Austria, Azerbaijan, Fiji, France, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Malaysia, the Russian Federation and Uganda for successfully hosting events of the Commission. In relation to the Treaty, one of the highlights in 2003 was the Conference on Facilitating the Entry into Force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (Article XIV conference), which took place in the Austria Center Vienna on 3-5 September. A total of 102 ratifiers and States Signatories as well as 5 non-signatory States attended the conference. More than 20 States were represented at a political level. Strong support for the Treaty as well as for the work of the PTS was expressed in the statements delivered at the conference. The particular relevance of the CTBT as a cornerstone of the international nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament architecture was underlined. The final declaration adopted by consensus at the conference contains a series of concrete measures to promote early entry into force of the CTBT as well as an appeal to all States which have not yet done so to sign and ratify the Treaty without condition. A brief overview of the conference as well as of the related PTS activities is presented at the end of this report. Signatures and ratifications of the CTBT continue to increase in 2004. As of 31 March 2004, the Treaty had 171 signatures and 110 ratifications, including ratifications by 32 of the 44 States listed in Annex 2 to the Treaty, whose ratification is necessary for entry into force. Thus the CTBT is now approaching the status of universality. The PTS, for its part, will continue to advance in its work with the aim of contributing to the peace and security of the international community

[en] The PTS continued to deploy the International Monitoring System (IMS), a worldwide network consisting of 321 stations (seismic, hydroacoustic, infrasound and radionuclide) and 16 radionuclide laboratories. During 2003, a further 33 stations and 3 radionuclide laboratories were certified as meeting the technical requirements of the Commission, bringing the total number of certified stations to 79 and that of certified radionuclide laboratories to 4. Thus, at the end of 2003, approximately 55% of the IMS network had been installed and met or substantially met specifications. States continued to express their legal commitment to hosting these facilities. At present, appropriate legal arrangements are in place for a total of 306 stations and 15 laboratories in 80 countries. The International Data Centre (IDC) in Vienna received, analysed, reported on and archived the waveform and radionuclide data from a growing number of IMS stations. On the part of States Signatories, around 60 National Data Centres had been established at the end of 2003 and a total of 527 users from 70 countries had been nominated to access IMS data and IDC products. Activities in 2003 to support the verification regime as well as to promote the understanding of the Treaty, such as training courses and workshops, were held all over the world with the participation of more than 450 experts. It is grateful to Austria, Azerbaijan, Fiji, France, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Malaysia, the Russian Federation and Uganda for successfully hosting events of the Commission. In relation to the Treaty, one of the highlights in 2003 was the Conference on Facilitating the Entry into Force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (Article XIV conference), which took place in the Austria Center Vienna on 3-5 September. A total of 102 ratifiers and States Signatories as well as 5 non-signatory States attended the conference. More than 20 States were represented at a political level. Strong support for the Treaty as well as for the work of the PTS was expressed in the statements delivered at the conference. The particular relevance of the CTBT as a cornerstone of the international nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament architecture was underlined. The final declaration adopted by consensus at the conference contains a series of concrete measures to promote early entry into force of the CTBT as well as an appeal to all States which have not yet done so to sign and ratify the Treaty without condition. A brief overview of the conference as well as of the related PTS activities is presented at the end of this report. Signatures and ratifications of the CTBT continue to increase in 2004. As of 31 March 2004, the Treaty had 171 signatures and 110 ratifications, including ratifications by 32 of the 44 States listed in Annex 2 to the Treaty, whose ratification is necessary for entry into force. Thus the CTBT is now approaching the status of universality. The PTS, for its part, will continue to advance in its work with the aim of contributing to the peace and security of the international community

[en] The Preparatory Commission in 2010 succeeded in taking further significant steps in fulfilment of its mandate and promotion of the Treaty and the buildup of the verification system. As the international support for the entry into force of the Treaty grew larger, Trinidad and Tobago and the Central African Republic ratified the Treaty, bringing the number of ratifications to 153. Among the States that have ratified are 35 of the 44 States listed in Annex 2 to the Treaty, whose ratification is required for it to enter into force. Also, Indonesia, Iraq, Guatemala, Papua New Guinea and Thailand expressed their commitment to ratify the Treaty. As of 31 December 2010, the CTBT had been signed by 182 States. While maintenance support and technical assistance continued to be provided at International Monitoring System (IMS) facilities around the globe, the momentum to complete the IMS network was maintained in 2010. Progress towards the completion of the IMS was made in all four technologies (seismic, hydroacoustic, infrasound and radionuclide). Four new stations were installed. Thus by the end of 2010, 272 IMS facilities were installed, representing 85% of the entire network. With 10 stations certified in 2010, the total number of certified IMS stations and laboratories, which was zero in early 2000, reached 264 at the end of the year. In addition, the first three noble gas systems were certified in 2010. This increase in the number of certified facilities has been a source of improvement for coverage and network resilience. The Provisional Technical Secretariat (PTS) of the Commission started the largest IMS station repair/ reconstruction so far in terms of financial investment at the joint site of hydroacoustic station HA3 and infrasound station IS14 in the Juan Fernandez Islands (Chile), which were partly destroyed by a tsunami in 2010. This multimillion dollar project, which entails substantial technical challenges, is planned to be completed in 2013. Infrasound monitoring, which is an important verification technology for detecting and locating an atmospheric nuclear explosion, was introduced into operations at the International Data Centre (IDC) in February 2010. During 2010, additional noble gas systems were transferred into IDC operations. At the end of the year, a total of 27 noble gas systems were in provisional operation at IMS radionuclide stations. Efforts were also made to further enhance the capabilities to perform atmospheric transport modelling and to deliver high quality products to States Signatories. Now, atmospheric backtracking calculations are performed daily for each of the IMS radionuclide stations with near real time meteorological data obtained from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. The state of health system was deployed in the IDC Operations Centre. The system software facilitates the tasks of monitoring and detecting incidents and problems in the IMS network (stations, links in the Global Communications Infrastructure, servers, databases, hardware, software, etc.). Also, IDC application software was converted and updated to run on open source systems. In 2009, an on-site inspection (OSI) action plan, resulting from the review and follow-up of the lessons learned from the 2008 Integrated Field Exercise (IFE), was prepared. This was further developed to provide a framework for furthering the OSI regime in a project oriented manner. The action plan outlines various projects in five main areas of development, namely policy planning and operations, operations support and logistics, techniques and equipment, training, and procedures and documentation. The projects are intended to steer the build-up of OSI operational capability and assist in the preparation and conduct of the next IFE. OSI policies and operational procedures were developed further and advances were made in, inter alia, the implementation of an Integrated Inspection Support System. Training focused on the preparations for the second training cycle for surrogate inspectors, based on thorough analysis of training needs after the 2008 IFE. In this context, a series of training planning meetings were held which brought together the various stakeholders in OSI training. A major event in 2010 related to OSI methodology development was directed exercise DE10, which was devoted to ground based visual observation and OSI communication and conducted in the area of the Dead Sea in Jordan. The Commission also launched a new capacity development initiative that aims to build the necessary capacity in States Signatories to effectively meet political, legal, technical and scientific challenges that face the Treaty and its verification regime. As part of this initiative, it has started to develop a series of introductory as well as enhanced courses dealing with various aspects of the Treaty and the verification regime. The Commission continued to streamline its activities and to promote synergies and efficiencies. It also fostered results based management, accountability and oversight. To finance the reconstruction of IMS stations HA3 and IS14 and the implementation of an Enterprise Resource Planning system which is compliant with International Public Sector Accounting Standards, the Commission appropriated US$23.9 million. It also approved the creation of 10 additional new posts at the PTS in order to enhance the capacity of the PTS to fulfil its growing responsibilities. These achievements certainly promise stronger support for the work of the Commission in 2011.

[en] The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) bans all nuclear explosions. Its verification will be assured by the global alarm system currently being established by the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO). The 337 facilities of the International Monitoring System (IMS), which span the entire globe, ensure that no nuclear explosion escapes detection. The IMS uses four technologies - radionuclide, seismic, infrasound and hydroacoustic. More than 85% of this system has already been established (as of December 2011). Apart from detecting nuclear explosions, this one billion dollar investment by the CTBTO's more than 180 Member States can be put to a wide range of civil and scientific uses, thereby contributing to sustainable development, knowledge expansion and saving lives. However, to a large extent, these benefits are still untapped. Examples of civil and scientific uses:Detection and real time warning of - Earthquakes and tsunamis, Radiation dispersal from nuclear accidents, Volcanic eruptions; Research on - The Earth's core, Climate change, Meteorology, Break-up of ice shelves and the creation of icebergs, Oceans and marine life, Worldwide background radiation.

[en] Despite various challenges, the Preparatory Commission in 2011 managed to build on its efforts in promoting the Treaty and expanding the capabilities of its verification regime. The Commission continued to enjoy strong political support and registered notable progress in universalization of the Treaty. With ratification of the Treaty by Ghana and Guinea, the number of ratifying States reached 155. The approval of the ratification of the Treaty by the Parliament of Indonesia in December 2011 was another key development that received worldwide media attention. In 2011, as a result of coordinated efforts of the States hosting facilities of the International Monitoring System (IMS), local operators, States Signatories and the Provisional Technical Secretariat (PTS), further progress was made in expanding the coverage and data availability in all IMS technologies. The number of certified IMS stations and radionuclide laboratories reached 270, representing 80% of the total foreseen by the Treaty. The number of certified IMS noble gas systems increased to 8, which is 20% of the planned network. Moreover, with the certification of an auxiliary seismic station in Bangladesh (AS7), the number of such stations reached 100. This achievement marks an increase in the data available from the verification regime, especially from radionuclide and auxiliary seismic stations. The major project to repair IMS hydroacoustic station HA3 and infrasound station IS14 (Chile), which were destroyed by a tsunami in 2010, continued to proceed well. The procurement process for HA3 was started. Efforts were being made to return IS14 to full operation in 2012. The PTS succeeded in further consolidating infrasound and noble gas systems into the operations of the International Data Centre (IDC). At the end of the year, 47 infrasound and 8 noble gas systems were in provisional operation. Efforts were also made to further enhance the atmospheric transport modelling capabilities and to continue delivering high quality products to States Signatories. Atmospheric backtracking calculations are performed daily for each of the IMS radionuclide stations with near real time meteorological data obtained from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. The state of health system deployed in the IDC Operations Centre was developed further. In addition, a wide range of activities were focused on IDC software development. The Fukushima nuclear accident presented an unexpected major challenge to the Commission. Over and above its regular activities, it took exceptional measures to ensure data collection from its IMS facilities and processing of the data to produce various high quality products, which had to be analysed and provided to States Signatories and international organizations in the shortest possible time. The Commission also served as a reliable source of information for the public and the media. The performance of the verification regime was beyond expectations. It proved its capabilities and demonstrated its vast potential in verification as well as in the support of early warning and disaster management systems. In this regard, important lessons were drawn that are being used for further improvement in equipment development, atmospheric transport modelling, seismic monitoring, radionuclide monitoring, health and safety procedures and the delivery of data and products to users. Promoting the operational capabilities of the organization in the area of on-site inspection (OSI) was a major priority in 2011. Further progress was made on a range of equipment related issues. These included the definition of the technical specifications and draft list of equipment to be used during the initial period of an OSI. The second cycle of OSI training continued as planned. Over fifty participants from 43 States Signatories attended an advanced course, which included a four day field exercise in Hungary. As part of the training cycle, two tabletop exercises were conducted for the groups in the inspection team responsible for radionuclide monitoring and the application of continuation period techniques. In addition, several OSI technical expert meetings were organized. The meeting addressed communications, use of a geographical information system and noble gas monitoring technology for OSI purposes. They also covered multispectral and infrared imaging, as well as active seismic survey techniques and drilling. An OSI Equipment Storage and Maintenance Facility in a warehouse near Vienna was inaugurated in March 2011. The facility was used for a number of training courses, tabletop exercises, expert meetings, equipment demonstrations and technical visits by delegations from States Signatories. The 'Science and Technology 2011' conference, held in Vienna in June, was a major initiative to foster further interaction with the scientific community and to seek cost effective technological improvements. The conference was attended by around seven hundred and fifty scientists, experts and government officials from over one hundred countries, and nearly three hundred oral and poster presentations were given. Discussions were organized around five themes: the earth as a complex system; understanding the nuclear explosion source; advances in sensors, networks and observational technologies; advances in computing, processing and visualization for verification applications; and creating knowledge through partnerships, training and information/communication technology. The Commission continued to expand its Capacity Development Initiative, whose aim is to build the necessary capacity in States Signatories so that they can more effectively meet their Treaty obligations and contribute to the verification regime.