ISO 18136-1:2025

Automation systems and integration - Nuclear digital ecosystem - Part 1: Overview and framework

This document describes a shared conceptual framework for the nuclear digital ecosystem (NDE). In addition, this framework also serves as a systematic basis for a series of additional standards for management methods and technical guidelines for information integration and exchange, specifically in the nuclear industry. The framework focuses on the nuclear industry-specifics with management requirements as well as information specifications to facilitate practical benefits from implementing ISO standards. It is viable because the industry scope is narrowed down to the nuclear sector, while the management concerns are expanded to cover the various disciplines throughout the entire life cycle. The following are within the scope of this document: - definition of the conceptual structure of the nuclear ecosystem with components and relationships in terms of facility type, life cycle (lifetime), and technical management methodology; the scope of this document exclusively addresses ‘all reactor-related facilities’; - definition of the industry sectors involved within NDE, encompassing civil, architectural, mechanical, electrical, I&C, process engineering and ICT; - list of high-level constituents for each component; - instructions to guide the collective use of this document and existing standards to specify information requirements within the NDE for different functional purposes. The following are outside the scope of this document: - definition of detailed management methodologies or processes related to the standard data exchange; - list of detailed properties and structures of the required information exchange (IE).

Systèmes d'automatisation et intégration — Écosystème numérique nucléaire — Partie 1: Vue d’ensemble et cadre

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 30-Oct-2025
• ICS: 25.040.40 - Industrial process measurement and control
• Technical Committee: ISO/TC 184/SC 4 - Industrial data
• Drafting Committee: ISO/TC 184/SC 4 - Industrial data
• Current Stage: 6060 - International Standard published
• Start Date: 31-Oct-2025
• Due Date: 18-Aug-2025
• Completion Date: 31-Oct-2025

Overview

ISO 18136-1:2025 - Automation systems and integration: Nuclear digital ecosystem (NDE) - Part 1: Overview and framework defines a shared conceptual framework for a Nuclear Digital Ecosystem (NDE). It provides the high-level structure and terminology needed to guide information integration and exchange across all reactor-related facilities over their full life cycle. This first part establishes the scope, core elements, and how the NDE framework connects with other standards and practical guidance (annexes include structured representations, examples, existing standards, and guidance on configuration and requirements management).

Key topics and requirements

• Conceptual structure of the NDE: components and relationships arranged by facility type, life cycle stage, and technical management methodology.
• Industry sectors covered: civil, architectural, mechanical, electrical, instrumentation & control (I&C), process engineering and ICT.
• Fundamental elements: stakeholders, facility definitions, global governance, life cycle considerations, business requirements, integration, information, ICT infrastructure and services.
• Information dimensions: abstraction levels, form, sensitivity and high-level constituents for each NDE component.
• Integration focus: value chain, project delivery system (PDS), major disciplines and how they interoperate within the NDE.
• Guidance for standards use: instructions to combine this framework with existing ISO and other standards to specify information requirements for different functional purposes (includes identifiers, context diagrams and structured data examples).
• Out of scope: detailed management methodologies/processes and the granular structures or properties of information exchange - these are deferred to subsequent parts in the ISO 18136 series.

Practical applications

• Aligns information management practices across nuclear projects to improve interoperability, traceability and governance.
• Provides a shared vocabulary and high-level model for program managers, system integrators and multidisciplinary engineering teams working on reactor-related facilities.
• Helps ICT vendors, software integrators and data architects design interoperable services and infrastructure that meet nuclear sector requirements.
• Supports regulators, asset owners and operators in assessing conformity of information exchange strategies and in planning lifecycle data management.

Who should use this standard

• Nuclear utilities and plant operators
• Engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) firms and consultants
• ICT and systems integration providers for the nuclear sector
• Regulatory bodies, standards developers and safety authorities
• Project managers and configuration/requirements managers responsible for lifecycle information governance

Related standards

• ISO 18136 series (other parts will specify methodologies and technical guidelines)
• ISO/IEC and IAEA guidance referenced in annexes for practical alignment and implementation

Keywords: ISO 18136-1:2025, nuclear digital ecosystem, NDE, information integration, information exchange, reactor-related facilities, lifecycle, interoperability, ICT infrastructure.

Standards Content (Sample)

International
Standard
ISO 18136-1
First edition
Automation systems and
2025-10
integration — Nuclear digital
ecosystem —
Part 1:
Overview and framework
Reference number
© ISO 2025
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication may
be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on
the internet or an intranet, without prior written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below
or ISO’s member body in the country of the requester.
ISO copyright office
CP 401 • Ch. de Blandonnet 8
CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva
Phone: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
Website: www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland
ii
Contents Page
Foreword .v
Introduction .vi
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms, definitions and abbreviated terms . 1
3.1 Terms and definitions .1
3.2 Abbreviated terms .6
4 Nuclear digital ecosystem (NDE) framework . 7
4.1 Concept of an NDE .7
4.2 Depth and breadth of the NDE .8
4.2.1 Industry sector .8
4.2.2 Business spectrum .8
4.2.3 Technology advancement .9
5 Fundamental elements of a nuclear digital ecosystem (NDE) .10
5.1 General .10
5.2 Nuclear industry .11
5.2.1 General .11
5.2.2 Nuclear facility .11
5.2.3 Global governance . 12
5.2.4 Stakeholders . 12
5.2.5 Life cycle (lifetime) . . 12
5.3 Business requirements . 13
5.3.1 General . 13
5.3.2 Technical management methodology . 13
5.3.3 Technical information methodology . 13
5.3.4 Feasibility measure . 13
5.4 Integration. 13
5.4.1 General . 13
5.4.2 Value chain .14
5.4.3 Project delivery system (PDS) .14
5.4.4 Major disciplines.14
5.5 Information . .14
5.5.1 General .14
5.5.2 Abstraction level . .14
5.5.3 Form. 15
5.5.4 Sensitivity . 15
5.6 ICT and infrastructure . 15
5.6.1 General . 15
5.6.2 ICT service. 15
5.6.3 ICT infrastructure . 15
6 Collective use of NDE elements with existing standards .16
6.1 General .16
6.2 Identifiers by ISO 18136 series .16
6.3 Identifiers with other standards .16
Annex A (informative) Structured representations of the NDE framework .18
Annex B (informative) Illustrations of using NDE framework terms .27
Annex C (informative) Existing standards for the NDE implementation .29
Annex D (informative) Usage of a context diagram defining the highest-level view .32
Annex E (informative) Relationship between the ISO 18136 and the ISO 18101 series .34
Annex F (informative) NDE configuration and requirements management (RQM) .36

iii
Annex G (informative) Viability of information exchange and integration in the NDE .39
Annex H (informative) Requirements for NDE structured data .43
Bibliography .48

iv
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through
ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee
has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations,
governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work. ISO collaborates closely
with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are described
in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the different types
of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the editorial rules of the
ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
ISO draws attention to the possibility that the implementation of this document may involve the use of (a)
patent(s). ISO takes no position concerning the evidence, validity or applicability of any claimed patent
rights in respect thereof. As of the date of publication of this document, ISO had not received notice of (a)
patent(s) which may be required to implement this document. However, implementers are cautioned that
this may not represent the latest information, which may be obtained from the patent database available at
www.iso.org/patents. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions
related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to the World Trade
Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), see www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 184, Automation systems and integration,
Subcommittee SC 4, Industrial data.
A list of all parts in the ISO 18136 series can be found on the ISO website.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html.

v
Introduction
The purpose of this document is to define the high-level concept of a nuclear digital ecosystem (NDE) for
information integration and exchange.
ISO/TR 20123, which was published in 2023, deals with the concept of NDE. ISO/TR 20123 documents the
state of standardization of information management (IM) of nuclear installations over their life cycle with
national surveys. It also identifies the issues and needs to develop new standards, specifically for the nuclear
industry.
In order to accomplish the vision described in ISO/TR 20123, a structured strategic roadmap is formulated.
New NDE standards are grouped into three major categories: 1) a strong, simple and shared conceptual
framework, 2) methodologies of application, and 3) the technological guidelines for practice.
This document is the first one to comprehend all relevant concepts and issues that facilitate a common
understanding of the NDE. Based on the NDE framework proposed herein, a set of technical management
methodologies, technical information methodologies, and feasibility assessment tools are further specified
in the second category. Priority in identifying these methodologies is given to the most influencing business
areas, to boost industry implementation. Finally, practical guidelines for implementing the methodologies
are further specified in the third category. The guidelines may promote the practical implementation of NDE
standards and other existing standards in a collective and harmonized manner.
In summary, this document helps:
a) identify and share a mutual understanding of the business objectives,
b) develop a methodology to apply this framework to the specific current contexts of the steps in the life cycles,
c) use practical guidelines for the practical implementation of the ISO standards.
The framework in this document aims to support the information integration and exchange based on unique
managerial requirements of the NDE, to provide guidance for use of high-level standard identifiers for
frequently and commonly used components in NDE, and to encompass all related disciplines of a nuclear
facility.
This framework refers to and introduces the standards, guidance series and technical documents published
by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Additionally, Annex A illustrates the structured representations of the NDE framework. Annex B presents
examples of coding systems used in fictional nuclear projects incorporating NDE framework terms. Annex C
presents relevant existing standards to help promote the actual implementation of the NDE standard.
Annex D specifies a way to describe the context diagram of a system of interest to minimize interoperability
issues. The relationship between ISO/TS 18101-1 and this document is defined in Annex E. Annex F describes
configuration management and requirement management. Annex G discusses the viability of adopting this
agreement to create a digital ecosystem. Finally, Annex H describes NDE structured data and provides
several examples of structured data.

vi
International Standard ISO 18136-1:2025(en)
Automation systems and integration — Nuclear digital
ecosystem —
Part 1:
Overview and framework
1 Scope
This document describes a shared conceptual framework for the nuclear digital ecosystem (NDE).
In addition, this framework also serves as a systematic basis for a series of additional standards for
management methods and technical guidelines for information integration and exchange, specifically in the
nuclear industry.
The framework focuses on the nuclear industry-specifics with management requirements as well as
information specifications to facilitate practical benefits from implementing ISO standards. It is viable
because the industry scope is narrowed down to the nuclear sector, while the management concerns are
expanded to cover the various disciplines throughout the entire life cycle.
The following are within the scope of this document:
— definition of the conceptual structure of the nuclear ecosystem with components and relationships in
terms of facility type, life cycle (lifetime), and technical management methodology; the scope of this
document exclusively addresses ‘all reactor-related facilities’;
— definition of the industry sectors involved within NDE, encompassing civil, architectural, mechanical,
electrical, I&C, process engineering and ICT;
— list of high-level constituents for each component;
— instructions to guide the collective use of this document and existing standards to specify information
requirements within the NDE for different functional purposes.
The following are outside the scope of this document:
— definition of detailed management methodologies or processes related to the standard data exchange;
— list of detailed properties and structures of the required information exchange (IE).
2 Normative references
There are no normative references in this document.
3 Terms, definitions and abbreviated terms
3.1 Terms and definitions
For this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https:// www .iso .org/ obp

— IEC Electropedia: available at https:// www .electropedia .org/
3.1.1
stakeholder
person, group, or organization that has interests in, or can affect, be affected by, or perceive itself to be
affected by, any aspect of the project, programme, or portfolio
[SOURCE: ISO 21506:2024, 3.86]
3.1.2
breakdown structure
hierarchical structure tool used to structure facility information (3.1.12) and management control
Note 1 to entry: The term breakdown structures may represent different types of breakdown structures such as work
breakdown structure (WBS), physical breakdown structure (PBS), functional breakdown structure (FBS), location
breakdown structure (LBS), product breakdown structure (PBS) in Reference [25] and organizational breakdown
structure (OBS).
3.1.3
classification
process of assigning objects to classes according to criteria
[SOURCE: ISO 22274:2013, 3.5]
3.1.4
cyber value creation
creation of value for the business by providing, through a governance (3.1.11) structure and framework
(3.1.10), cyber capabilities to share knowledge (3.1.16) and information (3.1.12) feedback to support business
processes by taking improved collective decisions in the activities of the users and thus create increased
value of the business
Note 1 to entry: Cyber capabilities include information technologies such as digital twin, linked data, AI, and other ICT
innovations, supporting business across the supply chain and across the nuclear digital ecosystem (3.1.18).
3.1.5
data
representation of information (3.1.12) in a formal manner suitable for communication, interpretation, or
processing by human beings or computers
[SOURCE: ISO 10303-2:2024, 3.1.207]
3.1.6
digital ecosystem
distributed, adaptive, open socio-technical system with properties of self-organization, scalability, and
sustainability inspired from natural ecosystems
[SOURCE: ISO/TS 18101-1:2019, 3.26]
3.1.7
disposal facility
special unit that is permitted to store waste
[SOURCE: ISO 24161:2022, 3.1.3.4, modified — Note 1 to entry has been removed.]
3.1.8
effectiveness
extent to which planned activities are realized and planned results are achieved
[SOURCE: ISO 30401:2018, 3.6]
3.1.9
facility
physical structure or installation, including related site, works, servicing one or more main purposes
[SOURCE: ISO/TS 12911:2012, 3.9]
3.1.10
framework
structure expressed in diagrams, texts, and formal rules, which relates the components of a conceptual
entity to each other
[SOURCE: ISO 19439:2006, 3.31]
3.1.11
governance
principles, policies, and framework (3.1.10) by which an organization is directed and controlled
[SOURCE: ISO 21505:2017, 3.1]
3.1.12
information
knowledge (3.1.16) concerning objects, such as facts, events, things, processes, or ideas, including concepts
that within a certain context has a particular meaning
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 2382:2015, 2121271]
3.1.13
information requirement
specification for what, when, how, and for whom information (3.1.12) is to be produced
[SOURCE: ISO 19650-1:2018, 3.3.2]
3.1.14
interoperability
capability of two or more entities to exchange items in accordance with a set of rules and mechanisms
implemented by an interface in each entity in order to perform their specific tasks
[SOURCE: ISO/TS 18101-1:2019, 3.1, modified — Notes 1, 2 and 3 to entry were removed.]
3.1.15
IT infrastructure
all the technical components, system, software, databases, and data files and deployed application software,
technical procedures, and technical documentation used to make the information (3.1.12) available
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 16350:2015, 4.22]
3.1.16
knowledge
human or organizational asset enabling effective decisions and action in the context
Note 1 to entry: Knowledge in a nuclear digital ecosystem (NDE) (3.1.18) can be individual or organizational and be
in the form of structured data (3.1.26) or unstructured data (3.1.29). The explicit knowledge can be transferred in a
systemized format, while the tacit knowledge is intricate to be converted to formal expertise. Knowledge systems
enable automated reasoning for decision-making in a collective manner.
[SOURCE: ISO 30401:2018, 3.25, modified — Notes 1, 2 and 3 to entry were removed and a new Note 1 to
entry was added.]
3.1.17
nuclear power plant
NPP
nuclear reactor installation that produces electrical and/or heat energy
Note 1 to entry: A nuclear power plant is a collection of single or multiple installed nuclear reactors with the supporting
structures, systems, and components necessary to produce power, i.e. heat or electricity.
[SOURCE: ISO 12749-5:2018, 3.2.5, modified — Note 1 to entry was replaced.]
3.1.18
nuclear digital ecosystem
NDE
digital ecosystem (3.1.6) specialized for application for nuclear facilities and related activities
Note 1 to entry: The objective is to provide principles, methodologies, and technologies to enable sharing of shared
resources across nuclear industry and beyond, and their specialization in each specific domain and discipline.
Note 2 to entry: There is a trend to name these shared resources ‘commons’.
[SOURCE: ISO/TR 20123:2023, 3.1.12]
3.1.19
nuclear fuel cycle
operations associated with the production of nuclear energy
Note 1 to entry: The nuclear fuel cycle includes the following stages:
a) mining and processing of uranium or thorium ores;
b) conversion;
c) enrichment of uranium;
d) manufacturing of nuclear fuel;
e) uses of the nuclear fuel;
f) reprocessing and recycling of spent nuclear fuel;
g) temporary radioactive material storage of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste from fuel fabrication and
reprocessing and disposal of spent nuclear fuel (open fuel cycle) or high-level waste (closed fuel cycle);
h) any related research and development activities;
i) transport of radioactive material;
j) all waste management activities (including decommissioning relating to operations associated with the
production of nuclear energy).
Note 2 to entry: Reactor operation and other activities at a reactor site are not addressed in this document, but are
addressed in ISO 12749-5.
[SOURCE: ISO 12749-1:2020, 3.2.6]
3.1.20
ontology
formal statement of an understanding of the world
Note 1 to entry: An ontology can be represented in any language. It need not be represented in a language specifically
designed for ontologies, such as OWL. An ontology can have different representations.
Note 2 to entry: An ontology does not specify what data (3.1.5) needs to be recorded about the world.
Note 3 to entry: The ontology defined by this document is principally concerned with the world outside a computer system.

[SOURCE: ISO/TS 15926-12:2018, 3.1.3]
3.1.21
process engineering
branch of engineering that is concerned with industrial processes, especially continuous ones such as the
production of petrochemicals, including power generation
[SOURCE: Reference [71]]
3.1.22
regulator
regulatory body
authority or a system of authorities designated by the government of a State as having legal authority for
conducting the regulatory process, including issuing authorizations, and thereby regulating the nuclear,
radiation, radioactive waste and transport safety
[SOURCE: Reference [52], p. 177, definition 1, modified — The supplementary information has been removed.]
3.1.23
research reactor
type of nuclear reactor engineered to use its neutron flux and ionizing radiation for scientific research in
different fields
[SOURCE: ISO 12749-5:2018, 3.5.1.2, modified — Notes 1 and 2 to entry have been removed.]
3.1.24
referential integrity
property of a set of relations such that the attribute values of foreign keys are null values or are identical to
the values of primary keys of other relations
Note 1 to entry: Referential integrity: term and definition standardized by ISO/IEC [ISO/IEC 2382-17:1999].
Note 2 to entry: 17.04.13 (2382).
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 2382:2015, 2121478]
3.1.25
structure
person, group, or organization that has interests in, or can affect, be affected by, or perceive itself to be
affected by, any aspect of the project
3.1.26
structured data
data (3.1.5) which are organized based on a predefined (applicable) set of rules
Note 1 to entry: The predefined set of rules governing the basis on which the data are structured needs to be clearly
stated and made known.
Note 2 to entry: A predefined data model is often used to govern the structuring of data.
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 20546:2019, 3.1.35]
3.1.27
technical information methodology
techniques that support the technical management methodology (3.1.28)
Note 1 to entry: Technical information methodology in the nuclear digital ecosystem (NDE) (3.1.18) includes breakdown
structure (3.1.2), ontology (3.1.20), numbering system (coding system), equipment designation systems, etc.

3.1.28
technical management methodology
rules, techniques and standards that support an organization and improve their performance by adopting
ways to manage product, process, people, activity, and resources throughout the life cycle (lifetime)
Note 1 to entry: Technical management methodology in a nuclear digital ecosystem (NDE) (3.1.18) includes, but is not
limited to, requirement management, configuration management, systems engineering, performance management,
operation management, information management, knowledge management, safety management.
3.1.29
unstructured data
data (3.1.5) which are characterized by not having any structure apart from that record or file level
Note 1 to entry: On the whole, unstructured data are not composed of data elements.
EXAMPLE Free text.
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 20546:2019, 3.1.37]
3.2 Abbreviated terms
BWR boiling water reactor
CFM configuration management
CMR construction management at risk
DBB design-bid-build
DBM design-build-maintain
EPC engineering-procurement-construction
EPCC engineering-procurement-construction-commissioning
FBR fast breeder reactor
FCF fuel cycle facility
GCR gas-cooled, graphite-moderated reactor
GDM graph data model
GML geography markup language
HTGR high-temperature gas-cooled reactor
HVAC heating, ventilation and air conditioning
IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency
I&C instrumentation and control
ICT information and communication technology
IE information exchange
IFC industry foundation classes
IM information management
LWGR light-water cooled, graphite-moderated reactor

MSR molten salt reactor
NDE nuclear digital ecosystem
NPP nuclear power plant
OO owner and operator
PDS project delivery system
PHWR pressurized heavy water reactor
PRIS power reactor information system
PWR pressurized light-water moderated and cooled reactor
RQM requirements management
NRR research reactor
NWD waste disposal facility
4 Nuclear digital ecosystem (NDE) framework
4.1 Concept of an NDE
The NDE is a cyber value creation community of related stakeholders (see 5.2.4) in the nuclear facilities
(see 5.2.2) through the entire facility life cycle (lifetime) (see 5.2.5) under global governance (see 5.2.3), as
depicted in Figure 1.
Figure 1 — Concepts of an NDE
The NDE cyber value creation is enabled by integration (see 5.4) of information (see 5.5) based on business
requirements (see 5.3) using information and communication technology (ICT) and infrastructure (see 5.6).
Information integration and exchange within the NDE is crucial for cyber value creation. This is accomplished
by the technical management methodology (see 5.3.2) supported by appropriate technical information
methodology (see 5.3.3), which is evolving to improve practicability and is continuously evaluated by
feasibility measures (see 5.3.4), as illustrated in Figure 2.

All components of the NDE framework describe a layered approach to comprehending sub-components.
Figure 2 summarizes the fundamental elements of the NDE framework. The relationship between NDE
elements and their definition is specified in Clause 5.
4.2 Depth and breadth of the NDE
This document focuses on the nuclear industry-specifics with practical requirements. Narrowing the focus
to the nuclear industry sector (see 4.2.1) enables all related practical business spectrums (see 4.2.2) and
technology advancement (see 4.2.3) to be integrated smoothly. The goal-oriented process aims to promote
the implementation of ISO standards in the nuclear industry. The depth and breadth of the NDE framework
facilitate the practical applications for traditional business practices and the advanced concepts initiated by
the fourth industrial revolution.
Within the confined industry sector along with a comprehensive business spectrum, this NDE framework
accommodates the technology advancement of NPPs and digital transformation.
4.2.1 Industry sector
This document applies to the nuclear industry. The related industry sectors include the buildings and civil
industry (ISO/TC 59/SC 13), oil, gas, process, and power industry (ISO/TC 184/SC 4) and asset-intensive
industry (ISO/TC 184/WG 6).
4.2.2 Business spectrum
This document covers a broad spectrum of business functions. The business requirements (see 5.3) are
specified in the technical management methodology (see 5.3.2), including requirement management,
configuration management (CFM), facility operation management, and repository information management.
Furthermore, the additional perspective of the project, programme, and portfolio management is covered to
specify comprehensive business functions for the nuclear industry.

Figure 2 — Fundamental elements of the NDE framework
4.2.3 Technology advancement
The new technology for nuclear power plants (NPPs) plays a crucial role in defining and detailing the NDE.
NPPs are categorized based on the types of coolant and moderator of the fission reactor. Seven types of
[46]
reactors defined by the IAEA power reactor information system (PRIS) are used in this document. These
include:
— boiling light-water reactor (BWR);
— fast breeder reactor (FBR);
— gas-cooled, graphite-moderated reactor (GCR);
— high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR);
— light-water cooled, graphite-moderated reactor (LWGR);
— pressurized heavy water reactor (PHWR);

— pressurized light-water moderated and cooled reactor (PWR).
Considering the new technologies under development, current practice may use different classifications of
reactor types. An example may include:
— light-water reactor;
— heavy-water reactor;
— graphite-moderated gas-cooled reactor;
— fast breeder reactor (FBR);
— molten salt reactor (MSR).
Advances in the fourth industrial revolution are also considered in the NDE framework.
5 Fundamental elements of a nuclear digital ecosystem (NDE)
5.1 General
The fundamental elements of the NDE are categorized into five groups.
— First, the nuclear industry is defined in terms of global governance, nuclear facility, stakeholder, and life
cycle (lifetime) to accommodate the distinct characteristics of the industry.
— Secondly, the business requirements are accomplished by specifying technical management
methodologies, technical information methodologies, and feasibility measures required to enable digital
transformation in the NDE.
— Thirdly, integration issues in terms of the value chain, project delivery system (PDS), and disciplines are
defined to support the business requirements.
— Fourthly, information requirements in terms of abstraction, form, and sensitivity are described to
facilitate integration and exchange.
— Finally, ICT and infrastructure are enablers of cyber value creation processes.
Figure 3 illustrates the relationship between the primary NDE elements within the NDE framework.
Taxonomy diagrams in Figure A.1 provide the lower-level components of NDE elements.

Key
first level objective of the NDE
second level component of the NDE
third level component of the NDE
Figure 3 — NDE framework with primary elements
5.2 Nuclear industry
5.2.1 General
The nuclear industry is a value creation community of related stakeholders (see 5.2.4) for nuclear facilities
(see 5.2.2) throughout the entire life cycle (lifetime) (see 5.2.5). This NDE is controlled by global governance
(see 5.2.3) of safety regulations, and it exchanges knowledge and information under different delivery
systems.
5.2.2 Nuclear facility
According to ISO 24389-1, a nuclear facility is defined as “a facility (including associated buildings and
equipment) in which nuclear material is produced, processed, used, handled, stored or disposed of”.

The types of nuclear facilities which are related to the NDE within this document follow the four categories
of facilities indicated in Reference [52], including NPPs, research reactors (NRRs), fuel cycle facilities (FCFs)
and facilities for the predisposal management of radioactive waste, and waste disposal facilities (NWDs).
NOTE Reference [52] defines a disposal facility as an ‘engineering facility where waste is emplaced for disposal’,
where disposal facilities could be either ‘near surface disposal facility’ or ‘geological disposal facility’. A research
reactor is defined as ‘a nuclear reactor used mainly for the generation and utilization of neutron flux and ionizing
radiation for research and other purposes, including experimental facilities associated with the reactor and storage,
handling and treatment facilities for radioactive material on the same site that are directly related to the safe operation
of the research reactor’. A nuclear FCF is also defined as ‘a facility (including associated buildings and equipment) in
which nuclear material is produced, processed, used, handled, stored or disposed of’.
5.2.3 Global governance
Due to the technicality in operating the nuclear sector, the nuclear industry has developed a global
governance to ensure nuclear safety and is highly controlled by national and international safety authorities.
This framework conforms with the requirements and terms of nuclear safety, nuclear security, nuclear
energy and human health standards and guidance series published by the IAEA.
Global governance is a multilevel governance, addressing both definition of global operational principles
and rules of an NDE application on a given project, and its compliance with regulations.
NOTE 1 Definition of operational rules means the definition, for a given project, of the use cases, business and
exchange processes, data models, and data exchange rules for all stakeholders. This encompasses all evolutions
decisions when new needs arise.
NOTE 2 Regulations are (as examples, list non-exhaustive) national regulations (e.g. engineering codes, work
regulations, environmental regulations, radiation protection regulation, physical protection and nuclear security,
nuclear authority regulations), and supranational regulations (e.g. European regulations as Data Governance Act,
Cybersecurity Act, GDPR), all including safety requirements.
5.2.4 Stakeholders
Stakeholders are the involved actors in the cyber value creation process in the NDE. They are categorized
into six groups: public, regulator, owner, manufacturer, contractor and consultant, and operator.
NOTE Key categories of stakeholders defined by Reference [58] include government, host communities, labour
organizations, media, ministry, neighbouring countries, nuclear energy plant implementing organizations, non-
governmental organizations, operator/implementer, opinion leaders, policy makers, public (national, regional, local),
regulatory body, scientist/academia, and staff of organizations.
5.2.5 Life cycle (lifetime)
A nuclear facility has distinctive characteristics in defining its life cycle (lifetime). The phases of procurement
and commissioning are highlighted due to the importance of equipment. The life cycle (lifetime) of a nuclear
facility comprises all phases of the planning and economic studies (PES), siting (SIT), engineering and design
(ENG), procurement (PRO), construction (CON), commissioning (NCX), operation and maintenance (OPM),
and decommissioning (DCX). The life cycle (lifetime) phase is one of the key attributes of managing NDE
information integration and exchange.
NOTE 1 The term ‘lifetime’ is an equivalent term for ‘life cycle’ defined by Reference [52] as “the period of time
during which a facility or component is expected to perform according to the technical specifications to which it was
produced”.
NOTE 2 The constituents of the life cycle are very high-level phases that consider different scenarios that can
occur in each phase. For instance, in the case of operation and maintenance (OPM), not only are normal operational
conditions correlated to a typical operational scenario, but incidents, accidents, and abnormal behaviours are also
considered.
5.3 Business requirements
5.3.1 General
The NDE framework focuses on the nuclear industry-specifics with management requirements and
information specifications to facilitate practical benefits from implementing ISO standards. The major
disciplines process input data, and they produce output data as deliverables that shall benefit from
standardized digital-based management and technical information methodologies. It is viable because the
industry scope is narrowed down to the nuclear sector, while the management concerns are expanded to
cover the whole spectrum of involved major disciplines (see 5.4.4), including nuclear, civil, architectural,
mechanical, electrical, I&C, process engineering and ICT.
Three perspectives of technical management methodology (see 5.3.2), technical information methodology
(see 5.3.3), and feasibility measure (see 5.3.4) are defined to accommodate the expanded managerial
spectrum within the specific industry scope. In addition, these three perspectives define the areas of NDE
standard applications based on the NDE framework.
5.3.2 Technical management methodology
The technical management methodology enhances the performance by optimizing and balancing the
business requirements. Technical management methodologies in the nuclear ecosystem include requirement
management, CFM, facility operation management and repository information management.
A top-down and goal-oriented approach is used to comprehend all related issues of complicated managerial
tasks for additional forthcoming NDE standards. The defined technical management methodologies are the
highest-level constituents that significantly support model-based engineering for the nuclear ecosystem. An
additional next-level perspective to specify in detail management functions, including cost management,
time management, and quality management, adopts the definitions from project, programme, and portfolio
management as outlined in ISO 21500.
5.3.3 Technical information methodology
A technical information methodology is a logic or mechanism that supports the technical management
methodologies. The highest-level technical information methodologies include breakdown structure, coding
system, ontology, and modelling method.
With the same approach as the technical management methodology, a top-down and goal-oriented
approach is applied when specifying the technical information methodologies. Each technical information
methodology enables multiple applications to various technical management methodologies. For example, a
set of standard breakdown structures meets the information exchange (IE) requirements for requirement
management, CFM, facility operation management, and repository information management.
5.3.4 Feasibility measure
The feasibility measurement of interoperability addresses the practical improvement in implementing NDE
IE. Feasibility measures include effectiveness, maturity, capability, and evolvability.
Barriers, concerns, procedures, rubrics, and indicators measuring the feasibility measure provide directions
and insights for continuous standard development efforts.
5.4 Integration
5.4.1 General
The cyber value creation community of the NDE interacts by comprehending all relevant value chains (see
5.4.2) and their stakeholders through various major disciplines (see 5.4.4) under different PDSs (see 5.4.3).

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