IDC SHI Reengineering Alpha Tester Group (ATG) Technical Meeting | CTBTO

LOCATION
Vienna International Centre
Vienna, Austria 

The meeting will also be streamed through a video-conferencing platform 

DATES
4-5 September 2023 
 

LANGUAGE
The working language will be English
 

OBJECTIVES

The PTS is leading the IDC SHI Reengineering project since 2014 with the goal of creating modernized, open-source software for SHI processing, and improving maintainability and extensibility to the system. Starting 2019, the project entered the Implementation phase and is currently under active development. 

The aim of this Alpha Tester Group (ATG) is to enhance the engagement of the NDC community towards the IDC Reengineering project. It allows low-barrier access for State Signatories and NDCs to the current state of the reengineered system.

The role of the ATG participants is to validate the results of the system and provide feedback to the system design and usability.

Current ATG activities are planned for biennial 2022-2023. Participants already selected in 2022 for this biennial do not need to reapply. New candidates will be accepted to fill open positions in 2023. 

The objectives of the Technical Meetings prior to a testing session are to:

• Present the scope of the testing session,
• Provide the status of development,
• Guide the testers on the discovery of the newly developed features,
• Enable ATG members to run testing scripts and adapt them to different test cases.

The ATG project is funded by the European Union in the context of the EU Council Decision (CFSP) 2020/901 of 29 June 2020.
 

AGENDA

There will be one testing session in 2023 where the ATG Members will be requested to:

• Participate in the two days kick-off meeting,
• Perform the evaluation of the system., each ATG member will be provided with a test instance of the system accessible over the internet for a duration of one month,
• Provide feedback to problems encountered and opportunities for future developments,
• Liaise with other technical users in their NDC and represent their opinions on the ATG.

PARTICIPANTS’ PROFILE

NDCs involved in Alpha Testing activities are expected to make time available for the ATG Members to perform the related activities. It is estimated that each ATG member will need to devote between 5 and 10 days to ATG activities in 2023. 

To be effective in this work, it is recommended that each participating NDC nominates only one person for ATG membership and that the ATG do not exceed 30 members with broad geographical distribution. Once the testing instance is delivered to the NDC nominee, other members of the NDC can be part of the testing.

Members of the ATG should be:

• NDC technical staff/authorized users (preferably Principal User or Regular User), 
• Experienced in waveform processing and knowledgeable about the current IDC SHI processing,
• Experienced in waveform technology and/or similarly experienced in nuclear test ban verification technologies,
• Experienced in software programming or scripting, ideally using Python (Linux background and some experience working with APIs are desirable).
   

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

Applicants are requested to register online at the Commission’s CTNW platform: https://ctnw.ctbto.org

Financial support may be available for 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 4 June 2023.  

States Signatories wishing to nominate participants are requested to inform the Provisional Technical Secretariat (see Point of Contact) through their respective Permanent Mission by the deadline set for application.

States Signatories are encouraged to nominate qualified female candidates.
 

FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Applicable to PTS-funded participants only:

In accordance with the Staff regulations and rules and Administrative Directives, the PTS will provide the following:

• A Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) that is sufficient to cover the related expenses during the technical meeting;
• The PTS travel agent will reserve, issue and forward the flight ticket to the participants for the most direct and economic route;
• Funded participants are not allowed to purchase their own tickets unless, under exceptional circumstances, they are authorized to do so and only if this proves to be most cost-effective option for the PTS;
• The PTS will book a hotel and cover the costs for the accommodation and technical meeting participants will receive their remaining DSA upon arrival in Vienna; and
• Health insurance will be provided that covers the duration of the technical meeting.

Requirement: Scanned passport copies.

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS FOR ARRANGEMENT OF THE PARTICIPANTS’ WORKPLACE

• Speed of Internet connection not less than 10 Mbps.
   
• Computer to be used during the online training course:
   – Desktop with two connected monitors or laptop with one external monitor is recommended to follow the course and access test instance at the same time;
   – CPU ≥ 4 cores, RAM ≥ 8GB;
   – Recent web browser of your choice.
   
• Headset for high-quality audio and web camera (for remote participants).

OTHER PERTINENT INFORMATION
Participants should apply for visas, if needed, at the corresponding Embassy/Consular Office upon receipt of an Acceptance Note Verbale from the PTS, in order to ensure timely processing. The PTS will provide personal invitations to visa applicants.