An Investigation Into The Use of Median Indicator Kriging To Assist in Post Accident Radiation Assessment

Following an accidental release of radioactivity to the environment decisions will be made based on the information available to those organisations responsible for assessment of the radiological impact of the accident. This paper considers the application of the method of median indicator kriging to post-accident deposition data, in order to produce results in a form suitable for use by decision makers. The method is tested on various datasets generated from a gaussian plume atmospheric dispersal model. The results show that the method can be customised to include intervention levels, which are used in determining countermeasures to be implemented following a release of radiation to the environment. Incorporating intervention levels into the method is shown to reduce the uncertainty of the estimates produced. The results are analysed with regard to the possible misclassification that could occur over a region 40km by 40km. It is shown that with as few as 50 data values the method gives good results when intervention levels are used. These preliminary results show that the method could be used as a suitable tool for an emergency response system.