Advantages of Dual Mode Imaging for Managing Sensitive Imaging Information.

Protecting sensitive information in an imaging system is perhaps one of the most difficult challenges in a dismantlement verification regime. An image will almost certainly contain highly sensitive information, and storing a comparison image will almost certainly violate a cardinal principle of information barriers that no sensitive information be stored in the system. While in principle some features of the image could be reduced to a few parameters suitable for an attribute, in practice that might also have undesirable features. For example, reducing the measurement to an attribute such as defined shape and X-ray transmission of an edge might reveal sensitive information relating to shape, size, and material composition. PNNL is currently evaluating a dual mode imaging (DMI) technique in which images from active (conventional) radiography and passive (auto) radiography are used as test and comparison images. Since these images are dynamically generated behind the information barrier, each can be highly detailed and not disclose sensitive information. This talk will concentrate upon the interplay of imaging information, possible image attributes, and information barriers; a companion paper by Robinson et al. will concentrate upon the technical work performed to date. This project has been supported by the US Department of Energy/Laboratory Directed Research and Development program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]