A Brief on the Verification and Validation Efforts for DOE’s Stakeholder Tool for Assessing Radioactive Transportation

The Stakeholder Tool for Assessing Radioactive Transportation (START) is a web-based geospatial decision support system developed by the U.S. Department of Energy to support the planning and analysis of used nuclear fuel (UNF) and high-level radioactive waste (HLW) transportation. Built on the ArcGIS platform, START enables users to define transportation routes, select modes of transport, apply routing criteria, and analyze dose metrics along proposed routes. To ensure the accuracy and reliability of START outputs, a comprehensive verification and validation (V&V) process has been in place since 2020. This paper outlines the V&V methodology, which includes iterative testing of new features, the comparison of outputs across software versions, and independent validation using tools such as ArcMAP and QGIS. Key metrics evaluated include total route distance, population within buffer zones, population density, and incident-free radiation dose to the public and crew. The V&V process identified and resolved challenges such as population overcounting due to overlapping segment buffers and discovered discrepancies in route generation logic. Additionally, a study was conducted comparing START-generated routes for shipments to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant against publicly available shipment data. Differences were observed in this study potentially due to real-world operational challenges not modeled in START. The findings underscore the importance of continuous V&V in maintaining the integrity of START and ensuring its utility for a diverse range of stakeholders involved in UNF and HLW transportation planning.