ICONE19-43020 APPLICATION OF CONCEPT MAPPING PRINCIPLES TO MANAGING STEAM GENERATOR KNOWLEDGE AT CNSC

Nuclear knowledge management (KM) initiatives have been observed in many international agencies, industries and research facilities, such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Canada's own Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL). This paper presents a brief overview of the theory behind concept mapping, its origins and application potential in an organizational context. Successful applications of nuclear KM efforts by the IAEA, the Defence Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), AECL and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Nuclear Energy Agency (OECD/NEA) are specifically highlighted in the report for comparison and contrast. In addition, a system based on concept mapping theory is recently designed and implemented in order to efficiently manage steam generator-related knowledge at the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC). This tool aims to act as a powerful information asset for storage and retrieval of explicit and implicit knowledge, and to integrate KM practices into the CNSC workplace, all while maintaining its simplicity and ease for future modifications and fine-tuning when needed.