It’s the small things that matter.

This rule applies to everything in our lives. From the feeling of finding money we didn’t know we had, to not having to set an alarm for the next morning. Though these actions are tiny compared to others, they still hold the same amount of meaning.
But has it ever occurred to you that this rule applies to more than just our immediate lives? That perhaps this simple life lesson could even be connected to building a nuclear explosion detection station?
Yet it’s also the small things that tend to be overlooked.

The International Monitoring System (IMS), is an elaborate system of over three hundred facilities (monitoring stations and laboratories), built and maintained by the CTBTO, the organisation that is working to put an end to nuclear testing.
IMS stations use a complicated network of advanced technologies. CTBTO uses four types of monitoring technologies: seismic, radionuclide, hydroacoustic, and infrasound. Even though each of these stations are assembled of cutting edge technology, however, not all of it is as complicated as we think it to be.
It is incredibly important for IMS stations to keep continuous and uninterrupted contact with the International Data Center (IDC). The reason for this is that IMS stations must transmit data, which the IDC can later process and send out to member states. Therefore, in this cycle, communication is key.
The IDC and the IMS stations are connected to one another by cellular networks, since they have proved to be reliable, as well as helping to save more money. Landlines, conversely, can easily be broken down by lightening, which is a problem for countries that have stormy seasons. To clarify, our mobile phones are connected to one another by cellular networks. Without the simple concept of cellular network, an IMS station would hold just a fraction of its current power.

So, like I’ve said, it’s the small things that matter.

CTBTO Youth Group Member Salwa Yang,

Vienna, 26 June 2017