Case Study

Modernizing the IAEA's Environmental Sample Evaluation Platform

Title

Roko Labs designed and built ESEE, the Environmental Sample Evaluation Environment, a secure analytics platform replacing the IAEA's fragmented legacy systems for global nuclear oversight. Three-plus years of engineering, and the platform is in active support today. The work made Roko Labs an official UN vendor.

a laptop on a desk in a factory where we can see a dashboard of a web application on the laptop screen

Client

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

Industry

Intergovernmental Agency

Services

User Research
Product Design
Product Management
Managed Services

User Research
Product Design
Product Management
Managed Services

Project Duration

Three-plus years, currently in support

Problem

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) runs global nuclear oversight: environmental integrity, compliance, and safety across international jurisdictions. The legacy platform supporting those workflows had drifted into four overlapping failure modes.

  • Disconnected datasets across environments, with no shared analytical layer.

  • Dense, hard-to-navigate UI that hid the cross-functional context analysts needed.

  • Manual handoffs slowed every analysis cycle.

  • Strict international security and compliance requirements ruled out off-the-shelf platforms or cloud-first lifts.

The IAEA was not looking for incremental upgrades. They needed a secure analytics platform built for global regulatory operations, with governance and data integrity preserved end-to-end.

Our Vision

Discovery research came first. Stakeholder interviews, usability tests, and direct observation of analyst workflows produced a clear picture of where the platform broke down and what the redesign had to deliver. Those insights set the project goals, and Roko Labs proposed a full UI and UX redesign alongside the workflow improvements surfaced in research.

Iterative wireframes went back to users at every cycle. Each round reduced friction and produced an interface that scientific analysts could navigate without retraining.

The deliverable was a modernized platform aligned with IAEA's internal processes, with secure, stable, and efficient data handling for scientific analysis and policymaking. During the engagement, Roko Labs also became an official UN vendor.

Approach

Roko Labs and the IAEA designed and built ESEE, the Environmental Sample Evaluation Environment, as a secure analytics platform engineered for mission-critical regulatory work.

The engagement ran in three phases.

Approach

Roko Labs partnered with IAEA to design and build ESEE (Environmental Sample Evaluation Environment) — a next-generation analytics platform engineered for secure, mission-critical environments.

01.

Phase 1: Research & Design

02.

Phase 2: Build & Launch

03.

Phase 3: Scale & Optimize

• Stakeholder interviews and workflow analysis • Identification of structural inefficiencies • Redesign of the user experience for scientific analysts • Architecture planning focused on traceability and control

Team members collaborating over a desk with digital workflow and alignment interface elements overlaid on the scene

01.

Phase 1: Research & Design

• Stakeholder interviews and workflow analysis • Identification of structural inefficiencies • Redesign of the user experience for scientific analysts • Architecture planning focused on traceability and control

Team members collaborating over a desk with digital workflow and alignment interface elements overlaid on the scene

02.

Phase 2: Build & Launch

03.

Phase 3: Scale & Optimize

Solution

Delivering advanced analytics inside a global regulatory environment required architectural precision and institutional trust, not modernization alone. The IAEA processes vast volumes of complex scientific and environmental data across multiple formats, ingestion pipelines, and international reporting standards. Analysts needed to run sophisticated evaluations and produce timely insights with data integrity, traceability, and compliance to strict international security frameworks intact at every step.

ESEE was engineered against that constraint set from day one. Every architectural decision had to clear two bars at once: the analytical capability scientists needed and the audit posture the agency had to maintain across borders.

Data analytics interface with line charts, bar charts, and summary widgets displaying performance trends

The Results

By modernizing its analytics infrastructure, the IAEA gained timely, evidence-based environmental oversight without loosening international compliance standards. Operational efficiency went up. Governance held. Security, traceability, and regulatory integrity stayed central to every workflow.

ESEE also gave the agency a scalable, secure foundation for the next decade of analytical advancement, including AI-driven capabilities the platform was deliberately engineered to support.

Two numbers anchor the outcome:

489

New screens designed and delivered, modernizing analyst workflows end to end.

100%

Audit traceability across analytical outputs.

Data upload and validation dashboard displaying tabular records with an older system interface in the background

Testimonial

"Just started working on my first project in ESEE. I love it. A time, energy, and nerve saver. Thanks to Roko for orchestrating this big beast."

Staff Member

International Atomic Energy Agency

Testimonial

"Just started working on my first project in ESEE. I love it. A time, energy, and nerve saver. Thanks to Roko for orchestrating this big beast."

Staff Member

International Atomic Energy Agency

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Case Study

Modernizing the IAEA's Environmental Sample Evaluation Platform

Roko Labs designed and built ESEE, the Environmental Sample Evaluation Environment, a secure analytics platform replacing the IAEA's fragmented legacy systems for global nuclear oversight. Three-plus years of engineering, and the platform is in active support today. The work made Roko Labs an official UN vendor.

a laptop on a desk in a factory where we can see a dashboard of a web application on the laptop screen

Client

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

Industry

Intergovernmental Agency

Services

User Research
Product Design
Product Management
Managed Services

Project Duration

Three-plus years, currently in support

Problem

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) runs global nuclear oversight: environmental integrity, compliance, and safety across international jurisdictions. The legacy platform supporting those workflows had drifted into four overlapping failure modes.

  • Disconnected datasets across environments, with no shared analytical layer.

  • Dense, hard-to-navigate UI that hid the cross-functional context analysts needed.

  • Manual handoffs slowed every analysis cycle.

  • Strict international security and compliance requirements ruled out off-the-shelf platforms or cloud-first lifts.

The IAEA was not looking for incremental upgrades. They needed a secure analytics platform built for global regulatory operations, with governance and data integrity preserved end-to-end.

Our Vision

Discovery research came first. Stakeholder interviews, usability tests, and direct observation of analyst workflows produced a clear picture of where the platform broke down and what the redesign had to deliver. Those insights set the project goals, and Roko Labs proposed a full UI and UX redesign alongside the workflow improvements surfaced in research.

Iterative wireframes went back to users at every cycle. Each round reduced friction and produced an interface that scientific analysts could navigate without retraining.

The deliverable was a modernized platform aligned with IAEA's internal processes, with secure, stable, and efficient data handling for scientific analysis and policymaking. During the engagement, Roko Labs also became an official UN vendor.

Approach

Roko Labs and the IAEA designed and built ESEE, the Environmental Sample Evaluation Environment, as a secure analytics platform engineered for mission-critical regulatory work.

The engagement ran in three phases.

Approach

Roko Labs partnered with IAEA to design and build ESEE (Environmental Sample Evaluation Environment) — a next-generation analytics platform engineered for secure, mission-critical environments.

01.

Phase 1: Research & Design

02.

Phase 2: Build & Launch

03.

Phase 3: Scale & Optimize

• Stakeholder interviews and workflow analysis • Identification of structural inefficiencies • Redesign of the user experience for scientific analysts • Architecture planning focused on traceability and control

Team members collaborating over a desk with digital workflow and alignment interface elements overlaid on the scene

Solution

Delivering advanced analytics inside a global regulatory environment required architectural precision and institutional trust, not modernization alone. The IAEA processes vast volumes of complex scientific and environmental data across multiple formats, ingestion pipelines, and international reporting standards. Analysts needed to run sophisticated evaluations and produce timely insights with data integrity, traceability, and compliance to strict international security frameworks intact at every step.

ESEE was engineered against that constraint set from day one. Every architectural decision had to clear two bars at once: the analytical capability scientists needed and the audit posture the agency had to maintain across borders.

Data analytics interface with line charts, bar charts, and summary widgets displaying performance trends

The Results

By modernizing its analytics infrastructure, the IAEA gained timely, evidence-based environmental oversight without loosening international compliance standards. Operational efficiency went up. Governance held. Security, traceability, and regulatory integrity stayed central to every workflow.

ESEE also gave the agency a scalable, secure foundation for the next decade of analytical advancement, including AI-driven capabilities the platform was deliberately engineered to support.

Two numbers anchor the outcome:

489

New screens designed and delivered, modernizing analyst workflows end to end.

100%

Audit traceability across analytical outputs.

Data upload and validation dashboard displaying tabular records with an older system interface in the background

Testimonial

"Just started working on my first project in ESEE. I love it. A time, energy, and nerve saver. Thanks to Roko for orchestrating this big beast."

Staff Member

International Atomic Energy Agency

Have a similar problem? Get in touch.

Talk to an expert

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See More

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Life Sciences ​

SERVICE

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a laptop showing a modern dashboard

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Copyright © 2026 Roko Labs Inc.

All rights reserved.

1250 Broadway, 36th Floor, New York, NY, 10001

aria-label="Home"

Copyright © 2026 Roko Labs Inc.

All rights reserved.

1250 Broadway, 36th Floor, New York, NY, 10001

aria-label="Home"

Copyright © 2026 Roko Labs Inc.

All rights reserved.

1250 Broadway, 36th Floor, New York, NY, 10001

aria-label="Home"

Copyright © 2026 Roko Labs Inc.

All rights reserved.

1250 Broadway, 36th Floor, New York, NY, 10001