DOT To Map Out Nation's Time Zones After Report Shows No Official Map Exists (cnn.com) 38
A person may take knowing the local time for granted, but an official review revealed that there is no single, accurate map showing the nation's time zones and local observance of Daylight Saving Time. CNN reports: Federal transportation officials are now at work creating an accurate map of the nation's time zones, according to a report by the inspector general for the Department of Transportation. The issue came up, the inspector general's office said, after the US Senate passed legislation this year to end the biannual time turn by making Daylight Saving Time permanent.
Investigators found no single map accurately showing the boundaries nationwide and said several sources of time information on the DOT website contained errors, such as inaccurately noting the time practices in some localities. For example, one map incorrectly identifies a deviation in Nevada: "Elko County, NV is shown as the location that changed time zones rather than the correct location, the city of West Wendover."
"The official boundaries are narratively described [in federal regulations] with various types of coordinates and geographic features such as lines of longitude, State or county lines, and rivers," the report stated. The inspector general report said the Transportation Department is responsible for keeping the clock because of the importance of time to travel. It said the original five time zones have expanded to nine.
Investigators found no single map accurately showing the boundaries nationwide and said several sources of time information on the DOT website contained errors, such as inaccurately noting the time practices in some localities. For example, one map incorrectly identifies a deviation in Nevada: "Elko County, NV is shown as the location that changed time zones rather than the correct location, the city of West Wendover."
"The official boundaries are narratively described [in federal regulations] with various types of coordinates and geographic features such as lines of longitude, State or county lines, and rivers," the report stated. The inspector general report said the Transportation Department is responsible for keeping the clock because of the importance of time to travel. It said the original five time zones have expanded to nine.
DOT? (Score:3)
Isn't this a job for NIST?
Re:DOT? (Score:5, Informative)
The inspector general report said the Transportation Department is responsible for keeping the clock because of the importance of time to travel.
Re:DOT? (Score:4, Informative)
2 Guam
3 Hawaii
4 Alaska
5 Pacific
6 Mountain
7 Central
8 Eastern
9 Puerto Rico
Note that Hawaii and Alaska have some territory in each others' zones. And the Puerto Rico zone also includes the US Virgin Islands. There are some other slight messy aspects. For example Arizona does not observe daylight savings, but they are otherwise in the Mountain time zone.
Re: DOT? (Score:2)
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A better reference would be Time.gov [time.gov], but even that is somewhat vague on where the actual zone are in the states. There are 15 states that have more than one time zone. [usatoday.com]
Especially now that some states are trying to decide if they want to remain on either Daylight Saving Time or Standard Time year round, the map might need a summer and winter version.
Re:DOT? (Score:5, Informative)
Note that Hawaii and Alaska have some territory in each others' zones. And the Puerto Rico zone also includes the US Virgin Islands. There are some other slight messy aspects. For example Arizona does not observe daylight savings, but they are otherwise in the Mountain time zone.
It is even worse than that. Most of Arizona does not observe daylight saving time, but the Navajo Nation, which is partly inside Arizona, does. But wait, there's more: the Hopi Nation, some parts of which are inside the Navajo Nation, does observe daylight saving time. Details at Time and Date: no DST in Most of Arizona [timeanddate.com].
Re: DOT? (Score:2)
Driving through there to take the (extremely) scenic route to the Grand Canyon and see an old friend, the clock on our phones was like something out of the twilight zone because it depended on where the tower is, and we had no clue. Screw it, it's one and two o'clock, we'll get there when we get there.
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and you arrived at 12:30
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> the importance of time to travel.
Sounds like some sort of dog whistle to time travelers. 88mph, here we come!
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NIST is a standards body - they are responsible for defining the time zones and the time in those zones. But they aren't into defining the actual borders of the timezone.
The DOT is likely doing it as timezones is something that strongly affects transportation - timezones were created to standardize train schedules, after all. But it impacts everything from trucking schedules to train schedules and airline schedules
TIL (Score:4, Funny)
That the DOT is responsible for time travel.
Re: (Score:3)
Also can't wait for DST to DIE.
Nine Time Zones (Score:5, Interesting)
I was curious, as I know the four major time zones, plus Alaska (which I thought was also Hawaii, but that's wrong), so I looked in the linked report:
I had thought they were talking about zones where DST isn't observed or things like that, but instead it's just all the territorial time zones.
artificial lines of separation - (Score:2)
"The official boundaries are narratively described [in federal regulations] with various types of coordinates and geographic features such as lines of longitude, State or county lines, and rivers,"
So, when a river changes course as sometimes happens, do people living there have to change their clocks?
The map of time zones is much like the gerrymandered maps of political districts. Both need a thorough cleaning. Personally I don't like lines that divide people. Patriotism is for puppets of the local regime.
Re: (Score:2)
You would also have to figure out when today changes into tomorrow. Does it happen according to GMT, or 7pm according to your local clock?
Re: artificial lines of separation - (Score:1)
No. Do like the Chinese. Make those pissants away from the standard meridian wake up in the middle of the night and go to sleep in the afternoon. That'll learn em to live where they live instead of the capital.
Re: (Score:2)
So, when a river changes course as sometimes happens, do people living there have to change their clocks?
If you think that through a bit, you'll realize they'll probably be too busy replacing their house.
Re: artificial lines of separation - (Score:2)
We could, but why?
Indiana is odd with time zones (Score:2)
Indiana is odd with time zones
Re: (Score:2)
They've made it a LOT better about a dozen years ago.
It used to be that each county in Indiana could chose to be in either Eastern or Central timezone. They could also decide if they wanted to participate in DST or not.
When going through northern Indiana, there were a few spots where you would cross a county line and the time would change 2 hours -- because you went from EST to CDT in one swoop.
I believe Indiana still has some counties in the Central time-zone, but they all have to participate in DST now.
time.gov is official, is it not? (Score:2)
NIST is the official keeper of the clock, and publishes a map of time zones, and it publishes a map at time.gov. I suppose it might not be precise enough, but it certainly is _official_.
Re: (Score:2)
This is common with big governments. Right hand doesn't even know the left hand exists!
TZs and DST shouldn't even exist. (Score:2)
The timing and availability of sunlight varies with literally every step you take in any directio, East or West, North or South, and people just look them up anyway if they're relevant to their plans. But arbitrary time zone borders and hour switches are a massive inconvenience that is too easy to screw up.
Just get rid of them already.
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So you want to abolish time zones. [qntm.org]
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So the scenario here is that this person (a)wants to talk to someone on another continent, (b)isn't in regular enough contact to be aware of the basics of their schedule, (c)refuses to look up the local solar time, since that's such a Herculean one-time task, and (d)won't just send a text saying "Hey, nbd, but something something. Get back to me when convenient."
Clearly this is a reason to mangle and inconvenience in perpetuity the daily activities
tz (Score:1)
Could someone just call Arthur David Olson or Paul Eggert? I think they could help.
More than one town in Nevada on Mountain Time (Score:1)
NIST should have done this long ago. (Score:2)
Paul Eggert? (Score:2)
I thought Paul Eggert was in charge of world wide time zones. I hope he's still okay. The world still needs him.
Re: (Score:2)
Mos def. Taking off where Arthur David Olson left off, Eggert is reprised
at (google keyword top hit) "time zone king ucla"
"Due to a legislative oversight, unnoticed for (Score:2)
Don't need no stinkin' maps (Score:2)
Don't need a map. Need an algorithm.
While They're at it... (Score:2)