[LEAPSECS] Future of Time meeting

[Rob Seaman]

Hola,

It is not without trepidation that I forward this announcement of a half-day UTC splinter meeting to be held in conjunction with next week's American Astronomical Society meeting near Washington, DC.  The goal is not to debate the policy issues, but rather to raise awareness of the issue, its historical context and operational implications.  Members of the leapsecs list are welcome to attend, whether astronomers or not.

Rob
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Dear Colleague,

This is an announcement of a open splinter meeting to be held at the upcoming 223rd Meeting of the American Astronomical Society at the Gaylord National Resort near Washington, DC:

	The Future of Time
	Sunday, 5 January 2014
	1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
	National Harbor 6 (note room change)

Time is a very broad subject and contacts are being made among distant corners of the AAS community, including history and E/PO, observatory operations, software and systems, and in various fields of research.

The topic is a proposal being vigorously pursued within the International Telecommunication Union, an agency of the United Nations, that would redefine Coordinated Universal TIme (the time on your alarm clock, wristwatch, computer and smartphone) to no longer be tied to the rotation of the Earth.

We will discuss the historical context for this unprecedented proposal, as well as its significant implications for the practice of astronomy.  More details are on the web page (w/ links to preprints from two previous meetings in 2011 and 2013):

	http://www.cacr.caltech.edu/futureofutc/aas223/

To maximize flexibility for attendees, the Future of Time agenda is split into two 2 hour sessions (below).  Your participation will be welcome at either or both sessions.

Rob Seaman, NOAO
Ken Seidelmann, U. Virginia
Arnold Rots, SAO
Alison Peck, NRAO
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Session 1 - The Future of Time I – historical context  (1:00 pm)
Introduction
A (brief) history of time in astronomy (K. Seidelmann, UVA)
Time scales and concepts (A. Rots, SAO)
Time and Navigation: The Untold Story of Getting From Here to There (A. Johnston, NASM)
Time and the Earth: Long term trends (for F. R. Stephenson, Durham University)

Session 2 - The Future of Time II – operational timekeeping issues (3:00 pm)
The Name of Time: terminology requirements for UTC (Kara Warburton, Chair, ISO TC 37)
Performing a UTC software inventory (R. Seaman, NOAO)
Software and astronomical system engineering for time (TBA)
Network time and infrastructure (Harlan Stenn, Network Time Foundation)
Discussion: Operational implications for observatories (A. Peck, ALMA)
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