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IERS Message No. 228                                      April 26, 2013
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ITU/BIPM Workshop on the Future of the International Time Scale


Geneva, 19-20 September 2013

The Radiocommunication Assembly 2012 (RA-12) considered the possible
revision to Recommendation ITU-R TF.460-6 "Standard-frequency and
time-signal emissions", that has been the subject of special studies and
outreach by the ITU-R since 2000.

The Recommendation ITU-R TF.460-6 defines Coordinated Universal Time
(UTC) on the basis of the time kept by atomic clocks and recommends the
application of leap seconds to maintain it close to Universal Time 1
(UT1), a time proportional to the rotation angle of the Earth on its
axis. UTC is the time scale maintained through the General Conference on
Weights and Measures (CGPM) by the International Bureau of Weights and
Measures (BIPM) in coordination with the International Earth Rotation
and Reference Systems Service (IERS). The IERS determines when the
UT1 - UTC threshold will reach 0.9 s and announces the need for a leap
second.

The proposed revision eliminates the insertion of leap seconds in the
UTC time scale.

After considerable discussion RA-12 concluded that additional studies
related to the possible implementation of a continuous reference
time-scale are required and postponed decision to the World
Radiocommunication Conference 2015.

A workshop on the future of the international time scale organized
jointly by the ITU and the BIPM will take place in Geneva on 19-20
September 2013. This workshop will provide a unique opportunity to get
all available information on currently used and discussed precise
frequency and time standards, sources and their characteristics, time
scales and dissemination systems and different views on the future of
UTC.

The workshop is intended primarily for the managerial and technical
staff of State radiocommunication authorities involved in preparation
for WRC-15 helping them to develop their national positions. It may
also be enlightening for a wider audience, namely telecommunication
companies, internet providers, space agencies, aviation, maritime and
meteorological organizations, universities in providing them with an
understanding of regulatory, technical and practical aspects of keeping
and disseminating standard frequency and time signals.

Information on the event can be found at
http://www.itu.int/ITU-R/go/itu-bipm-workshop-13/ .

Registration to ITU events is carried out exclusively on-line by the
Designated Focal Points (DFPs). For this meeting, DFPs are either those
designated by the national administrations and sector members included
the BIPM designated focal point (Felicitas Arias, farias [at] bipm.org).
Requests for registration should be personally addressed to these DFPs.

For any further information contact Felicitas Arias at
farias [at] bipm.org.

Felicitas Arias
Director, BIPM Time Department


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