Reading the Time/Date Stamp
Objective: At the end of this session you will be able to:
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Determine the time and date that real-time data are recorded
- Convert it from a standardized time zone Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) to the local time
- Determine the age of the data
Background | Example | Conversion Tables | Materials | Procedure
Most real-time data Web sites have a Time/Date Stamp that identifies the time and the date that the data were last recorded. The Time/Date Stamp is generally expressed in a standardized time zone called Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). It is important to know how many hours to subtract from UTC to convert to the local time and how to determine the local time by using Eastern Standard Time (EST).
UTC – 5 hours = EST
17:45 UTC – 5 hours = 12:45 EST
12:45 EST = 12:45 PM EST
Converting Time from a 24-Hour Clock to a 12-Hour Clock
Converting from UTC to your Local Time Zone
Remember Daylight Saving Time and add or subtract an hour depending upon the time of year (Hawaii and parts of Arizona and Indiana do not use daylight saving time). Additionally, UTC can also be expressed as: Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), Zulu (Z, this is also the American military time standard), and Universal Time (UT). In reality, all of these refer to slightly different time zones that differ only by a few seconds. However, for the purposes of this workshop, we can assume they all refer to the same time zone. Don’t forget to use the reload/refresh button to be certain you are accessing the most current data.
Materials
Student Worksheets
- Review map of the world and time zones.
- Have students work through the examples on the worksheet.
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Discuss results with the class.