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This chapter specifically concerns the treatment of time as specified by the International Standards Organization (ISO). |
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This section introduces the ISO 8601 document and outlines the relevant concepts contained therein. |
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8.1.1
The ISO 8601 Document |
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The relevant document is ISO 8601:1988, "Data Elements and Interchange Formats Information Interchange Representation of Dates and Times" and its updates. The version of this document used as a primary reference is CAN/CSA-Z234.5-89, published by the Canadian Standards Association (CSA). |
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In the discussion that follows here, this document is referred to as ISO 8601. |
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The ISO 8601 document is intended to reduce confusion in the area of date/time representations. Its provisions apply to, but are not restricted to, computer date/time formats. |
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The confusion addressed by the document is real enough and largely stems from the plethora of different formats for dates and, to a lesser degree, times. The document addresses the problem by introducing standard formats. |
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