INFOMAN Inc. wrote:
Consequently, we need to be able to reference, unambiguously, the set of official time zones internationally as well as within a particular jurisdiction (e.g. USA).
In this context my initial questions are:
1. Is there an "official list" of all the names or labels used to designate time zones
No. There cannot be, see below.
2. And their mapping to "+" or "-" offsets of Greenwich mean time?
Unfortunately, the mapping is neither 1-1 nor language independent. For example, EST means UTC-0500 in the U.S., but UTC+1100 in Australia. Furthermore, the 3-letter zones used in TZ software are English-based, and often have nothing to do with the zone names used in non-English-speaking countries. Furthermore, many countries probably don't have official abbreviations, especially when they have only one time zone (the norm). All that is why TZ uses the continent/country form to specify zones. -- There is / one art || John Cowan <jcowan@reutershealth.com> no more / no less || http://www.reutershealth.com to do / all things || http://www.ccil.org/~cowan with art- / lessness \\ -- Piet Hein