Request for inclusion of Trivandrum in the IANA Time Zone Database
Dear tzdata Maintainers, I am writing to propose the inclusion of Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram) as a new entry in the IANA Time Zone Database (tzdata). As the capital city of Kerala, Trivandrum holds significant historical, economic, and technological importance, and its addition to the database would reflect its growing prominence. Justification for Inclusion Population and Prominence With a population exceeding 1 million, Trivandrum is well above the 300,000 threshold for inclusion.The city serves as a political, cultural, and economic hub in southern India. Economic Growth and Commercial Significance Vizhinjam International Seaport: Trivandrum is home to India’s first transshipment port, the Vizhinjam International Seaport, which is expected to position the city as a major player in global shipping and logistics. Emerging Commercial Hub: The growth of the Vizhinjam port has already made Trivandrum an important center for commerce, attractingsignificant investments and fostering local economic development. Technological and Space Research Importance India’s First IT Park: Technopark in Trivandrum is the country’s first and one of the largest IT parks, contributing greatly to India’s IT industry. Space Research and Education: The city houses the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), a key institution for India’s space exploration efforts. Trivandrum also hosts the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) and the Kerala Space Park, making it a critical hub for space research and innovation. Eligibility Based on Time Zone Criteria Unique Timekeeping History: Trivandrum once had its own local mean time before the adoption of Indian Standard Time (IST), making this distinction relevant for its case. Representative Need: As an emerging commercial, technological,and research center, a separate time zone entry would provide better representation for the region’s users and applications. Alignment with tzdata Objectives - Trivandrum meets the criteria of significant population, historical relevance, and global contributions to shipping, IT, and space research, making it a suitable candidate for inclusion. Proposed Time Zone Entry We suggest adding the following entry: Zone Asia/Trivandrum +05:30 - Trivandrum Standard Time Including Trivandrum in the tzdata database would provide better localization and reflect its growing importance. Thank you for considering this request. Should you require further information or clarification, please do not hesitate to reach out. Best regards, Anish Sivarajan
On 2024-12-20 09:37, Anish shivaraj via tz wrote:
Trivandrum once had its own local mean time before the adoption of Indian Standard Time (IST)
The criteria for TZDB inclusion is a distinct timestamp history since 1970 <https://data.iana.org/time-zones/theory.html#scope>. Unfortunately it would not be practical to extend that scope backward to the local mean time era, as there could then be thousands or even millions of database entries and peoples' resources are limited.
Given the recent request to duplicate Asia/Singapore for an Antarctic research station, and now this request to duplicate Asia/Kolkata, I wonder at what point it becomes worthwhile to update the theory page to state (or state more clearly) that: (1) duplicate zones or “aliases” are not created simply to honor additional locations that are historically or culturally prominent, populous, or unique in some way, and (2) tzids do not necessarily represent the only geographic area where the corresponding timekeeping rules are in effect. I note that the word “duplicate” does not currently appear on the theory page, and “alias” appears only in a section related to abbreviations, which means folks who scan quickly for the appropriate guidance might not find it. -- Doug Ewell, CC, ALB | Lakewood, CO, US | ewellic.org
On 12/20/24 14:33, Doug Ewell wrote:
I wonder at what point it becomes worthwhile to update the theory page to state (or state more clearly) that:
(1) duplicate zones or “aliases” are not created simply to honor additional locations that are historically or culturally prominent, populous, or unique in some way, and
(2) tzids do not necessarily represent the only geographic area where the corresponding timekeeping rules are in effect.
I note that the word “duplicate” does not currently appear on the theory page, and “alias” appears only in a section related to abbreviations
Thanks, good suggestions. I installed the attached proposed theory.html patch to try to do something along those lines.
participants (3)
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Anish shivaraj -
Doug Ewell -
Paul Eggert