GeoNames Forum

Hi Central Europe has changed timezone today from CEST to CET (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_European_Time).
I don't see this reflected in the your data. When will the timezones be updated ?

I noticed by using a mapplet (widget for Google Maps) i created that uses your web service to allow the user to drag and drop a clock icon ,and see the time anywhere. See http://maps.google.com/maps/mpl?moduleurl=http%3A//jorgensen.ian.googlepages.com/clock.xml

Also have you considered supporting Nautical time zones. It would be great i you did

.

Thanks!

Hi Ian

We have changed the time in Europe indeed, though, I don't think we should call this a change in timezone.

The tz database contains all information about the dates when each timezone changes from winter time to summer time : http://www.twinsun.com/tz/tz-link.htm

Our webservice only returns the timezone and not the time. If you are using java then it is quite simple to figure out the time for a given timezone and a given GMT.

If you think it would be useful we could offer an additional service to get the timezone for a given lat/lng or we could just add an additional output element to the exising service.

Cheers

Marc

Hi Mark

Thanks for the quick reply. Thanks to you're answer i found that i was using the dst node instead of the gmt node when parsing the webservice result. I have looked into the link you provided and i admit theres more information there on timezones that i ever imagined possible , in a good way

.

The GMT value for Europe was indeed correct.

I think add an additional output element to the existing service that specifies which elemtent gmt or dst to use for the curent data would be great.

Also if the webservice should really be universal i believe that a request of for timezone should return name of the Ocean , Sea or Country along with the timezone in that place if need be.

For example trying to get timezone for a lat,long in the Atlantic Ocean http://ws.geonames.org/timezone?lat=35.01&lng=-49.2 returns:

<geonames>
<status message="invalid countrycode" value="12"/>
</geonames>

Simply suggestions that i believe would help make this get service even better.

Hi Ian

Do you know where we can get the information from for the ocean timezones?

Marc

I got this from a Natical time zones article on Wikipedia

"Ideal time zones, such as nautical time zones, are based on the mean solar time of a particular meridian located in the middle of that zone with boundaries located 7.5 degrees east and west of the meridian"

"All zones were pole-to-pole staves 15° wide, except −12 and +12 which were each 7.5° wide, with the 180° meridian separating them. Unlike the zig-zagging land-based International Date Line, the nautical International Date Line follows 180° except where it is interrupted by territorial waters and the lands they border, including islands."

I hope it helps