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Summary
TMAS Background
The NIST Time Measurement and Analysis Service (TMAS) was designed to serve any organization maintaining an accurate local time and/or frequency standard. TMAS measurement hardware is calibrated at NIST and uses signals from GPS/GNSS satellites to continuously compare to a remote time standard and generate a file in a custom NIST format. The file is uploaded a NIST cloud server every 10 minutes. A measurement system at NIST makes the same comparisons to UTC(NIST) and uploads the file to the server.
Web software allows a customer to see the comparisons with NIST for all satellites that were in view from each site, and the data are reduced mathematically to see the time offset between UTC(NIST) and the clock at the remote site.
Customers can view the results online in near-real time with graphs and tables for time offset, frequency offset and Allan Deviation (ADEV) and Time Deviation (TDEV). NIST certifies these results by sending each customer a monthly report which is in full compliance with the ISO 17025 standard and the NIST Quality System. The hardware remains the property of NIST.
The TMAS Data Service below is a more scalable option for users who require GNSS resilience and/or have multiple sites.
Description
A commercial time measurement system can also be used to achieve similar results by building-in a comparable GPS receiver to generate the file format compatible with TMAS service. Commercial manufacturers can sell the equipment with this option, which would be activated when customers subscribe to the TMAS Data Service.
The TMAS Data service is a scalable opportunity for customers to purchaser the hardware from a commercial company and then subscribe to the data service from NIST. The same web interface and certificates are available for subscribers. There is a large benefit for users with many sites, because the cost of the service is scalable, depending on the number of users.
Time is measured with a combined uncertainty of <15 nanoseconds (ns) and frequency is measured with an uncertainty near 1 x 10-14 after 1 day of averaging.
If you have already acquired equipment that is compatible with the service, Continue to the NIST Store for Calibration Services to subscribe to the TMAS Data Service.
Contact NIST for information regarding participating hardware manufacturers. If you are a manufacturer interested in developing hardware for this service, please contact NIST.
Prices
| Service ID | Service Name -Short Description | Monthly fee for each subscription ($) |
|---|---|---|
| 76215C | TMAS Data Service, Remote time and frequency measurement service subscription, for use with commercial hardware, quantity 1-9 | 800 |
| 76216C | TMAS Data Service, Remote time and frequency measurement service subscription, for use with commercial hardware, quantity 10-25 | 600 |
| 76217C | TMAS Data Service, Remote time and frequency measurement service subscription, for use with commercial hardware, quantity 26-50 | 400 |
| 76218C | TMAS Data Service, Remote time and frequency measurement service subscription, for use with commercial hardware, quantity >50 | 250 |
References
Improving the Uncertainty of NIST Remote Time and Frequency Calibration Services A. N. Novick, A. Montare, 2024 Proceedings for the European Time and Frequency Forum, pp. 270-273, June, 2024.
Accurate, Traceable, and Verifiable Time Synchronization for World Financial Markets, M. A. Lombardi, A. N. Novick, G. Neville-Neill, and B. Cooke, Journal of Research of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, vol. 121, pp. 436-463, October 2016.
The Reach and Impact of the Remote Frequency and Time Calibration Program at NIST, M. A. Lombardi, Proceedings for the 2018 NCSL International Workshop and Symposium, August 2018.