As you submit an abstract, you will find that we are inviting two different formats: Talks and Posters. For both formats, topics are suggested that discuss the need for timing, methods of delivering timing, experience from the field, or methods of measurement and validation. Other topics are welcome that discuss the latest timing and synchronization topics.
All Talks to the Workshop should address the interests of a significant portion of the audience. These presentations are generally 20 minutes long with questions taken afterward for a group of talks.
We also welcome as Posters, expert talks that address a small, but important audience. Presentations work well in the poster format when the audience consists of interested persons and there is more opportunity for the author to interact with deeper insight. There will be a specific time devoted for the attendees to visit the posters, when they can interact with the author. Poster authors can generally install their poster and leave it up for a longer period. If there is contact information, people can read the poster and contact the author outside of the dedicated poster period.
All Presentations, whether talk or poster, are subject matter and/or technology-oriented, not focusing on product/vendor-specific implementation. Guidance is provided below under Content Guidelines. Presenters will be notified by November 16, 2020 if their Talk or Poster has been accepted. Final versions are due February 22, 2021, to allow members of the Steering Committee to review the presentation. Reviews of presentations are mandatory to improve the quality of individual talks, help talks complement each other, allow the session chairs to provide guidance on appropriate company-specific information and thus generally enable the excellence of WSTS.
For submitting a Talk or Poster abstract, you will find that we seek either those that are relevant to a specific sector or technology area, and those that are sector-independent.
Sector-related talks must choose:
Sync in Electric Power
Talks and posters are invited that discuss precise timing in the power grid.
Smart grid technologies require robust, precise time synchronization for communications, monitoring, protection, and operation. Synchronized measurement and control capabilities enable the dynamic control of capacitive loads and distributed renewable resources occurring at faster time scales. The increasing dependency on precision timing also requires greater assurance that the time synchronization sources, networks, and end applications can manage intentional and unintentional risks through device testing, system validation, and online monitoring. WSTS invites authors to present talks or posters related to the use of precise timing in the power grid, including but not limited to:
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- PTP deployments in the power grid
- Synchrophasor applications and deployment
- Traveling wave fault detection
- Differential protection relay deployment
- Validation and monitoring of time servers and end nodes in utilities
- GNSS timing system resiliency and solutions
- Cybersecurity for timing networks
Sync in Financial Services and Data Centers
Talks and posters are invited that discuss the requirement for accurate time in financial services and data centers.
- What are current and future drivers that are creating the need for high-accuracy time? And, what is the value created by accurate time, standards driving need, etc.
- What technologies are being considered, and what are the challenges in delivering time in these applications? Network topology (single/multi-masters, distribution methods, equipment accuracy requirements, etc.), cross-site challenges, multi-company environments, very high-speed interfaces, security, etc.
- How can data centers contribute to the need for accurate and reliable time in a cost-effective manner? Leveraging data centers and global interconnectivity for distributing accurate and reliable time. Abstraction of time sources via data centers.
- Distribution of time across hybrid cloud environments (public/private clouds). What are the challenges of implementing accurate time in a cloud environment?
- Resilient and secure time in financial services and data centers.
- Views on the future direction and importance of time delivery in these applications.
Sync in Smart Cities
Future cities will see the emergence of new applications and technologies that require time synchronization to provide the services/capabilities they seek to deliver. Talks and posters are invited that discuss these new applications, their timing accuracy requirements, and the challenges they face in achieving the desired time accuracy. Authors are also invited to discuss the challenges the designers of new time-sync dependent smart cities applications face in meeting customer/user expectations.
Sync in Telecom
Talks and Posters are invited that discuss Sync in Telecom.
Telecom networks’ sync needs have always been a major driver for the timing industry. The recent evolution of mobile networks generally requires a wider distribution of accurate time-synchronization to support NR TDD and advanced features (e.g. CA) to improve spectral efficiency and improve user performance (latency).
Furthermore, the use of 5G networks to support a variety of applications with their own timing needs (e.g., industrial automation, smartgrid), brings greater attention to the problem of distributing sync over 5G. Talks or posters on this section should address one of following areas:
- Field experience supporting the need of new generation mobile networks
- Solutions to address the variety of sync needs in today’s telecom networks
- How sync can be addressed when 5G is used to support applications such as Automotive, Industrial Automation, Smart grid
- Evolution of timing needs in telecom networks, especially as related to 5G evolution, moving towards 6G
Time-Sensitive Networks: Timing Aspects Including
Automotive, 802.1AS and Industrial Automation
The IEEE 802.1 Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) Task Group is developing standards focused on the transport of time-critical traffic over a bridged Ethernet network. This session focuses on the use of TSN to support various applications requiring deterministic transport and bounded latency. Talks and posters are invited to address one or more of these areas:
- Industrial Automation
- Operations Technology (OT)
- 5G System with TSN networks
- Smart Cities
- Automotive In-Vehicle Network (IVN)
- Autonomous Vehicle Operation
- TSN Network Testing and Deployment
Timing in Defense Systems
Talks and posters are invited that discuss timing in defense systems.
This session focuses on timing and synchronization technologies and techniques embedded in systems and subsystems supporting the Defense Industry. Due to the sensitivity of this subject, this session is intended to provide a venue to showcase the specific challenges the Defense Industry faces. These include, but are not limited to, the need for improved position, navigation, and timing (PNT) with unique requirements to ensure mission critical operation on fixed, mobile and space-based platforms. The session will address low SWAP (size, weight, and power), resiliency, reliable operation, timing accuracy, timing distribution, and operation in GPS/GNSS denied environments.
Timing in Radio Astronomy
This session’s talks and posters will address future concepts and technologies regarding time and frequency systems in radio astronomy. Talks and posters are invited discussing any of the following topics. Hydrogen masers are the VLBI workhorse for the radio astronomy clocks today. However, fiber optics, optical clocks, GPS and new emerging technologies are changing the game for many time and frequency systems globally. Radio astronomy is poised to take advantage with new proposed observatories. The Next Generation Very Large Array (ngVLA) plans to start construction this decade if funded. Upgrades to the Event Horizon Telescope to improve resolution are currently under evaluation. These large-scale projects will have an impact on future precision time and frequency systems, delivering long baselines and frequency coverage well beyond 100 GHz required to meet the 21st century science requirements.
For sector independent talks choose:
GNSS Issues
Talks and Posters are invited that discuss GNSS issues.
The GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) is central to a number of industries that rely on it for position, navigation, and timing. GNSS vulnerability is a topic of great recent interest, yet GNSS issues span a wide range of topics. These include the use of one or more GNSS constellations in operation, jamming and spoofing issues; spectrum management and recent spectrum usage decisions; as well as GNSS hardening, augmentation, and resilience mechanisms. Talks and papers on any of these topics are encouraged. Among others, test equipment vendors and companies/consultants working in and with GNSS technologies are encouraged to submit.
Test Measurement, Certification, Case Studies
Talks and posters are invited that discuss the challenges associated with test, measurement and certification of time delivery. Topics include, but are not limited to:
- Time measurement requirements from the many applications that are now looking to implement time transfer.
- Time transfer confirmation issues over Radio, Fiber, IP, Ethernet and other media.
- Challenges meeting the time assurance needs of applications now utilizing time transfer?
- Time references for measurement systems
- Case studies: Presentations of actual results from measurement equipment in live situations are welcome.
- Simulation studies: Descriptions of simulation studies, particularly for identifying corner cases, are encouraged.
- The role of standardization and certification in the successful rollout of time transfer across applications that need time? Is periodic calibration required?
Timing Security and Resilience
Whether in the area of communications, power networks, financial trading or transportation – modern life depends on timing. Timing resiliency against all types of failures (accidental or malicious) is essential whether implemented at equipment or system level.
Talks and posters are invited in the following areas:
- Securing GNSS-based timing – Can GNSS ever become 100% reliable and secure as a stand-alone system?
- Combining multiple time-distribution technologies – Can this be the ultimate way to increase reliability and security? (GNSS + PTP-fiber + Long Wave radio)
- Synchronization failures – Can we learn from the analysis of historic or hypothetical timing failures (cause, impact to services and possible prevention)?
- How to hack timing systems – What if there was a prize for benevolent hackers to highlight vulnerabilities?
Timing Sources
Talks and posters are invited that discuss recent development of all timing sources. Timing sources are the foundational building blocks of timing and synchronization systems of any kind. They range from ubiquitous quartz oscillators to the complex atomic clocks. Talks or posters should address recent development of all timing sources especially in relation to the increasing need for secure timing, including but not limited to:
- Innovations in quartz oscillator technology
- Micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) based oscillators
- Low SWAP atom-based time sources
- High-performance cold-atom clocks
Talks or posters on test results, including simulation studies, that provide clarity on the usage of such devices in actual systems such as PTP Grandmaster clocks, Boundary Clocks, and Slave clocks are encouraged.
WSTS is an “industry-neutral” Workshop. It exists to inform the audience on the latest timing and synchronization issues, addressing evolving sync requirements, the roll-out of new sync systems and standards and their impact on industries and equipment manufacturers. Approaching 30 years producing this event, the WSTS Steering Committee has observed that the event’s audience is more likely to be impressed by technology content than sales pitches. Our record of impartiality contributes to WSTS’ reputation as the premier timing and sync event. To maintain this reputation, we request that your company respect the following presenters’ guidelines:
- Talks or posters should focus on problems, solutions and technologies, not touting specific company products. All talks or posters must be free of product marketing language. The best way for your company to present itself as a thought leader is to deliver a technically strong and compelling paper that demonstrates your company’s solid technical grounding in addressing an issue of relevance. Talks should address solutions at a generic level, rather than focusing on your company’s specific product.
- The conclusion can, however, identify a specific solution. While “About Us” corporate overview slides are not allowed, one or two mentions of a specific solution per talk or poster are acceptable. This is especially effective in the closing slide after a problem has been addressed thoroughly. An acceptable final slide may include: your company logo and tagline, products without giving model numbers or names or pricing, a URL for more information, and appropriate contact information. Examples of questionable content include a list of products or model numbers, product pricing information, or images with clearly visible product names and logos.
- How to Get Your Product(s) Explicitly in Front of the Audience. WSTS has booths available for exhibitors to present corporate marketing messaging and products. Exhibitors are allocated a five-minute slot to present products to the full audience in attendance.
- Help is available. In general, session chairs will work directly with authors to clarify any questions. They use their judgment to address inappropriate content.
Thank you for complying with these guidelines to help WSTS retain its reputation as the premier timing and synchronization event.
