ISO 8601 is an international standard for representing date and time-related information. The ISO 8601 date format is designed to reduce ambiguity and ensure consistency in the representation of dates across different systems and regions.

• Date Representation: The ISO 8601 date format is specified as YYYY-MM-DD. This format begins with the year, followed by the month, and then the day. For example, July 4, 2024, is represented as 2024-07-04.
• Extended and Basic Formats: ISO 8601 supports both extended and basic formats. The extended format uses hyphens to separate components (YYYY-MM-DD), while the basic format uses no separators (YYYYMMDD). For example, the extended format would be 2024-07-04, and the basic format would be 20240704.

• Combined Format: ISO 8601 also defines a combined date and time format, which includes both the date and time separated by the letter “T”. The format is YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss. For example, July 4, 2024, at 2:30 PM is represented as 2024-07-04T14:30:00.
• Time Zone Representation: Time zones can be included in the format using a UTC offset. For example, 2024-07-04T14:30:00+02:00 represents July 4, 2024, at 2:30 PM in a time zone that is 2 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).

• Durations: ISO 8601 defines a format for durations, expressed as PnYnMnDTnHnMnS. “P” denotes a period, “T” separates date and time components, and nY, nM, nD, nH, nM, and nS represent years, months, days, hours, minutes, and seconds, respectively. For instance, P1Y2M3DT4H5M6S represents 1 year, 2 months, 3 days, 4 hours, 5 minutes, and 6 seconds.
• Intervals: Intervals are represented by combining two date and time values with a slash (/). For example, 2024-07-04/2024-08-04 denotes an interval from July 4, 2024, to August 4, 2024.

• Data Management: ISO 8601 is widely used in data management and software development to ensure consistent and unambiguous date representation. It is particularly useful for international applications where clarity is essential.
• Interoperability: The standard facilitates interoperability between different systems and platforms by providing a common format for date and time information. This helps prevent misinterpretation and errors in data exchange.

The ISO 8601 date format provides a standardized approach to representing dates and times, reducing ambiguity and enhancing consistency. By using this format, organizations and systems can ensure accurate communication and interoperability across different regions and applications.

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_8601
• https://www.iso.org/iso-8601-date-and-time-format.html