Good work, John!
Yes, the all-caps mode is a throwback to the days of teletype. I believe
the requirement is still embodied in international meteorological
standards for METARs, bulletins, etc. If not in international standards,
at least in the national handbook.
I seem to recall that telegrams (Western Union, etc.) were also done in
all-caps back when they would tear off strips of printed message tape
and paste them to a telegram form for hand delivery. Yikes! I'm really
dating myself!
Jim
On 2011-04-15 0747, John M. Steele wrote:
Last September, I wrote an e-mail to the National Hurricane Center
suggesting that they quit using KM/HR for wind speed in kilometers per
hour and use the correct km/h or at least KM/H. That message is below.
The issue was also addressed in USMA message # 48508 on 2010-09-13.
I am pleased to learn that one of the changes NOAA and NHC in product
formats for 2011 hurricane season is that KM/H will replace KM/HR. Since
their advisories are in "all caps" Teletype format I think that is about
the best we can expect. Perhaps that will help in convincing AP and the
media in general to adopt "km/h". The other message to all of us is,
"Don't give up. Polite, focused complaining pays off."
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pdf/updates_2011.pdf
Snippet follows:
4) The abbreviation for kilometers per hour in the NHC products will
change from KM/HR to KM/H.
----- Forwarded Message ----
*From:* John M. Steele <[email protected]>
*To:* [email protected]
*Sent:* Tue, September 14, 2010 7:46:09 AM
*Subject:* Metric in NHC Public Advisories.
I am pleased to see NHC using metric as well as Customary units in their
public forecasts, but I have to ask. Why does NHC incorrectly use
"KM/HR" as an abbreviation for wind speed and movement in kilometers per
hour in Public Advisories? The correct symbol is "km/h" (lower case)
although given the ALL CAPS format, "KM/H" is probably as close as you
can come. Your other usage is basically correct, given "all caps"
limitations.
The "short forms" of metric units are not abbreviations to be made up at
will, but are symbols defined by the BIPM's SI Brochure and part of the
complete description of the modern metric system. They are meant to be
constant across all languages even when the words for the units are
spelled differently.
The SI Brochure, the U.S. verion NIST SP330, and the U.S. Government
Printing Office Style Manual all agree the correct symbol is "km/h."
(All are free pdf downloads if you search for them). As a U.S.
government operation, you should be setting a correct example and
encouraging proper use of the "preferred system of measure" (as declared
by Congress in 1988).
Making up arbitrary and incorrect abbreviations encourages others that
they may do the same, leading to the more fuzzy "kph" used in most
newspapers and other media outlets (and embedded in the AP Stylebook).
--
James R. Frysinger
632 Stony Point Mountain Road
Doyle, TN 38559-3030
(C) 931.212.0267
(H) 931.657.3107
(F) 931.657.3108
