Viiteaegu

Viiteaegu is a term used in Estonian-language discussions of timekeeping and data synchronization to denote a reference time used as the temporal origin for clocks, timestamps and event ordering. The word combines viide ("reference") and aeg ("time").

In practice, a viiteaegu provides a stable baseline for synchronizing disparate systems. It is not a universally defined standard; rather, it is a generic concept that can be anchored to different time scales such as Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), GPS time, or a locally defined epoch, depending on the application. Within logs, datasets, or transmissions, timestamps may be expressed relative to the viiteaegu to ensure that events are ordered consistently across devices.

In Estonia and other contexts where Estonian is used, the term appears in technical writing, research, and industry discussions about synchronization, metrology, and time-sensitive computing. While widely understood among Estonian speakers, it is not an official term in international standards, where terms like "reference time" or "reference clock" are more common.

Related concepts include time synchronization, Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), NTP, and GPS time.