Keep Image Capture Time Separate From File Export Time
A file downloaded today may show a property photographed days earlier. When documentation is used to compare work stages, preserve capture time separately from export, upload and delivery time. The distinction matters especially when clocks change or several teams produce files in different time zones.
Identify which clock the label describes
Ask whether the displayed timestamp comes from capture metadata, an export process or a file-management system. Do not infer the visit date from the date a downloaded file was created on your computer. Preserve the supplied original metadata and record uncertainty if its meaning is unclear. A precise-looking timestamp is not automatically the event time needed for the comparison.
Resolve repeated local times
NIST identifies November 1, 2026 as the end of daylight saving time where observed. An hour repeats during the transition. For an event near that period, retain the stated time zone or offset and ask for clarification if local time alone is ambiguous. Do not silently add or subtract an hour from the original record to make a sequence look consistent.
Connect time to the work stage
Ask the site contact which relevant work had occurred before capture and which occurred afterward. Keep that confirmation separate from the file metadata itself. A comparison can then distinguish an image taken before a repair from a later export of the same image. This supports a clearer chronology without claiming the timestamp proves every activity completed between two visits.
Copyable worksheet
Use one row for each field. Mark unknown information clearly and retain the original records.
| Field | Your note |
|---|---|
| Capture timestamp and basis | ____________________ |
| Time zone or offset | ____________________ |
| Export or delivery timestamp | ____________________ |
| Work stage at capture | ____________________ |
| Unresolved chronology question | ____________________ |
Worked example
Illustrative example: a fictional reviewer receives two files on Monday and initially treats them as Monday views. The capture information instead places one before the weekend work. Preserving both dates prevents a false before-and-after comparison without altering either original file.