National Institute of Standards and Technology
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is an agency in the Technology Administration of the United States Department of Commerce that aims to promote United States economic growth by working with industry to develop and apply technology, measurements and standards.
NIST published the Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS), and oversees the Data Encryption Standard and the Advanced Encryption Standard. Its headquarters are located in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
They are also responsible for the dissemination of time signals at radio stations WWV/WWVH.
See also: standardization, calibration, traceability, Measurement.