Visualizing temporal data
Temporal data is simply data that represents a state in time, such as the land-use patterns of Hong Kong in 1990, or total rainfall in Honolulu on July 1, 2009. Temporal data is collected to analyze weather patterns and other environmental variables, monitor traffic conditions, study demographic trends, and so on. This data comes from many sources, ranging from manual data entry to data collected using observational sensors, or generated from simulation models.
Visualizing temporal data can help you step through your data in a temporal sequence and see the patterns or trends that emerge in your data over time. In ArcMap, ArcGlobe, or ArcScene, you can enable time properties on your data and visualize it using a simple time slider that changes the data in the display or in a graph through time.
Why visualize data through time
There are many reasons you might want to visualize data through time, such as the following:
- Exploring historic patterns in data, such as population or land-use changes
- Tracking hurricane paths and other meteorological events
- Mapping the progression of a wildfire or a flood
- Examining change in ozone through elevation levels
- Visualizing changes in the occurrence of a disease over time
How to visualize temporal data
Any supported layer or table can be visualized over time by following the steps below:
Enable time on data—Once added in ArcMap, ArcGlobe, or ArcScene, a layer can be time enabled by setting the time properties of your layer on the Time tab of the Layer Properties dialog box.
Learn more about supported data that can be visualized over time
Use Time Slider—Time Slider allows you to step through the time-enabled datasets in ArcMap, ArcGlobe, and ArcScene.