Creating a timeline in ArcGIS Pro allows you to visualize and explore temporal data within your maps. It's a powerful way to see how events or features change over time.
Here's how to create a timeline in ArcGIS Pro, based on the standard workflow:
Steps to Create a Timeline
Follow these steps to add temporal visualization capabilities to your map project:
Step 1: Prepare Your Map
First, you need to work with the map containing the data you want to visualize over time.
- Activate the map: Ensure that the map containing the data to be added to a timeline is the active view in ArcGIS Pro.
Step 2: Open the Timeline View
ArcGIS Pro provides a dedicated pane for managing and viewing timelines.
- Access the Timeline tool: On the Analysis tab, click New Timeline.
- View Pane: The Timeline view pane will appear, ready for you to configure your timeline.
Step 3: Ensure Data is Time Enabled
For layers or tables to appear in a timeline, they must be configured with time properties.
- Check Time Properties: Ensure that the layers or stand-alone tables you want to add to the timeline are time enabled. This means they have a field or properties that define their temporal extent (e.g., start/end times, instant time).
- Enable Time (if needed): If a layer isn't time-enabled, you may need to configure its time properties in the Layer Properties > Time tab.
Step 4: Add Data to the Timeline
Once your data is time-enabled, you can add it to the newly created timeline.
- Add Layer/Table: Add a time-enabled layer or stand-alone table to your timeline from the available list in the Timeline pane.
Summary of Timeline Creation Steps
| Step | Action | Location/Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Activate the target map | Your project's map view |
| 2 | Click 'New Timeline' | Analysis tab |
| 3 | Ensure data is time-enabled | Layer Properties > Time tab (if necessary) |
| 4 | Add time-enabled layers/tables to the pane | Timeline view pane |
After adding data, you can use the controls in the Timeline pane to navigate through time, set time intervals, and configure playback options to visualize changes in your data.
