The Future of Time in ArcGIS Steve Kopp

1 Project Vision Support time as a new element of feature, raster, and tabular data in ArcGIS.Support time as a new element of feature, raster, and tabular data in ArcGIS. Provide new tools for the ingest, management, exploration, visualization, and analysis of temporal data.Provide new tools for the ingest, management, exploration, visualization, and analysis of temporal data.

2 Existing ArcGIS support for Time Preliminary work has been done over the last few years as part of the Water Resources Data model and other data model projects.Preliminary work has been done over the last few years as part of the Water Resources Data model and other data model projects. Tracking Analyst extension – provides support for temporal visualization of vector data.Tracking Analyst extension – provides support for temporal visualization of vector data. –Aimed at visualizing the movement or change of features or phenomena through time, e.g. airplanes, census data, etc.

3 Goals Provide core functionality for temporal data display and analysis.Provide core functionality for temporal data display and analysis. Provide a temporal data model to support both simple and complex temporal data needs.Provide a temporal data model to support both simple and complex temporal data needs. Provide a toolset for developers and advanced users to extend the system.Provide a toolset for developers and advanced users to extend the system.

4 Data Access Support new data formats.Support new data formats. –NetCDF and HDF initially Provide a framework and tools for building direct bridges to temporal data.Provide a framework and tools for building direct bridges to temporal data. Provide guidelines on how to hook up other formats for direct use.Provide guidelines on how to hook up other formats for direct use.

5 Storage Guidelines Document recommended “best practices” for how to organize and store tabular, feature, and raster data in file system and DBMS for efficient temporal use.Document recommended “best practices” for how to organize and store tabular, feature, and raster data in file system and DBMS for efficient temporal use. E.g. what’s the best way to store 10 yrs of daily observational data for 10 variables at 300 sample locations? What are the considerations?E.g. what’s the best way to store 10 yrs of daily observational data for 10 variables at 300 sample locations? What are the considerations?

6 Temporal Display/Query Tools Data Exploration (ESDA)Data Exploration (ESDA) –Cross sectional view –Multidimensional slices –Statistical charting 2D and 3D Visualization2D and 3D Visualization Application clockApplication clock –Multiple linked data frames, charts, and tables synchronized to the same time step.

7 Animation Interactive temporal animationInteractive temporal animation Output to movie formatsOutput to movie formats Multiple animation tracks, as in 3D AnalystMultiple animation tracks, as in 3D Analyst

8 Data Management Tools Gap fillingGap filling Time synchronization of datasetsTime synchronization of datasets –Weekly, monthly, irregular time steps Normalizing temporal data typesNormalizing temporal data types –Instantaneous, step, step accumulated…

9 Analysis Tools Temporal AnalysisTemporal Analysis –Space/Time clustering –Space/Time interpolation and query –Trend analysis –Time integrated Temporal Modeling Simulation ModelingSimulation Modeling –Conditional simulation, Monte Carlo

10 Current Research NetCDF as a native formatNetCDF as a native format –Direct read as raster, point, table, or graph –Display like any other ArcGIS data source –Use directly in analysis –No conversion or intermediate file What profiles/flavors are most important?What profiles/flavors are most important? CF standards, others?CF standards, others? How to handle projection/datum?How to handle projection/datum?