Time-aware layers

ArcGIS offers time-enabled layers that store information about the state of a dataset over periods of time. You can set time properties on your layers on the Time tab of the Layer Properties dialog box.

Learn more about enabling time on your data

When you publish your map to ArcGIS Server, the time information in your time-enabled layers and map is preserved and accessible through the map service. You can use this information to change the display of your maps or perform temporal queries. In fact, ArcGIS Server map services are the only way that you can perform query operations on a time-enabled layer.

Learn more about publishing a map service

You can work with your time-enabled layers in a map service using ArcMap, ArcGIS Pro, Map Viewer Classic in ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Enterprise, and the various web client APIs for ArcGIS Server. For example, ArcGIS API for JavaScript contains classes for working with time-enabled layers, allowing you to display temporal data patterns in a web map.

Tip:

• When publishing a time-aware map service, you can set the current time of the map service using the time slider in ArcMap. The current time is the time stamp for which data in the time-enabled map service will be displayed when the map service is opened in a map. Before publishing the map service, you can move the Time Slider Control on the Time Slider dialog box in ArcMap to set the current time of the map service. Learn more about using the time slider.
• When publishing a time-aware map service, you can set the time extent of the map service using the time slider in ArcMap. The time extent of the map service defines the minimum and maximum time within which you can visualize a time-enabled map service in a map. Learn more about setting the time extent of the time slider.
• Before publishing a map service, if you wish to disable time on it, you can use the time slider to disable time on the map. To enable or disable time on the map, you can click the Enable/Disable Time On The Map button on the Time Slider dialog box.