Visualizing multitemporal data

The vast majority of GIS maps are a static slice in time or summary totals of a period of time. But there are many geospatial formats capable of storing time series data. In this recipe, we'll load a dataset that has multiple time steps, and use the well-designed TimeManager plugin to step through the data time steps in an animation. The dataset we're using is a collection of global earthquake data from 2011 totaled by month. You can see an animation of the output of this recipe online at the following URL. The data loops through each month and renders the earthquake location and magnitude here:

http://geospatialpython.github.io/qgis/earthquake_loop.gif

Getting ready

You will need to install the QGIS Python TimeManager plugin by Anita Graser and Karolina Alexioufor this exercise. From the QGIS Plugins menu, select Manage and Install Plugins.... In the Plugins dialog search box, search for TimeManager. Select TimeManager plugin and click on the Install...