Time series icons provide access to observed and computed time series and paired data. The data may be either from a DSS file, websites, webcams, scripts, spreadsheets, or other files. Time series data can appear as thumbnail plots or color bars. The icons provide easy access for analyzing data and providing location-specific information (e.g., frequently updated pictures of gages, reports on the location).
In addition, datasets may be set to display by turning on or off Time Series Layers (Figure 5.9), a subcomponent of map layers. Example layers include: Flow, Stage, Precip, and Modeled Results. Selecting a specific layer allows the user to view certain data types and remove clutter from a map window. Setting up the layers first, and then adding icon datasets to the layers is the recommend way for setting up time series icons. Of course, the watershed database needs to be populated with data before creating time series icons.