Learn · Analysis · Lesson 3 of 7
Summarise a data layer over time
You willRead a coloured data layer’s numbers beside the map, and watch them change as the time slider moves.
Time3 min
Why it mattersThe map shows where; the strip shows how many and how much. Side by side, they tell the whole story.
Try it in Plotlay → Opens an example project with this lesson beside it. Nothing to install.
Steps
- Open a project with a coloured data layer, then choose Analysis (Alt+5).
- Choose the layer under Data layers. Its table has a row per key with its name, area, fields and value, the number the map is coloured by.
- Move the time slider on the map, or press play. The value column and the strip follow it.
- Hover over a row: its shape lights up on the map.
- Choose a linked dataset under the layer for every row as it was read, each one knowing its shape.
Tips
- The strip says which year or hour it shows, and that it follows the time slider.
- Each row starts with its colour on the map, so the table reads like the legend.
Common mistakes
- Expecting the value column on a layer that isn’t coloured yet: colour it first in Data layers › Colour.
Words in this lesson
- Layer
- A group of things in a project, listed in the Layers tab. A hidden layer is left out of the plan, 3D and documents until you show it again.
Related lessons
Add a table and read its numbersPaste a table from Excel or open a file, then read its count, median, mean, highest and lowest at a glance.2 minGroup and filter a summaryCompare groups side by side and count how many are over or under a value, for only the rows you choose.3 min
Steps checked in the app on 8 November 2026.