Layer Visibility Filters
I would like to see ArcGIS incorporate filters for preset groupings of viewable layers that a user could quickly toggle between. This could be thought of as a book mark for layer visibility. Where book marks remember a location on the map, filters would remember what was visible/turned on in the map. This would be most usefull to lower level users on ArcMap & ArcReader.
The idea being that for the purposes of less technical users accessing thematic data they could select a filter that would (with one click) turn on/off groups of layer symbology revealing the map they need.
This would allow users to move from different themed maps very quickly. In utilities an example of this would be viewing water utilities [which include control points/structures, pipes, proposed pipe locations, abandoned pipes, fire hydrant buffers (poly), water pressure zones (poly), etc.] and being able to quickly toggle off the water and on the sewer [which includes sewer structure points, pipes, abandoned structures, abandoned pipes, tributary zones (poly), Lift station zones (poly) etc.]
To do that in one clean click would be awesome. You are probably thinking “why not just group the layers?” I agree that grouping goes a long ways towards quick jumps between thematic symbology, unfortunately the TOC is designed as a visual hierarchy. Therein I have a utilities pipes at the top of my TOC so that it will overlay above everything else (i.e. water mains are above road poly, water poly, etc.), if I group a polygon with its appropriate utility then it overshadows everything beneath it (i.e my sewer tributary, water pressure zones, drainage basins, are above the road poly, pavement markings, parcel lines, buildings, water poly etc.).
