WMS/WFS and (yearly) time-dependent data

[Stefan Schwarzer]

Hi,

i read in a document ( http://mapserver.gis.umn.edu/docs/howto/ 
wms_time_support/view ) that there is a WMS/WFS-parameter one can  
specify for time dependent data. I am dealing mostly with statistical  
data sets, which are covering a period of 1970 to 2006. So it should  
be something like TIME=2004 to query a specific year.

For each variable and year there is a five-classes breakup.

It is not clear to me how I should set-up my map file. I guess, I  
could on one hand just have 36 layers (for each year a layer) - then  
I wouldn't need the TIME parameter. But as I have some 1000 files to  
deal with, my map file would get pretty long...

The other solution would be to have some kind of grouping classes, so  
that all my years would fit into one layer, but into 36 classes.

Or is there any kind of more "dynamic" solution?

Thanks for any suggestions!

Stef