FAO Mauritania Strengthens National Capacity on the Agro-informatics Platform

From 3 to 7 November 2025, FAO organized a virtual capacity-building workshop for the Country Office in Mauritania covering use of the Agro-informatics Platform, a core tool for managing, publishing and sharing agricultural and geospatial data. 

The workshop aimed to support Mauritania in establishing more coherent, accessible and well-documented national datasets by guiding participants through the full workflow of the platform. Over five days, the sessions progressed from introductory concepts to more advanced techniques, allowing participants to build their competency step by step while working directly with examples relevant to their institutional activities.

Opening the event, Gianluca Franceschini, Information Technology Officer, emphasized the importance of structured and interoperable data for national planning. “Mauritania possesses a wealth of essential agricultural and environmental data. By working together through a shared platform, we can ensure that this data is organized, preserved, and made available in a way that truly supports the country’s development goals,” he said.

The first part of the workshop introduced participants to the organization of the Data Catalog, including how datasets, organizations and groups are structured within the platform. Trainers demonstrated how to prepare and upload tabular data, highlighting the importance of clean formats, consistent field names and clear documentation. As the sessions advanced, participants practiced preparing geospatial vector data and publishing it using QGIS and GeoServer, including the application of symbology and the creation of meaningful map views.

A central element of the training was the creation of metadata following ISO-19115 standards, a component led by Patrizia Monteduro, Geospatial Data and Metadata Specialist, who stressed the importance of clarity and transparency in data documentation. “When metadata is properly created, following standards like ISO-19115, every dataset gains clarity. Users can understand who produced it, when and how it was collected, and in what context it should be used, and eventually any limitations. This brings real value and trust to the information we share,” she explained.

The final day focused on raster data using FAO GISMGR 2.0, demonstrating how raster cubes are uploaded, styled, and linked to metadata before being published on the platform. Through practical exercises, participants gained a full understanding of how to handle both vector and raster data within the same integrated environment.

Beyond the technical aspects, the workshop encouraged exchanges among institutions on how to integrate the platform into their regular workflows and strengthen coordination across national data producers. Participants discussed future needs, potential challenges and opportunities for collaboration, as Mauritania continues to develop its national data ecosystem.

The workshop marks an important step in advancing coordinated data efforts in Mauritania, and FAO will continue to work alongside national institutions as they apply these skills to strengthen the country’s agricultural information landscape.