Geospatial
With growing pressure on the global agricultural sector to sustain food security and nutrition in the context of population growth, climate change and resource scarcity, innovative solutions are needed. Agrifood systems are shaped by the availability and variability of land and water resources across space and time.
Geospatial tools are increasingly supporting the transformation of agrifood systems by providing spatial intelligence and supporting information-based decision-making processes.
FAO supports its members by:
- establishing and maintaining standards and indicators for the assessment and regular monitoring, qualitative and quantitative, of natural resources; and
- providing methodologies and tools that support governments and institutions in the study and assessment of innovative and effective plans for production, management, safeguarding and building resilience of natural resources for agrifood systems.
FAO’s geospatial work focuses on the following areas:
- land cover and crop mapping;
- agro-ecological zoning, land evaluation and suitability assessments;
- land degradation and ecosystem monitoring; and
- geospatial assessment in support of risk and disaster management.
Related links
- The United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT)
- United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA)
- United Nations Regional Committee on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM)
- Group on Earth Observations Global Agricultural Monitoring (GEOGLAM)
- International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)
- The European Space Agency (ESA)
FAO's geospatial platforms and tools
Land Cover Legend Registry (LCLR)
The LCLR provides access to available land cover legends used to describe land cover. The registry supports different languages including English (main), French, Urdu and others. Explore the LCLR here.
WaPOR
WaPOR is a publicly accessible, near real-time database using satellite data that allows the monitoring of agricultural water productivity at different scales. Click here to learn more.
Global Agro-Ecological Zones (GAEZ)
GAEZ methodology assess agricultural resources and potential. The database provides the agronomic backbone for various applications, including quantification of land productivity. Click here to learn more.
Land Characterization System Software (LCHS)
The LCHS enables rapid editing of land cover legends and classes using metalanguage, enhancing data accuracy and improving decision-making. Click here to learn more.
FAO Data apps
FAO data apps is an open-access, web-based tool providing millions of data layers, food security indicators, and agricultural statistics for over 245 countries to facilitate targeted agricultural interventions. It supports SDGs digital agriculture, and rural development through integrated, specialized data.