Agro-informatics Platform
User guide on How to create and share a story
Description
Agro-informatics Platform - How to create and share a story is a resource introducing the story feature of the FAO Agro‑informatics Platform, which enables users to create interactive narratives from geospatial data. Stories consist of captured scenes—such as maps, datasets and visualizations—that guide viewers through themes or analyses. They help transform data into clear visual journeys, highlighting key insights across time periods, geographic patterns, or the effects of specific changes. The resource outlines how each scene preserves the exact map view and configuration, enabling users to structure analyses as step-by-step narratives.
Technology
The resource highlights digital technologies used within the Agro-informatics Platform, including web-based geospatial interfaces, GIS layers, satellite-derived datasets, cloud-hosted data catalogues, story-building tools, and scene-capture functionalities. It explains how users add datasets to maps, filter data, capture scenes, add titles and descriptions, and assemble multiple scenes into a coherent story.
Target
The resource is relevant for researchers, policymakers, technicians, practitioners, and rural development actors such as farm advisors who need to communicate geospatial insights in an accessible way. As of January 2026, the resource has been downloaded 10 times.
Business model
The resource is publicly accessible and free of charge as part of FAO's digital agro-informatics documentation, supporting capacity development and knowledge dissemination.
Impact
The publication illustrates how story-creation capabilities enhance communication, learning, and collaboration. It shows that stories allow users to move beyond static maps and visually explain why data matter and what they reveal about agriculture, land or socioeconomic dynamics. The guide notes that these tools support evidence-based dialogue, collaboration and communication of geospatial analysis, illustrating the impact of certain land changes with clarity and context.
Four Betters
Better production
Better environment
Better life
