The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations convened national stakeholders and technical focal points in Tunis from April 20 to 23 to strengthen capacity in geospatial data management, remote sensing and artificial intelligence applications supporting sustainable natural resource management across North Africa.
The mission focused on advancing the use and management of the MERWAT platform — a geospatial system designed to support decision-making related to water use management and agricultural infrastructure in Libya. Through a series of technical workshops and practical demonstrations, participants were introduced to workflows for data publication, metadata cataloguing, raster and vector data management, and remote sensing methodologies for land cover mapping.
During the first two days of training, participants received practical guidance on publishing and customizing tabular and geospatial data, including the use of metadata catalogues, CKAN and GISMGR workflows. Sessions combined theoretical presentations with hands-on exercises to strengthen participants’ understanding of the steps involved in storing, documenting and sharing geospatial information.
On the third day, the workshops focused on customization of the master metadata catalogue, publication of vector data through the data manager, remote sensing workflows for generating land cover maps and demonstrations of the AIDA system. Participants also exchanged feedback on platform usability and identified priority information gaps in areas including groundwater levels, irrigation efficiency, water quality, soil fertility and seasonal weather forecasts.
“The mission highlighted the growing importance of digital innovation and geospatial technologies in supporting sustainable management of water and agricultural resources,” said Gianluca Franceschini, information technology officer at FAO. “Strengthening countries’ capacities to manage, document and share geospatial data is essential for improving coordination, supporting evidence-based decision-making and promoting more resilient agrifood systems across the region.”
The training also supported the development of the Oasis Centre of Excellence initiative, which aims to promote regional and international cooperation, support innovation and encourage sustainable solutions for oasis ecosystems in the Maghreb region. National and FAO focal points from Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia participated in technical discussions on data exchange mechanisms, available national datasets and the functionality of the Oasis data platform and AI Oasis Assistant.
“Bringing together technical focal points from across the region created an important opportunity to strengthen collaboration and improve knowledge exchange around digital tools and artificial intelligence applications,” said Pengyu Hao, information technology officer at FAO. “Integrating geospatial platforms with AI-assisted systems can help countries improve access to technical information, facilitate data exchange and support more informed planning and resource management.”
Through these initiatives, FAO continues to support countries in North Africa in advancing digital agriculture, improving access to geospatial information and promoting the sustainable management of water resources and oasis ecosystems through digital tools and AI-assisted systems.
More information on the platforms referenced is available at:
- MERWAT platform: https://data.apps.fao.org/merwat-libya
- Oasis Centre of Excellence: https://data.apps.fao.org/centre-excellence-oasis
