faostat-viz

FAOSTAT Data Visualizer

Generate interactive, standalone HTML charts from FAOSTAT data. Charts use Chart.js via CDN and are designed to be self-contained, responsive, accessible, and properly attributed.

Prerequisites

Before starting, verify that the FAOSTAT MCP tools are available: faostat_search_codes, faostat_get_data. If they are not available and the user has not provided data in the conversation context, inform the user they need the FAOSTAT MCP server configured and stop.

If data is already available in the conversation context (e.g., from a previous query or another skill), skip directly to chart generation.

Chart Type Selection

Choose the chart type based on the data relationship. If the user does not specify a chart type, select the most appropriate one:

Data Relationship	Chart Type	When to Use
Values over time	Line chart	Trends, time series, historical data
Values across categories	Bar chart	Comparing countries, commodities, or regions
Composition breakdown	Stacked bar chart	Shares of a total (e.g., emissions by source, trade by partner)
Two-variable relationship	Scatter plot	Correlations (e.g., fertilizer use vs. emissions)

Do NOT use pie charts. They are difficult to read with more than 3-4 categories and do not convey FAOSTAT data well.

Workflow

Step 1: Determine data source

Check if usable data already exists in the conversation context:

• If YES: extract the relevant data points (values, labels, years, units) and proceed to Step 4.
• If NO: proceed to Step 2 to query FAOSTAT.

Step 2: Query data (if needed)

1. Ask the user what they want to visualize if not clear from context:

   • What metric? (production, yield, trade volume, emissions, etc.)
   • Which entities? (countries, commodities, regions)
   • What time range?

2. Resolve all codes using faostat_search_codes:

   • Resolve area codes: faostat_search_codes(domain_code='<domain>', dimension_id='area', query='<name>')
   • Resolve item codes: faostat_search_codes(domain_code='<domain>', dimension_id='item', query='<name>')
   • Handle requires_confirmation for every search -- present options and wait for user choice.