The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) today launched AgInsights, a new data dissemination tool that will serve as a key component of NASS’s ongoing modernization strategy.
Designed to enhance currently used data products and services, the AgInsights application offers streamlined information dissemination, increased operational efficiency, and a more dynamic, interactive experience so producers have easier navigation and access to the latest agricultural data.
NASS recognizes that producers, whether large or small, established or emerging, need timely, actionable information to make informed decisions. AgInsights will bridge the digital divide, ensuring equitable access to critical data for all producers, including those who have historically faced barriers to information.
“AgInsights is an important step forward in how producers interact with agricultural statistics. By streamlining information delivery and integrating advanced technologies, we’re making it easier for producers to access, analyze, and apply the latest data to their operations,” said NASS Administrator Joseph L. Parsons.
NASS asked an initial group of agricultural data users to test the application and provide feedback. Their recommendations informed the development of the product to help meet industry expectations across commodity sectors. Key features include:
- Interactive and Comprehensive Data Views: AgInsights integrates tabular data, charts, and maps into a single web-based interface, providing a comprehensive and interactive way to explore data, which was previously spread across different formats. Users can access comprehensive tabular data views similar to traditional PDF reports, but with added interactivity, making it easier to analyze and compare data.
- Modernization and Future-Proofing: The new tool is built using modern technologies, aligning with other NASS applications and ensuring long-term support and updates.
- Improved User Experience: AgInsights focuses on effective, efficient, and user-friendly intuitive interaction, with enhanced visualizations that helps users interpret and digest data more easily. It also offers interactive features that allow users to sort, filter, and explore data dynamically, enhancing the overall user experience.
- Producer-Centric Features: The tool offers intuitive sorting, filtering, and interactive visualizations, making complex data easy to interpret and apply to real-world challenges. Producers can also access analytics tailored to their operation type, supporting more informed decision-making. It is also optimized for mobile devices.
- Reduced Maintenance Complexity: Designed to be as automated as possible, this modern product is designed to deliver visualizations and data with minimal ongoing support, providing the opportunity to sunset old applications that were cost prohibitive and unsupported while reducing the labor-intensive efforts required for each report.
- Support for Power Users and General Users: AgInsights leverages NASS’s Quick Stats database, which is already popular among many users, while also providing a graphical user interface for those who prefer a more visual approach. It includes enhanced visualizations such as choropleth maps and time series charts, which update interactively with each report, helping users to better interpret and understand the data.
Information about all NASS surveys and reports is available online at nass.usda.gov.