Tools for EUDR Geolocation Data, From Field Mapping to Filing

The EU Deforestation Regulation asks a simple-sounding question about every bag of coffee or cocoa: which plots did it come from? Answering it means mapping thousands of small farms, checking each one against the forest as it was at the end of 2020, and filing the result in a format the EU's system accepts. No single tool does all of that for everyone.

This guide lists the tools for each step, with who each one fits. It's written for cooperatives, exporters and the teams doing due diligence for them. It's an editorial shortlist, not legal advice and not a ranking.

Checked October 17, 2026: rules come from the regulation on EUR-Lex, the Commission's FAQ and the Information System's GeoJSON description. Tool claims come from each tool's own website or documentation, linked under each entry. We didn't test the paid platforms.

What geolocation data does the EUDR require?

• Coordinates with at least six decimals for every plot where the commodity was produced (Art. 2(28)).
• A point or a polygon for plots of 4 hectares or less; a polygon for anything larger. One polygon per plot; no centre point with a radius.
• The cutoff date is 31 December 2020. Land deforested after that date doesn't qualify.
• GeoJSON in WGS84, longitude first, if you upload a file (GeoJSON file description).

The file description has rules that catch people out. A point without an Area property is treated as 4 hectares. An area written as text, like "3", is read as zero. The system cuts coordinates to six decimals, which can turn two close vertices into a duplicate and make the polygon invalid. Polygons with holes, self-crossing edges and open rings are rejected.

The Commission's FAQ also says the operator is responsible for the accuracy of the data, whoever collected it.

When does the EUDR apply?

Regulation (EU) 2025/2650 moved the dates again (EUR-Lex):

• 30 December 2026 for large and medium operators.
• 30 June 2027 for micro and small operators established by the end of 2024, except for products from the old EU Timber Regulation, which keep 30 December 2026.
• Soluble coffee joins the scope from 30 December 2027 (Delegated Regulation 2026/2102). Green coffee is already in.

Eligible micro and small primary operators in low-risk countries can give postal addresses that identify the plots instead of coordinates. Most coffee and cocoa origins, including Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Côte d'Ivoire and Ethiopia, are standard risk on the 2025 country list, so they still need plots.

Which tools help at each step?

Which apps map plot boundaries in the field?

Most apps below record polygons, and all of them work offline once forms, projects or maps are prepared on the device.

• KoboToolbox: polygon questions and a built-in GeoJSON export. Free for nonprofits; companies pay (pricing).
• ODK: records a boundary by tapping or by logging GPS points as you walk, with an accuracy limit. Exports GeoJSON from ODK Central. Free to self-host; ODK Cloud from $199 a month, billed annually.
• QField: free, open-source mapping from QGIS projects. Best when someone can own the QGIS project; files are exported through QGIS.
• Mergin Maps: QGIS-based, offline, with an EUDR guide and external GNSS support. From €15.8 per contributor a month billed annually; free for nonprofits with income under $30,000.
• ArcGIS Field Maps: for teams already on ArcGIS. Offline needs a sync-enabled layer and prepared map areas; GeoJSON comes out through ArcGIS Online or Pro.
• Open Foris Ground (FAO and Google) and WHIMO (European Forest Institute): free, open-source apps aimed at smallholder supply chains. WHIMO imports existing farm polygons and records points rather than walking new boundaries.

Whatever the app, walking a boundary with a phone produces errors: a few metres of drift under trees, crossing lines, duplicate points. Check each phone on site with a GPS accuracy test, and plan to clean the file before filing.

Which free tools check and screen plots?

GeoRoots is a set of free, open-source browser tools for EUDR GeoJSON: turn a spreadsheet into a file, edit and check shapes, rename properties to the EU format, merge, split and remove duplicates. It runs locally, so the data doesn't leave your computer. Its editor was built with the European Forest Institute. It doesn't claim to run exactly the same checks as the Information System.

Whisp, from FAO and the Forest Data Partnership, compares each plot with many land-cover, commodity and disturbance datasets and returns a risk flag per plot, with a separate flag for perennial crops like coffee and cocoa. The web app takes 5,000 plots per job; there's also an API, a Python package and a QGIS plugin (GitHub). It screens; it doesn't collect plots or file statements.

Global Nature Watch is the new name for Global Forest Watch. One date matters: GFW Pro, which many teams use for EUDR checks, shuts down on 31 December 2026, and its data is deleted afterwards (notice). WRI points cooperatives to its free Horizon tool, where an EUDR risk check is announced but not yet live.

About the EU's forest map. The JRC Global Forest Cover 2020 map on the EU Observatory is a useful reference, but the Commission's FAQ calls it non-mandatory and not a definitive source for compliance. It also leaves coffee and cocoa plantations out of "forest".

The European Forest Institute keeps an up-to-date list of free EUDR tools, worth checking for newer options.

Which platforms handle the whole due diligence workflow?

Paid platforms join collection, checks, risk screening and sometimes filing. None of these publishes prices; all claims are their own.

• Satelligence: satellite monitoring and traceability for large buyers, with filing "directly to TRACES". No field app described.
• Meridia Verify: data-quality and risk checks for traders, priced by hectares checked per year (from 50,000). It hands data to ICE's traceability service, which files statements for coffee and cocoa.
• Koltiva KoltiTrace: farmer registration with offline plot mapping, deforestation checks and statement filing, for cooperatives, processors and exporters.
• Farmforce: smallholder farm management with offline polygon mapping, overlap and duplicate checks.
• TraceX: offline field app, shape checks, screening against 2020 forest data and statement preparation.

Where does Restoration Scope fit?

We build digital infrastructure for nature projects, and we set it up hands-on with each team. For EUDR, that means one record per plot, linked to its producer, mapped as a boundary or a point. You can view plots over the JRC 2020 forest layers and recent disturbance alerts, and follow plots that need a closer look. Field teams open a plot on their phones, walk the boundary again offline, and record the visit, so the next statement starts from what's on the ground. Each plot's boundary downloads as GeoJSON or KML; check it in GeoRoots before filing.

How do you choose EUDR geolocation tools?

For choosing a field app in more depth, see our guide to field-data apps. To convert coordinates from UTM, use the free UTM to lat/long converter; for WKT boundaries, the WKT to GeoJSON converter.