Supporting EUDR compliance with Whisp

While a wide range of satellite-derived forest, land use and tree cover maps are available publicly, these products often show substantial differences due to differing definitions and land cover classification systems used. This means that no single definitive source of geospatial data can tell the whole story around any given plot of land. 

Therefore, the Forest Data Partnership (FDaP) and the AIM4Forests Programme promote a convergence of evidence approach where rather than relying on a single data set, stakeholders use multiple data sets together to capture nuanced information on a specific plot of land. These various data sets contribute to understanding what has most probably occurred at that location, reducing the impact of biases or errors present in any single piece of evidence.

To implement this convergence of evidence approach, an innovative solution called Whisp has been developed as part of a collaborative initiative between FDaP and AIM4Forests. Whisp, which stands for “What is in that plot?”, is an open-source API that can help to produce relevant forest monitoring information and support the due diligence process required under the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). Whisp applies the convergence of evidence approach to produce geospatial analysis that provides insight on what various data sets suggest is contained in any given plot of land as of the EUDR cut-off date of December 31, 2020. Each data set is chosen for its relevance to informing land use. 

Whisp can also be used by anyone who wants to produce land cover information on given plots of land, including operators, third-party verifiers and government authorities in producer and consumer countries. It is easy to use even for those with no geospatial knowledge, thereby enabling smallholder farmers to produce their own monitoring data with just a few clicks on their mobile devices.

Rémi d'Annunzio, Forest Data Partnership Science and Data Lead and Forest Office at the Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), presented Whisp at a recent event hosted by the Initiative for Sustainable Agricultural Supply Chains (INA), an association of stakeholders from the public and private sectors and civil society. During this event, Remi showcased how Whisp contributes to EUDR compliance and conducted a demo of the product. 

You can watch the full recording of the event and Whisp demo here. To provide your views on what would be essential to have in Whisp to support deforestation risk assessments, please take this survey. It will only take five minutes to complete and does not require you to have watched the demo or have any prior experience with Whisp. 

This story was originally published here.