Plot Geolocation and Polygons for Palm Oil Under EUDR

Updated 2026-11-02 · 4 min read · By the akar.earth specialist team

EUDR geolocation for palm oil: how to map estate blocks, plasma and independent smallholder plots in Indonesia, with polygon rules and data quality checks.

Under the EUDR, palm oil must be linked to the geolocation of every plot that supplied the fresh fruit bunches: polygons for plots over 4 hectares, which covers nearly all company estate blocks, and at least a point for smallholder plots of 4 hectares or less. The mill’s coordinates or a smallholder’s village are not enough.

Three kinds of plot, three mapping jobs

Indonesian oil palm comes from three types of supplier, and each needs a different approach.

Company estates

Estates usually have good maps, but they are built for agronomy, not for the EUDR. Common issues:

• Coordinate systems. Many estate GIS files use UTM zones or local datums. Convert to WGS84 for submission.
• Block versus HGU. The HGU boundary includes roads, conservation set-asides and unplanted land. The geolocation should describe the production area supplying the fruit. Keep conservation areas documented separately; they help show no-deforestation commitments.
• New plantings. Blocks planted after 2020 need special attention. If they were forest on 31 December 2020, their fruit is not compliant.
• Replanting. Replanted blocks are fine, but keep records so a satellite flag can be explained.

Plasma smallholders

Plasma schemes were laid out on paper, so plot maps exist. But ownership changes, plots are sold or inherited, and some scheme maps were never accurate. Match each plot to the current farmer, update the register, and check that the plot on the ground matches the scheme map.

Independent smallholders

This is where most of the effort goes. A good field campaign:

1. Registers the farmer with name, ID, village and consent for data use. See farmer registration and consent.
2. Walks or digitises the plot boundary, even for plots under 4 hectares. Polygons let you calculate area and check yield claims.
3. Records the land document (SHM, SKT or other) and STDB number if any.
4. Records planting year, which helps with the cut-off date question.
5. Links the farmer to the agent or group they sell through.

Oil palm canopy is open enough that phone GPS often works for points. For polygons, boundaries between neighbouring smallholdings can be unclear, and RTK GNSS or digitising on high-resolution imagery with the farmer present gives better results. See RTK GNSS plot mapping. Our AKAR Mapper captures boundaries in the field and flags errors before the team leaves.

Linking plots to FFB deliveries

Geolocation only helps if the oil can be tied to it. Mills need to know which plots supplied which deliveries. Practical options:

• Registered farmer or group IDs on every FFB weighbridge ticket.
• Agents declaring the farmers behind each load, cross-checked against the plot register.
• Yield plausibility checks: annual FFB per hectare per plot within a realistic range.

Data quality checks

Before sending geolocation to a buyer:

• Polygons are closed and valid, with no self-intersections.
• No plot overlaps another unless explained.
• Points fall inside plots, not on roads or houses.
• Every plot over 4 hectares has a polygon.
• Coordinates have at least six decimal places, longitude first in GeoJSON.

See polygon requirements for the general rules.

Using the same data twice

Plot polygons collected for the EUDR also support ISPO certification for smallholders, land legalisation, replanting programmes and, where farmers plant trees on or around their plots, carbon projects. See one dataset for carbon and EUDR.

Third-party estates and outgrowers

Many mills also buy fruit from third-party estates and medium-sized growers who are not part of the group. These suppliers are often between smallholder and company scale, with plots of 10 to 100 hectares, so they need polygons. They may hold their own maps, but quality varies, and some have planted blocks after 2020. Ask for maps in GIS format, check them against imagery, and verify planting dates. Treat a third-party estate that will not share maps as unverified supply.

Next steps

Read palm oil smallholders for the farmer side of the work, and the EUDR hub for the full topic map. For a mapping campaign across a mill’s supply base, see our field data campaigns or message us on WhatsApp.