Whisp (FAO)
Whisp ('What is in that plot?') is a free, open-source solution developed by FAO that analyses land use and deforestation risk at plot level by combining multiple global geospatial datasets through a convergence-of-evidence approach, supporting deforestation-related regulations such as the EUDR.
Also known as: What is in that plot · Whisp FAO · Open Foris Whisp
Why does it matter?
No single map is reliable everywhere. Whisp formalises the idea that confidence comes from agreement between independent datasets. As a public, open tool maintained by FAO, it offers a transparent reference that operators, producer countries and authorities can reproduce.
How does it work?
Whisp was developed by FAO under the AIM4Commodities programme. For each plot, it queries a set of global datasets, including forest cover maps, commodity and tree-crop maps, and disturbance data, and combines them into a result. FAO describes three broad outcomes:
- Low risk: for example, the plot is outside mapped forest, overlaps commodity maps, or disturbance occurred before 2020.
- High risk: forest plots with post-2020 disturbance and no commodity or pre-2020 evidence.
- More information needed: forest plots without enough evidence for a conclusion.
Common pitfalls
- Treating the output as a legal determination. It is input to the operator’s risk assessment.
- Running it on invalid or inaccurate geometries.
- Stopping at “more information needed” instead of collecting field evidence.
Farmer1st can use public references such as Whisp within its multi-source deforestation assessment in the geo and polygons service.
Frequently asked questions
Is Whisp free to use?
Yes. FAO provides Whisp as a free and open-source solution within its Open Foris suite.
What does Whisp return?
According to FAO, Whisp classifies plots into risk categories such as low risk, high risk or more information needed, based on forest cover maps, commodity maps and disturbance data before and after 2020.
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