The required format
- Coordinate system: WGS84 (EPSG:4326), the system used by GPS and online maps.
- Decimal degrees, not degrees-minutes-seconds and not metres.
- Six decimal places, which is about 0.1 metre on the ground.
- Longitude first, then latitude inside the GeoJSON file, as the GeoJSON standard requires.
Source: the EU GeoJSON File Description. DrawMyPlot writes all of this automatically when you export.
Latitude, longitude, and the order trap
People and map apps usually say latitude, longitude (for example 6.827600, -5.289300 for Yamoussoukro). GeoJSON files store them the other way round: [-5.289300, 6.827600]. When a spreadsheet is converted by hand, the two are easily swapped, and the plot lands somewhere else entirely.
In DrawMyPlot, type coordinates in the search box in the everyday order (latitude, longitude). The export handles the GeoJSON order.
Minus signs by region
South of the equator latitude is negative; west of Greenwich longitude is negative. A missing minus sign moves a plot to another continent.
| Producing region | Latitude | Longitude |
|---|---|---|
| Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Colombia (most), Central America | + | − (west) |
| Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay | − (south) | − |
| Cameroon, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Vietnam, Malaysia | + | + |
| Indonesia south of the equator, Papua New Guinea, Tanzania | − | + |
Converting degrees-minutes-seconds
Some GPS units show readings like 5°20'45" N, 4°01'30" W. To convert:
decimal = degrees + minutes ÷ 60 + seconds ÷ 3600, then add a minus sign for S or W.
- Latitude: 5 + 20/60 + 45/3600 = 5.345833
- Longitude: 4 + 1/60 + 30/3600 = 4.025000, west, so −4.025000
Readings in degrees and decimal minutes (5°20.75' N) work the same way: 5 + 20.75/60 = 5.345833.
Coordinates in metres (UTM)
Large numbers such as E 385 412, N 590 230 are UTM coordinates in metres. The EU system does not accept them. Re-export the data from your GIS or GPS software in WGS84 (EPSG:4326). The validator flags files that look projected.
Why six decimals?
Six decimals of a degree is about 11 cm at the equator: far finer than any phone GPS, so no real precision is lost by rounding. Fewer decimals (four is about 11 metres) can visibly shift a boundary. DrawMyPlot rounds every coordinate to exactly six decimals on export.
More EUDR guides
How to create an EUDR GeoJSON file
Step by step, from a satellite map, a GPS spreadsheet or an existing KML file.
The EUDR 4-hectare rule
When a single point is enough and when you must draw a polygon.
EUDR GeoJSON errors and fixes
The usual reasons a file is rejected, and how to fix each one.
Google Earth KML to EUDR GeoJSON
Turn plots drawn in Google Earth or My Maps into an EUDR file.
Frequently asked questions
Which comes first in an EUDR GeoJSON file, latitude or longitude?
Can I use more than six decimals?
My phone app shows coordinates in a different format. What do I do?
Page updated 2026-10-11