[GRASS-dev] packagers' guidance on inclusion of small dataset into the GRASS GIS installation

[Sebastiaan Couwenberg]

On 8/3/20 4:59 PM, Moritz Lennert wrote:
> 
> 
> On 3/08/20 16:37, Sebastiaan Couwenberg wrote:
>> On 8/3/20 4:16 PM, Moritz Lennert wrote:
>>> I have a small question concerning the best way to include a very small
>>> dataset into the distribution of GRASS GIS. We are currently working on
>>> the revamping of the GRASS GIS GUI startup experience, and have the
>>> currently proposed solution is that GRASS GIS could start up
>>> automatically creating a grassdata database and a default lat-long
>>> location which would contain just a simple NaturalEarth world country
>>> boundaries dataset.
>>>
>>> In some OS (e.g. MS Windows), such a demolocation is included in the
>>> distribution, but in Debian it is deleted before installation (IIUC what
>>> happens in the rules file at [1]).
>>>
>>> IIRC, Debian does normally not allow data to be distributed with
>>> binaries. One option would be to put the data directly into the Python
>>> code creating this location. Would that be acceptable for Debian ? What
>>> kind of solution would you recommend ?
>>
>> If the database can be built from source as part of the build process
>> e.g. like proj.db in PROJ, it can be included in the package (assuming
>> its license is DFSG compatible).
>>
>> Where is "this location"?
>>
>> If it's usr/lib/grassXY/demolocation, that's problematic because it's
>> not writable by unprivileged users. A subdirectory of $XDG_DATA_HOME
>> (e.g. $HOME/.local/share/grass) would be more suitable.
> 
> Actually, the idea currently is that a new user without any grassdata
> will just get a grassdata directory automagically created during startup
> and the /usr/lib/grassXY/demolocation would simply be copied into that
> new grassdata directory. GRASS GIS would then directly start up into
> that location.
> 
> So, the idea would be that during build /usr/lib/grassXY/demolocation is
> created.

I don't know why the demolocation was never included in the package,
looking at the repo history it has always been like that since way
before I got involved.

I've pushed a change to include the directory in the grass-core package:

 https://salsa.debian.org/debian-gis-team/grass/-/commit/faa570fd3357b1267d237fc0ee9b3386ce83479d

That can be used as the source for the user writable copy.

Kind Regards,

Bas

-- 
 GPG Key ID: 4096R/6750F10AE88D4AF1
Fingerprint: 8182 DE41 7056 408D 6146  50D1 6750 F10A E88D 4AF1