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

[Moritz Lennert]

On 3/08/20 17:44, Sebastiaan Couwenberg wrote:
> 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.

Thanks !

Moritz