Alaska..UTM

[Bruce K. Wylie (303) 490 8336]


Hello.  Seems like I'm speaking more to you lately than to anyone else...

The task: to create a database that contains (to start) the outline of Alaska
& a maplayer showing some hydrologic features.  I am presently just trying to
get the outside boundaries of Alaska into the database.

The data source:  My first attempt has been to use USGS-DLG3 data (optional format).

?'s include:
1) Does anyone have Alaska in a GRASS format already?(dream on, N.)

2) Alaska covers 10 UTM zones.  I have seen GRASS-mail that
indicated that you can get away with combining 2 zones, but only if you could
live with the distortion on the edges.  10 zones in one map sounds impossible.
Do I have to divide Alaska into 6 oversized UTM zone sections, with each
section in a mapset?

3) Do I have to use UTM in GRASS?  I have heard that GRASS is weak in
lat-long.  Does that mean I could produce maplayers in lat-log but couldn't
do much manipulation? Would it be wise to do this Alaska map in lat-long?
Is there a list available of what GRASS commands work and what don't work
in lat-long?