[GRASSLIST:1890] GRASS/GIS newbie: how to start?

[Heiko Nardmann]

Hi!

I am currently on the way to experiment with a GIS (i.e. GRASS) to get some 
feeling what it can do for me.

Reading the HTML documentation I understand that first before all I have to 
start the grass program. So I created the following script to start it:

#!/bin/sh

# I have installed grass with prefix=/opt/GIS/grass-5.0.3
LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/opt/GIS/grass-5.0.3/lib:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH

# the following was based on my compilation directory
#/opt/Source-Archive/mirrors/CompilationDir/i686-whatever-linux2/GIS-Installation/grass-5.0.3
#GISBASE=/opt/Source-Archive/mirrors/CompilationDir/i686-whatever-linux2/GIS-Installation/grass-5.0.3/dist.i686-pc-linux-gnu/
GISBASE=/opt/GIS/grass-5.0.3/grass5
export GISBASE

GISDBASE=/opt/GIS/grassData
export GISDBASE

GISRC=/home/nardmann/.grassrc5
export GISRC

LOCATION=/opt/GIS/grassData
export LOCATION

LOCATION_NAME=BRD
export LOCATION_NAME

/opt/GIS/grass-5.0.3/bin/grass5 -

Inside of the directory /opt/GIS/grassData I have created a subdirectory BRD 
which contains the following files which I have downloaded from 
http://www.maproom.psu.edu/dcw/.

README
aepoint.e00
clline.e00
clpoint.e00
dnnet.e00
dnpoint.e00
dspoint.e00
hsline.e00
hspoint.e00
hynet.e00
hypoint.e00
lcpoint.e00
lcpoly.e00
ofline.e00
ofpoint.e00
phline.e00
ponet.e00
popoint.e00
pppoint.e00
pppoly.e00
rdline.e00
rrline.e00
tsline.e00
utline.e00

I am starting this script as root. Then I get the following error message:

Cleaning up temporary files.....
Starting GRASS ...
ERROR: LOCATION <<
       
/opt/Source-Archive/mirrors/CompilationDir/i686-whatever-linux2/GIS-Installation/<UNKNOWN> 
>> not available
/opt/GIS/grassData: Not a valid GRASS location

How do I create a valid GRASS location? Since I am an absolute newbie please 
tell me where to find a GRASS introduction.

-- 
Heiko Nardmann (Dipl.-Ing. Technische Informatik)
secunet Security Networks AG - Sicherheit in Netzwerken (www.secunet.de),
Weidenauer Str. 223-225, D-57076 Siegen
Tel. : +49 271 48950-13, Fax  : +49 271 48950-50

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