[GRASS-user] new user question about mapsets, locations, and coordinate systems

[Nikos Alexandris]

On Sun, 2008-12-07 at 18:09 -0800, Hamish wrote:
> > > For the DATABASE parameter, is GRASS smart enough to
> > > add on the LOCATION  directory.
> 
> Nikos:
> > Yes, by default grass uses the dbf under
> > "$GISDBASE/$LOCATION_NAME/$MAPSET/dbf/" [1]. I
> > always change it (to use sqlite) and don't really "remember" if the
> > creation of a new mapset will create a new "bdf" directory in it.
> > But it should :-)
> >  
> > Anyhow, you need to use db.connect in order to define which DBMS you
> > want to use and where you want to store the database.
> 
> with respect to MAPSETs and LOCATIONs, the "DATABASE" is nothing to do
> with DBMS to hold vector attributes, it is the master directory which
> holds all your grass data. It's the "$GISDBASE" in the above path to the
> dbf directory.
> this "database" verbiage long predates any DBMS functionality in grass.
> in grass the use of that term probably predates the IBM XT for that matter.

WoW! That's pretty old :-)


> Hamish