[GRASS-user] Unable to create new project with Grass

[Michael Barton]

On Jan 13, 2008, at 5:06 AM, grass-user-request at lists.osgeo.org wrote:

> Date: Sat, 12 Jan 2008 21:26:05 +0000
> From: "Jan Schorn" <js.mailinglists at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [GRASS-user] Unable to create new project with Grass
> 	6.2.2 in	Ubuntu 7.1
> To: grass-user at lists.osgeo.org
> Message-ID:
> 	<ec1e03600801121326q3ce98d3ex1cf0a93072832dca at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> Hi, list
> I installed GRASS 6.2.3 in about 14 computers with i368  
> architecture and
> Ubuntu 7.10 (Les-ejk repositorios). The only way to create a new  
> Location is
> using QGIS.
> Using GRASS the error explained by Matt occurs.
> ¿Any ideas?
>
> Thanks,
> Jan
>
>
> 2008/1/11, Matt <mlpublic42 at gmail.com>:
>>
>> I am unable to create a new location/project in Grass.  Since I am  
>> new to
>> both Linux/Ubuntu and Grass there are a nearly infinite ways to go  
>> wrong.  I
>> have Ubuntu 7.10 installed.  I used Synaptic to install Grass  
>> 6.2.2 .  I
>> have been able to start Grass and play with the Spearfish and  
>> North Carolina
>> datasets.  I've made it to page 37 in "Open Source GIS A Grass GIS  
>> Approach,
>> 3rd ed."  As interesting as North Carolina is, I yearn to create a  
>> map of
>> western New York.  But when I try to create a new project closer  
>> to home, I
>> get nowhere.  All the tutorials I've come across treat this as  
>> trivial, but
>> I'm stuck!
>>
>> Starting Grass from the "Run Application" applet ("run in  
>> terminal" box
>> checked), starts Grass in the terminal window and a Grass Startup  
>> GUI window
>> appears.  Using the Browse button I enter "/home/matt/grass/ 
>> grassdata" in
>> the GIS Data Directory box.  The previous created directory map1  
>> appears in
>> the project location box and the Accessible Mapsets window is  
>> empty.  At
>> this point I've tried several things.  If before starting Grass I  
>> put a
>> Tiger shp file ( tgr36029lkA.shp) into map1, I'm unable to use  
>> it.  If I
>> click on EPSG codes and select 4326 and click "Define Location" it  
>> tells me
>> to restart Grass to find the created location.  When restarted the  
>> location
>> is not there.
>>
>> Any ideas?  Especially how to start a new project using a Tiger shape
>> file? (Remember, novice).
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Matt

Given what you've described, it seems that somehow you've gone too  
far down the directory tree. You've got your mapset appearing in the  
location list. This will be an invalid "location" because it does not  
contain a PERMANENT directory (i.e., mapset). Try backing up the tree  
one level. Your new location probably exists at the next level up.

Go back to browse in the data directory selection. It may be the  
difference between a single click and double click. But you want to  
get the proper directory in the directory selection dialog box. (In  
the case above, it should be /home/matt/grass/grassdata *IF* that is  
where your location directories are stored. That is, the nc_spm_07  
directory should be inside /home/matt/grass/grassdata.) Then press OK  
to return to the startup screen.

At this point, you should seek nc_spm_07 on the left side and  
PERMANENT, landsat, sqlite, and user1 on the right side. If this is  
NOT what you see, redo your data directory selection until it IS what  
you see. At this point you can either 1) create a new mapset INSIDE  
nc_spm_07 (or other locaiton), or 2) create a new LOCATION inside  
your data directory.

You should not have to restart GRASS anymore to see a newly created  
location or mapset (this instruction is out of date AFAIK). If you  
cannot see a new location or mapset, try reselecting your data  
directory (i.e., the same one you are creating a location in).

There is very good online help on all this directly accessible from  
the startup screen by pressing the "Help" button.

Michael