GRASS GIS Sample Datasets

Description and discussion of (future) GRASS GIS 7 data set - an updated and simplified nc_spm_08, to be used in manual pages, tutorials, courses, code testing, development and OSGeo Live.

Contributors: Markus Neteler, Helena Mitasova, Vaclav Petras, Anna Petrasova, Hamish Bowman, [contribute and add yourself]

Proposal

Basic NC location with PERMANENT mapset

This is practically the gisdemo location with some updates.

• loc_ncspm_baseline
  • PERMANENT
    • raster:
      • elevation
      • elevation_shade
      • landuse
      • basins
      • orthophoto(?)
      • soils?
      • lakes?
      • geology?
    • vector:
      • boundary_region
      • boundary_state
      • census
      • streams
      • streets
      • railroads
      • schools
      • hospitals
      • firestations
      • points_of_interest
      • historical sites
      • geonames
      • geology
    • sqlite
    • mymapset1

Specialized mapsets

That can be inserted into baseline location - each will need to be distributed with a barebone location/PERMANENT so that it is readable by GRASS without the baseline data set.

Providing just mapsets did not work, it was very confusing for users. But perhaps the only problem was that that "GRASS welcome screen" cannot unpack (unzip, untar) a mapset and copy it into an existing mapset. (MN: we need a button "Download sample data" in the welcome screen!)

• mapset_ncspm_dem: several elevation models
• mapset_ncspm_landsat: set of Landsat scenes with different timestamps
• mapset_ncspm_networks: vector networking data + LRS
• mapset_ncspm_orthoimg: set of aerial image scenes for image classification
• mapset_ncspm_modis: MODIS time series with temporal GRASS DB (can be easily generated with ​http://pymodis.fem-environment.eu/)

Basic world location

Already there: demolocation/ in the source code

• loc_world_ll_baseline
  • PERMANENT

• specialized mapsets
  • mapset_ll_climate
  • mapset_ll_landcover

Notes after HVA discussion with Hamish

• barebone dataset for OSGeo Live which will include a script to generate the derived data needed for tutorials (?)
• metadata
• maps (layers)
  • exclude layers which can be generated
  • secref elevation? + orthophoto
  • add NC WMS service to GUI
  • soils, geology, lakes just vector
  • elevation, landuse, orthophoto
  • fields - parcel plots - with anonymized names - for secref - planimetry
  • SPOT image
  • elevation and precipitation points into baseline
  • add zipcodes
  • powerlines (extended)
  • separate layers for state and counties boundaries
  • natural earth for latlon dataset (data are on ​github)

Comments

The data sets can be distributed separately or we can have packages with several mapsets or all mapsets, depending on the size. I found that packaging and distributing mapsets without location is not practical, so I ended up distributing the specialized mapsets with nc_spm_baseline or world_baseline - is this OK?. We also need to figure out how to include the original metadata that come with the original data - link to the source in history file may be enough.

The baseline location+mapset should be simple with easy to understand names of map layers, my only issue is the loc_ncspm_baseline name as I am not able to come up with a simple name that would say that this is a location with North Carolina data in state plane meters coordinate system - maybe loc_ncarolina would be better, assuming that state plane in meters is the official coordinate system for NC? But I also keep ncspf for feet and ncutm.

Notes about data sources

There is a lot of data, main challenge now is to select a consistent, meaningful, but not too large data set. Many data sets are regularly updated and new ones are posted but tutorials and man pages require stable data to work the history file should include link to the original data source with a note that an updated version of the data map be available from there

Significant natural heritage areas and natural heritage element occurrences posted on NC one map.

TODO

List of actionable items.

• replace historical markers with historical places (done?)
• Keep in mind what tasks we want to do with the data when selecting them (e.g., table join, selections, buffering etc). This influences the choice.