Compile and install GDAL-GRASS plugin

The idea of the GDAL-GRASS plugin is to directly access GRASS raster and vector data from outside. Any GDAL enabled software (QGIS, R, ...) can read and write through the plugin from the GRASS database. It is sufficient to indicate the full path to the GRASS dataset (see below).

The compilation order should be kept due to inter-dependencies between the packages. Please keep the order as seen below. GRASS compilation is explained in Compile and Install.

Compilation and Installation of Prerequisites

The install order should be kept due to inter-dependencies between the packages. Please keep the order or install all in a single step:

1. PROJ with Datum grid file proj-data-XY.zip
2. Optionally: GEOS
3. Optionally: other packages
4. GDAL/OGR compiled without GRASS support (because we use the plugin!)

Compilation and Installation of the GDAL-GRASS plugin

For GRASS GIS:

Download the GDAL/OGR-GRASS plugin - file: gdal-grass-x.y.z.tar.gz

NOTE: the plugin needs to have library path access the GRASS GIS libraries. The best way is to add a file grass.conf into the directory /etc/ld.so.conf.d/ (edit as root) which contains the path to the GRASS libraries; then run ldconfig:

        sudo su
        nano /etc/ld.so.conf.d/grass.conf
        ldconfig

Available libgdal-grass binary packages

• Debian: https://packages.debian.org/search?searchon=sourcenames&keywords=libgdal-grass
• Fedora: https://copr.fedorainfracloud.org/coprs/neteler/gdal-grass-plugin/
• openSuSe: https://build.opensuse.org/package/show/Application:Geo/libgdal-grass (outdated)
• Ubuntu: https://packages.ubuntu.com/search?keywords=libgdal-grass&searchon=names
• ...

Usage of the plugin

You always need to specify the full path to the data set:

• GRASS raster map:

gdalinfo /path/to/grassdata/nc_spm_08_grass7/PERMANENT/cellhd/aspect

• GRASS vector map:

ogrinfo -ro -so /path/to/grassdata/nc_spm_08_grass7/PERMANENT/vector/roadsmajor/head

• Mapserver: should be ablte to access both raster and vector maps, define connection properly in the .map file
• Geoserver: https://github.com/mundialis/geoserver-grass-raster-datastore
• QGIS: only needs it for raster data
• OpenSceneGraph

Troubleshooting

All stuff installed but QGIS doesn't see GRASS or r.out.gdal doesn't work?

• Check if GDAL finds the plugin:

        gdal_translate --formats | grep -i grass
        GRASS (ro): GRASS Database Rasters (5.7+)

• Check if the GRASS libs are found by the plugin. All libraries should be found (maybe you forgot to run 'ldconfig' if you didn't install from RPMs?):

        ldd /usr/lib/gdalplugins/gdal_GRASS.so
        ldd /usr/lib/gdalplugins/ogr_GRASS.so

If not, create as root user the file "/etc/ld.so.conf.d/grass.conf" with this line (modify path as needed):

        /usr/grass-7.8.7/lib/

Then run "ldconfig" as root user.

Still failing ?

• Check if the GRASS plugins are in the right directory (check the 'Auto register' directory reported in the output):

        # remember that you have to specify the absolute path:
        export CPL_DEBUG=on
        gdalinfo $HOME/grassdata/nc_spm_08_grass7/PERMANENT/cellhd/aspect
        ogrinfo -summary $HOME/grassdata/nc_spm_08_grass7/PERMANENT/vector/roadsmajor/head

ERROR 1: libgrass_I.so: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory

The path to "libgrass_I.so" is missing from LD_LIBRARY_PATH. To solve this, create as root user the file "/etc/ld.so.conf.d/grass6.conf" with this line (modify path as needed):

        /usr/grass-7.8.7/lib/

Then run "ldconfig" as root user.

ERROR 2: compilation error libpq-fe.h: No such file or directory

You get

        /usr/local/grass78/grass78/include/grass/vect/dig_structs.h:31:10:
        fatal error: libpq-fe.h: No such file or directory
         #include <libpq-fe.h>
                  ^06:45, 7 January 2020 (PST)06:45, 7 January 2020 (PST)~
        compilation terminated.
        Makefile:43: recipe for target 'ogrgrassdriver.o' failed
        make: *** [ogrgrassdriver.o] Error 1

Solution:

        ./configure --with-postgres-includes=$(pg_config --includedir)

... then compile.

Further Instructions

If you are still having trouble, please also visit "GRASS for Fedora Core 4" for more detailed GRASS and GDAL compilation and installation instructions developed by Isaac Ullah for Fedora Core 4.

There are good instructions on source code compiling here Category:Installation.