Import and standardize GADM PostgreSQL database

Author: Brad Boyle (bboyle@email.arizona.edu)
Date created: 24 March 2020

Contents

Overview
Software
Dependencies
Permissions
Installation and configuration
Usage

Overview

Creates & populates a local postgres instance of the Global Administrative Areas(GADM) Database (www.gadm.org). Downloads GADM world database as Geopackage and imports to PostgreSQL. Optionally, can changes ownership to an admin-level user and adds one or more read-only users.

Two optional standardization steps link GADM to Geonames (www.geonames.org) political divisions. Option 1 links directly by matching on ISO 3166-2 and HASC codes. Option 2 uses the GNRS (https://github.com/ojalaquellueva/gnrs.git) to perform both exact and fuzzy matching to geonames. Either step populates additional columns of standardized political division identifiers and names according to Geonames.

Software

Ubuntu 16.04 or higher
PostgreSQL/psql 12.2, or higher (PostGIS extension will be installed by this script)

Dependencies

1. ISO/HASC code crosswalk table. For optional standardization using ISO 3361-2 and HASC codes. Requires a lookup table of Admin 1 codes, downloaded from Natural Earth (https://www.naturalearthdata.com/downloads/10m-cultural-vectors/10m-admin-1-states-provinces/). Data package available here: https://www.naturalearthdata.com/downloads/10m-cultural-vectors/10m-admin-1-states-provinces/. Will be downloaded automatically by this application, unless url has changed.

2. GNRS database. Optional standardization using the GNRS requires local installation of the GNRS (see rhttps://github.com/ojalaquellueva/gnrs.git).

3. PHP extension dBase, for unpacking the ISO-HASC crosswalk table from dbf file. This is not a standard PHP extension. On Ubuntu 16.04+, you will need to do the following:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ondrej/php
suod apt update
sudo apt install php-pear
sudo apt install php7.0-dev
sudo pecl install dBase

Now add the following line to php.ini:

extension=dbase.so

No need to restart PHP.

Permissions

• Scripts must be run by user with sudo. User must also have authorization to connect to postgres (as specified in pg_hba.conf) without a password.
• Admin-level and read-only Postgres users for the gadm database (specified in params.sh) must already exist, with authorization to connect to postgres.

Installation and configuration

# Create application base directory
mkdir -p gadm
cd gadm

# Create application code directory
mkdir src

# Install repo to application code directory
cd src
git clone https://github.com/ojalaquellueva/gadm.git

# Move data and sensitive parameters directories outside of code directory
# Be sure to change paths to these directories (in params.sh) accordingly
mv data ../
mv config ../

Usage

1. Set parameters in params.sh.
2. Set passwords and other sensitive parameters in config/db_config.sh.
3. Run the master script, gadm_db.sh.

Syntax

./gadm.sh [options]

Command line options

-m: Send notification emails
-n: No warnings: suppress confirmations but not progress messages
-s: Silent mode: suppress all confirmations & progress messages

• All other options must be set in params.inc

Example:

./gadm.sh -m -s

• Runs silently without terminal echo
• Sends notification message at start and completion