diff --git a/include/osgTerrain/DataSet b/include/osgTerrain/DataSet
index fc3656f9e..5c0495a5c 100644
--- a/include/osgTerrain/DataSet
+++ b/include/osgTerrain/DataSet
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ class OSGTERRAIN_EXPORT DataSet : public osg::Referenced
 {
     public:
 
-
+        static std::string coordinateSystemStringToWTK(const std::string& coordinateSystem);
 
         class Source;
 
@@ -232,6 +232,17 @@ class OSGTERRAIN_EXPORT DataSet : public osg::Referenced
             void setGeoTransform(osg::Matrixd& transform) { _geoTransform = transform; }
             osg::Matrixd& getGeoTransform() { return _geoTransform; }
             
+            void setGeoTransformFromRange(double xMin, double xMax, double yMin, double yMax)
+            {
+                _geoTransform.makeIdentity();
+                _geoTransform(0,0) = xMax-xMin;
+                _geoTransform(3,0) = xMin;
+
+                _geoTransform(1,1) = yMax-yMin;
+                _geoTransform(3,1) = yMin;
+             }
+
+
             void assignCoordinateSystemAndGeoTransformAccordingToParameterPolicy();
             
 
@@ -914,7 +925,10 @@ class OSGTERRAIN_EXPORT DataSet : public osg::Referenced
         void setDestinationExtents(const osg::BoundingBox& extents) { _extents = extents; }
         
         void setDestinationGeoTransform(const osg::Matrixd& geoTransform) { _geoTransform = geoTransform; }
-        
+
+        /** Set the DestinationTileBaseName and DestinationTileExtension from the passed in filename.*/
+        void setDestinationName(const std::string& filename);
+
         void setDestinationTileBaseName(const std::string& basename) { _tileBasename = basename; }
         const std::string& getDestinationTileBaseName() const { return _tileBasename; }
         
@@ -990,10 +1004,10 @@ class OSGTERRAIN_EXPORT DataSet : public osg::Referenced
         void populateDestinationGraphFromSources();
         
         void createDestination(unsigned int numLevels);
-        void writeDestination();
         
-
-
+        void buildDestination() { _buildDestination(false); }
+        
+        void writeDestination() { _buildDestination(true); }
         
         osg::Node* getDestinationRootNode() { return _rootNode.get(); }
 
@@ -1005,11 +1019,13 @@ class OSGTERRAIN_EXPORT DataSet : public osg::Referenced
         void _readRow(Row& row);
         void _equalizeRow(Row& row);
         void _writeRow(Row& row);
-        
-        osg::Node* decorateWithCoordinateSystemNode(osg::Node* subgraph);
+        void _buildDestination(bool writeToDisk);
         
         void init();
 
+        osg::Node* decorateWithCoordinateSystemNode(osg::Node* subgraph);
+
+
         osg::ref_ptr<CompositeSource>               _sourceGraph;
         
         osg::ref_ptr<CompositeDestination>          _destinationGraph;
diff --git a/src/osgTerrain/DataSet.cpp b/src/osgTerrain/DataSet.cpp
index bb2612ed5..908079236 100644
--- a/src/osgTerrain/DataSet.cpp
+++ b/src/osgTerrain/DataSet.cpp
@@ -44,6 +44,33 @@
 
 using namespace osgTerrain;
 
+std::string osgTerrain::DataSet::coordinateSystemStringToWTK(const std::string& coordinateSystem)
+{
+    std::string wtkString;
+
+    CPLErrorReset();
+    
+    OGRSpatialReferenceH hSRS = OSRNewSpatialReference( NULL );
+    if( OSRSetFromUserInput( hSRS, coordinateSystem.c_str() ) == OGRERR_NONE )
+    {
+        char *pszResult = NULL;
+        OSRExportToWkt( hSRS, &pszResult );
+        
+        if (pszResult) wtkString = pszResult;
+
+        CPLFree(pszResult);
+
+    }
+    else
+    {
+        osg::notify(osg::WARN)<<"Warning: coordinateSystem string not recognised."<<std::endl;
+        
+    }
+    
+    OSRDestroySpatialReference( hSRS );
+
+    return wtkString;
+}
 
 enum CoordinateSystemType
 {
@@ -2987,6 +3014,17 @@ void DataSet::init()
     }
 }
 
+void DataSet::setDestinationName(const std::string& filename)
+{
+    std::string path = osgDB::getFilePath(filename);
+    std::string base = path.empty()?osgDB::getStrippedName(filename):
+                                    path +'/'+ osgDB::getStrippedName(filename);
+    std::string extension = '.'+osgDB::getLowerCaseFileExtension(filename);
+
+    setDestinationTileBaseName(base);
+    setDestinationTileExtension(extension);
+} 
+
 void DataSet::addSource(Source* source)
 {
     if (!source) return;
@@ -3612,6 +3650,10 @@ void DataSet::_writeRow(Row& row)
             {
                 osg::notify(osg::WARN)<<"   faild to write node for tile = "<<cd->_level<<" X="<<cd->_tileX<<" Y="<<cd->_tileY<<" filename="<<filename<<std::endl;
             }
+
+            // record the top nodes as the rootNode of the database
+            _rootNode = node;
+
         }
     }
 }
@@ -3648,7 +3690,7 @@ osg::Node* DataSet::decorateWithCoordinateSystemNode(osg::Node* subgraph)
 }
 
 
-void DataSet::writeDestination()
+void DataSet::_buildDestination(bool writeToDisk)
 {
     if (_destinationGraph.valid())
     {
@@ -3670,7 +3712,7 @@ void DataSet::writeDestination()
                 _rootNode->addDescription(_comment);
             }
 
-            osgDB::writeNodeFile(*_rootNode,filename);
+            if (writeToDisk) osgDB::writeNodeFile(*_rootNode,filename);
         }
         else  // _databaseType==PagedLOD_DATABASE
         {
@@ -3703,7 +3745,7 @@ void DataSet::writeDestination()
                 }
                 
                 _equalizeRow(prev_itr->second);
-                _writeRow(prev_itr->second);
+                if (writeToDisk) _writeRow(prev_itr->second);
             }
         }
         osg::notify(osg::NOTICE)<<"completed DataSet::writeDestination("<<filename<<")"<<std::endl;