# How to reuse the remote data set machinery for local data sets? **URL:** \ **Category:** Q&A\ **Created:** [November 20, 2022, 1:12pm UTC](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/t/how-to-reuse-the-remote-data-set-machinery-for-local-data-sets/3471 "2022-11-20T13:12:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Esteban82](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex047/user_avatar/forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/esteban82/32/54_2.png) [@Esteban82](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/u/Esteban82)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2022, 1:12pm UTC](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/t/how-to-reuse-the-remote-data-set-machinery-for-local-data-sets/3471/1 "2022-11-20T13:12:13Z")
I think that the remote data set are great, in particular because they are donwsample and it is possible to let GMT select the resolution needed for each map. However, some datasets won’t go to the server (due to lack of license, private/sensitive data, etc). I wonder how can I do to reuse that machinery (to select the resolution) for datasets on my pc. I know that I can use the scripts in gmtserver-admin to downsample my grid. But, them I don’t know how to proceed. Should I put the results in my `userdir/server` directory and then edit the `gmt_data_server.txt` and `gmt_hash_server.txt` files? How should I do it? Editing those files would interfere with the remote data sets? Is there any better solution? ---
**Author:** ![pwessel](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex047/user_avatar/forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/pwessel/32/30_2.png) [@pwessel](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/u/pwessel)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2023, 7:37pm UTC](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/t/how-to-reuse-the-remote-data-set-machinery-for-local-data-sets/3471/2 "2023-01-09T19:37:39Z")
The problem is that those two meta files gets updated every day (if you access a remote file that often) and then any manual edits will be gone. The solutions I see are: 1. Maintain two separate server subdirectories in .gmt and just have a script that renames one server\_saved and the other server. That way you can run that script like “switch\_server gmt|mine” and the script will then make active the server directory that goes with it. Downside is that you only would have access to your files until you switch back to the gmt remote data 2. We would have to make changes to gmt to allow for private server directories and also search those when a user uses @private\_relief\_12s for instance. This would then be listed perhaps in a private subdirectory with similar structure to server but would never be written to or deleted by GMT. I do not have time to do this now though. ---
**Author:** ![Esteban82](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex047/user_avatar/forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/esteban82/32/54_2.png) [@Esteban82](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/u/Esteban82)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2023, 8:03pm UTC](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/t/how-to-reuse-the-remote-data-set-machinery-for-local-data-sets/3471/3 "2023-01-09T20:03:05Z")
Ok. Many thanks Paul! ---
**Author:** ![Esteban82](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex047/user_avatar/forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/esteban82/32/54_2.png) [@Esteban82](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/u/Esteban82)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2023, 6:51pm UTC](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/t/how-to-reuse-the-remote-data-set-machinery-for-local-data-sets/3471/4 "2023-01-10T18:51:07Z")
> The problem is that those two meta files gets updated every day. I can this turn off with `gmt set GMT_DATA_UPDATE_INTERVAL never`, right? ---
**Author:** ![pwessel](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex047/user_avatar/forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/pwessel/32/30_2.png) [@pwessel](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/u/pwessel)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2023, 7:30pm UTC](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/t/how-to-reuse-the-remote-data-set-machinery-for-local-data-sets/3471/5 "2023-01-10T19:30:11Z")
Yes you can, I should have mentioned that. ---
**Author:** ![Andreas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Andreas](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/u/Andreas)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2026, 9:14am UTC](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/t/how-to-reuse-the-remote-data-set-machinery-for-local-data-sets/3471/6 "2026-04-20T09:14:47Z")
Did you end up doing something more about this, @Esteban82? ---
**Author:** ![Esteban82](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex047/user_avatar/forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/esteban82/32/54_2.png) [@Esteban82](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/u/Esteban82)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2026, 1:57pm UTC](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/t/how-to-reuse-the-remote-data-set-machinery-for-local-data-sets/3471/7 "2026-04-20T13:57:56Z")
No, nothing. But maybe now is easier to implement with AI help. ---
**Author:** ![Andreas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Andreas](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/u/Andreas)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2026, 7:13am UTC](https://forum.generic-mapping-tools.org/t/how-to-reuse-the-remote-data-set-machinery-for-local-data-sets/3471/8 "2026-04-21T07:13:46Z")
Alright, thanks.