diff --git a/modules/globebrowsing/other/tiledataset.cpp b/modules/globebrowsing/other/tiledataset.cpp
index 62ae1f5828..f4bfd24224 100644
--- a/modules/globebrowsing/other/tiledataset.cpp
+++ b/modules/globebrowsing/other/tiledataset.cpp
@@ -31,6 +31,8 @@
 #include <modules/globebrowsing/other/tileprovider.h>
 #include <modules/globebrowsing/geodetics/angle.h>
 
+
+
 namespace {
     const std::string _loggerCat = "TileDataset";
 }
@@ -42,17 +44,16 @@ namespace openspace {
     // INIT THIS TO FALSE AFTER REMOVED FROM TILEPROVIDER
     bool TileDataset::GdalHasBeenInitialized = false; 
 
-    TileDataset::TileDataset(const std::string& fileName, int minimumPixelSize, GLuint dataType)
+    TileDataset::TileDataset(const std::string& gdalDatasetDesc, int minimumPixelSize, GLuint dataType)
         : _minimumPixelSize(minimumPixelSize)
     {
-        
         if (!GdalHasBeenInitialized) {
             GDALAllRegister();
             GdalHasBeenInitialized = true;
         }
 
-        _dataset = (GDALDataset *)GDALOpen(absPath(fileName).c_str(), GA_ReadOnly);
-        ghoul_assert(_dataset != nullptr, "Failed to load dataset: " << fileName);
+        _dataset = (GDALDataset *)GDALOpen(gdalDatasetDesc.c_str(), GA_ReadOnly);
+        ghoul_assert(_dataset != nullptr, "Failed to load dataset:\n" << gdalDatasetDesc);
         _dataLayout = DataLayout(_dataset, dataType);
 
         _depthTransform = calculateTileDepthTransform();
diff --git a/modules/globebrowsing/other/tiledataset.h b/modules/globebrowsing/other/tiledataset.h
index ab1e842666..741c4e2694 100644
--- a/modules/globebrowsing/other/tiledataset.h
+++ b/modules/globebrowsing/other/tiledataset.h
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@
 
 #include "gdal_priv.h"
 
+
 #include <memory>
 #include <set>
 #include <queue>
@@ -88,12 +89,22 @@ namespace openspace {
 
     class TileDataset {
     public:
-    
-        // Default dataType = 0 means GDAL will use the same data type as the data
-        // is originally in
-        TileDataset(const std::string& fileName, int minimumPixelSize, GLuint dataType = 0);
+
+        
+        /**
+        * Opens a GDALDataset in readonly mode and calculates meta data required for 
+        * reading tile using a ChunkIndex.
+        *
+        * \param gdalDatasetDesc  - A path to a specific file or raw XML describing the dataset 
+        * \param minimumPixelSize - minimum number of pixels per side per tile requested 
+        * \param datatype         - datatype for storing pixel data in requested tile
+        */
+        TileDataset(const std::string& gdalDatasetDesc, int minimumPixelSize, GLuint dataType = 0);
+
         ~TileDataset();
 
+        
+
 
         std::shared_ptr<TileIOResult> readTileData(ChunkIndex chunkIndex);
 
@@ -105,6 +116,7 @@ namespace openspace {
     private:
 
 
+
         //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
         //                          HELPER STRUCTS                                      //
         //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////