Index: main/src/main/java/org/geoserver/catalog/CatalogBuilder.java
===================================================================
--- main/src/main/java/org/geoserver/catalog/CatalogBuilder.java	(revision 16140)
+++ main/src/main/java/org/geoserver/catalog/CatalogBuilder.java	(working copy)
@@ -532,18 +532,28 @@
     }
 
     /**
+     * Initializes basic resource info.
+     */
+    private void initResourceInfo(ResourceInfo resInfo) throws Exception {
+    	// set the name
+    	if (resInfo.getNativeName() == null && resInfo.getName() != null) {
+    		resInfo.setNativeName(resInfo.getName());
+    	}
+    	if (resInfo.getNativeName() != null && resInfo.getName() == null) {
+    		resInfo.setName(resInfo.getNativeName());
+    	}
+    }
+
+    /**
      * Initializes a feature type object setting any info that has not been set.
      */
     public void initFeatureType(FeatureTypeInfo featureType) throws Exception {
         if (featureType.getCatalog() == null) {
             featureType.setCatalog(catalog);
         }
-        if (featureType.getNativeName() == null && featureType.getName() != null) {
-            featureType.setNativeName(featureType.getName());
-        }
-        if (featureType.getNativeName() != null && featureType.getName() == null) {
-            featureType.setName(featureType.getNativeName());
-        }
+
+        initResourceInfo(featureType);
+
         // setup the srs if missing
         if (featureType.getSRS() == null) {
             lookupSRS(featureType, true);
@@ -573,15 +583,9 @@
      */
     public void initWMSLayer(WMSLayerInfo wmsLayer) throws Exception {
         wmsLayer.setCatalog(catalog);
+
+        initResourceInfo(wmsLayer);
         
-        // set the name
-        if (wmsLayer.getNativeName() == null && wmsLayer.getName() != null) {
-            wmsLayer.setNativeName(wmsLayer.getName());
-        }
-        if (wmsLayer.getNativeName() != null && wmsLayer.getName() == null) {
-            wmsLayer.setName(wmsLayer.getNativeName());
-        }
-        
         // get a fully initialized version we can copy from
         WMSLayerInfo full = buildWMSLayer(wmsLayer.getNativeName());
 
@@ -610,6 +614,53 @@
     }
 
     /**
+     * Initialize a coverage object and set any unset info.
+     */
+    public void initCoverage(CoverageInfo cinfo) throws Exception {
+    	CoverageStoreInfo csinfo = (CoverageStoreInfo) store;
+        AbstractGridCoverage2DReader reader = (AbstractGridCoverage2DReader) catalog
+            	.getResourcePool().getGridCoverageReader(csinfo, GeoTools.getDefaultHints());
+
+        initResourceInfo(cinfo);
+
+        if (reader == null)
+            throw new Exception("Unable to acquire a reader for this coverage with format: "
+                    + csinfo.getFormat().getName());
+
+        if (cinfo.getNativeCRS() == null) {
+        	cinfo.setNativeCRS(reader.getCrs());
+        }
+
+        CoordinateReferenceSystem nativeCRS = cinfo.getNativeCRS();
+
+        if (cinfo.getSRS() == null) {
+        	cinfo.setSRS(nativeCRS.getIdentifiers().toArray()[0].toString());
+        }
+
+        if (cinfo.getProjectionPolicy() == null) {
+            if (nativeCRS != null && !nativeCRS.getIdentifiers().isEmpty()) {
+                cinfo.setProjectionPolicy(ProjectionPolicy.REPROJECT_TO_DECLARED);
+            }
+            if (nativeCRS == null) {
+                cinfo.setProjectionPolicy(ProjectionPolicy.FORCE_DECLARED);
+            }
+        }
+
+    	if (cinfo.getLatLonBoundingBox() == null
+    			&& cinfo.getNativeBoundingBox() == null) {
+    		GeneralEnvelope envelope = reader.getOriginalEnvelope();
+
+    		cinfo.setNativeBoundingBox(new ReferencedEnvelope(envelope));
+    		cinfo.setLatLonBoundingBox(new ReferencedEnvelope(CoverageStoreUtils.getWGS84LonLatEnvelope(envelope)));
+    	} else if (cinfo.getLatLonBoundingBox() == null) {
+    		setupBounds(cinfo);
+    	} else if (cinfo.getNativeBoundingBox() == null && cinfo.getNativeCRS() != null) {
+    		ReferencedEnvelope boundsLatLon = cinfo.getLatLonBoundingBox();
+    		cinfo.setNativeBoundingBox(boundsLatLon.transform(cinfo.getNativeCRS(), true));
+    	}
+    }
+
+    /**
      * Builds the default coverage contained in the current store
      * 
      * @return
Index: restconfig/src/main/java/org/geoserver/catalog/rest/CoverageResource.java
===================================================================
--- restconfig/src/main/java/org/geoserver/catalog/rest/CoverageResource.java	(revision 16140)
+++ restconfig/src/main/java/org/geoserver/catalog/rest/CoverageResource.java	(working copy)
@@ -74,7 +74,11 @@
             CoverageStoreInfo ds = catalog.getCoverageStoreByName( workspace, coveragestore );
             coverage.setStore( ds );
         }
-        
+
+        CatalogBuilder builder = new CatalogBuilder(catalog);
+        builder.setStore(coverage.getStore());
+        builder.initCoverage(coverage);
+
         NamespaceInfo ns = coverage.getNamespace();
         if ( ns != null && !ns.getPrefix().equals( workspace ) ) {
             //TODO: change this once the two can be different and we untie namespace
@@ -93,7 +97,7 @@
         catalog.add( coverage );
         
         //create a layer for the coverage
-        catalog.add(new CatalogBuilder(catalog).buildLayer(coverage));
+        catalog.add(builder.buildLayer(coverage));
         
         LOGGER.info( "POST coverage " + coveragestore + "," + coverage.getName() );
         return coverage.getName();