Index: main/src/main/java/org/geoserver/catalog/CatalogBuilder.java
===================================================================
--- main/src/main/java/org/geoserver/catalog/CatalogBuilder.java	(revision 16153)
+++ main/src/main/java/org/geoserver/catalog/CatalogBuilder.java	(working copy)
@@ -531,18 +531,28 @@
     }
 
     /**
+     * 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);
@@ -572,15 +582,9 @@
      */
     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());
 
@@ -609,6 +613,53 @@
     }
 
     /**
+     * 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/test/java/org/geoserver/catalog/rest/CoverageTest.java
===================================================================
--- restconfig/src/test/java/org/geoserver/catalog/rest/CoverageTest.java	(revision 16153)
+++ restconfig/src/test/java/org/geoserver/catalog/rest/CoverageTest.java	(working copy)
@@ -102,8 +102,8 @@
                 "<name>usa</name>"+
                 "<title>usa is a A raster file accompanied by a spatial data file</title>" + 
                 "<description>Generated from WorldImage</description>" + 
-                "<srs>EPSG:4326</srs>" + 
-                "<latLonBoundingBox>"+
+                "<srs>EPSG:4326</srs>" +
+                /*"<latLonBoundingBox>"+
                   "<minx>-130.85168</minx>"+
                   "<maxx>-62.0054</maxx>"+
                   "<miny>20.7052</miny>"+
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@
                   "<miny>20.7052</miny>"+
                   "<maxy>54.1141</maxy>"+
                   "<crs>EPSG:4326</crs>"+
-                "</nativeBoundingBox>"+
+                "</nativeBoundingBox>"+*/
                 "<grid dimension=\"2\">"+
                     "<range>"+
                       "<low>0 0</low>"+
@@ -150,11 +150,14 @@
         assertEquals( 201, response.getStatusCode() );
         assertNotNull( response.getHeader( "Location") );
         assertTrue( response.getHeader("Location").endsWith( "/workspaces/gs/coveragestores/usaWorldImage/coverages/usa" ) );
-        
+
         dom = getAsDOM( req );
         assertEquals( "wcs:Coverages", dom.getDocumentElement().getNodeName() );
+
+        dom = getAsDOM("/rest/workspaces/gs/coveragestores/usaWorldImage/coverages/usa.xml");
+        assertXpathEvaluatesTo("-130.85168", "/coverage/latLonBoundingBox/minx", dom);
     }
-    
+
 //    public void testPostAsJSON() throws Exception {
 //        Document dom = getAsDOM( "wfs?request=getfeature&typename=wcs:pdsa");
 //        assertEquals( "ows:ExceptionReport", dom.getDocumentElement().getNodeName());
Index: restconfig/src/main/java/org/geoserver/catalog/rest/CoverageResource.java
===================================================================
--- restconfig/src/main/java/org/geoserver/catalog/rest/CoverageResource.java	(revision 16153)
+++ 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();