diff --git a/plugins/input/gdal/gdal_datasource.cpp b/plugins/input/gdal/gdal_datasource.cpp
index 748a59458..07cec478a 100644
--- a/plugins/input/gdal/gdal_datasource.cpp
+++ b/plugins/input/gdal/gdal_datasource.cpp
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ static bool GDALAllRegister_once_()
 
 gdal_datasource::gdal_datasource(parameters const& params)
     : datasource(params),
-      dataset_(nullptr),
+      dataset_(nullptr, &GDALClose),
       desc_(gdal_datasource::name(), "utf-8"),
       nodata_value_(params.get<double>("nodata")),
       nodata_tolerance_(*params.get<double>("nodata_tolerance",1e-12))
@@ -85,12 +85,14 @@ gdal_datasource::gdal_datasource(parameters const& params)
 #if GDAL_VERSION_NUM >= 1600
     if (shared_dataset_)
     {
-        dataset_ = reinterpret_cast<GDALDataset*>(GDALOpenShared((dataset_name_).c_str(), GA_ReadOnly));
+        auto ds = GDALOpenShared(dataset_name_.c_str(), GA_ReadOnly);
+        dataset_.reset(static_cast<GDALDataset*>(ds));
     }
     else
 #endif
     {
-        dataset_ = reinterpret_cast<GDALDataset*>(GDALOpen((dataset_name_).c_str(), GA_ReadOnly));
+        auto ds = GDALOpen(dataset_name_.c_str(), GA_ReadOnly);
+        dataset_.reset(static_cast<GDALDataset*>(ds));
     }
 
     if (! dataset_)
@@ -98,7 +100,7 @@ gdal_datasource::gdal_datasource(parameters const& params)
         throw datasource_exception(CPLGetLastErrorMsg());
     }
 
-    MAPNIK_LOG_DEBUG(gdal) << "gdal_featureset: opened Dataset=" << dataset_;
+    MAPNIK_LOG_DEBUG(gdal) << "gdal_featureset: opened Dataset=" << dataset_.get();
 
     nbands_ = dataset_->GetRasterCount();
     width_ = dataset_->GetRasterXSize();
@@ -188,8 +190,7 @@ gdal_datasource::gdal_datasource(parameters const& params)
 
 gdal_datasource::~gdal_datasource()
 {
-    MAPNIK_LOG_DEBUG(gdal) << "gdal_featureset: Closing Dataset=" << dataset_;
-    GDALClose(dataset_);
+    MAPNIK_LOG_DEBUG(gdal) << "gdal_featureset: Closing Dataset=" << dataset_.get();
 }
 
 datasource::datasource_t gdal_datasource::type() const
@@ -223,12 +224,9 @@ featureset_ptr gdal_datasource::features(query const& q) const
     mapnik::progress_timer __stats__(std::clog, "gdal_datasource::features");
 #endif
 
-    gdal_query gq = q;
-
-    // TODO - move to std::make_shared, but must reduce # of args to <= 9
-    return featureset_ptr(new gdal_featureset(*dataset_,
+    return std::make_shared<gdal_featureset>(*dataset_,
                                               band_,
-                                              gq,
+                                              gdal_query(q),
                                               extent_,
                                               width_,
                                               height_,
@@ -236,7 +234,7 @@ featureset_ptr gdal_datasource::features(query const& q) const
                                               dx_,
                                               dy_,
                                               nodata_value_,
-                                              nodata_tolerance_));
+                                              nodata_tolerance_);
 }
 
 featureset_ptr gdal_datasource::features_at_point(coord2d const& pt, double tol) const
@@ -245,12 +243,9 @@ featureset_ptr gdal_datasource::features_at_point(coord2d const& pt, double tol)
     mapnik::progress_timer __stats__(std::clog, "gdal_datasource::features_at_point");
 #endif
 
-    gdal_query gq = pt;
-
-    // TODO - move to std::make_shared, but must reduce # of args to <= 9
-    return featureset_ptr(new gdal_featureset(*dataset_,
+    return std::make_shared<gdal_featureset>(*dataset_,
                                               band_,
-                                              gq,
+                                              gdal_query(pt),
                                               extent_,
                                               width_,
                                               height_,
@@ -258,5 +253,5 @@ featureset_ptr gdal_datasource::features_at_point(coord2d const& pt, double tol)
                                               dx_,
                                               dy_,
                                               nodata_value_,
-                                              nodata_tolerance_));
+                                              nodata_tolerance_);
 }
diff --git a/plugins/input/gdal/gdal_datasource.hpp b/plugins/input/gdal/gdal_datasource.hpp
index 7e7b22164..3fc3036c8 100644
--- a/plugins/input/gdal/gdal_datasource.hpp
+++ b/plugins/input/gdal/gdal_datasource.hpp
@@ -55,8 +55,7 @@ public:
     boost::optional<mapnik::datasource_geometry_t> get_geometry_type() const;
     mapnik::layer_descriptor get_descriptor() const;
 private:
-    GDALDataset* open_dataset() const;
-    GDALDataset* dataset_;
+    std::unique_ptr<GDALDataset, decltype(&GDALClose)> dataset_;
     mapnik::box2d<double> extent_;
     std::string dataset_name_;
     int band_;
diff --git a/plugins/input/gdal/gdal_featureset.cpp b/plugins/input/gdal/gdal_featureset.cpp
index 968fc6df1..fe1fe64a4 100644
--- a/plugins/input/gdal/gdal_featureset.cpp
+++ b/plugins/input/gdal/gdal_featureset.cpp
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
  *****************************************************************************/
 
 // mapnik
-#include <mapnik/make_unique.hpp>
+#include <mapnik/datasource.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/global.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/debug.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/image.hpp>
@@ -29,7 +29,6 @@
 #include <mapnik/view_transform.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/feature.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/feature_factory.hpp>
-#include <mapnik/util/variant.hpp>
 
 // stl
 #include <cmath>
@@ -39,8 +38,6 @@
 #include "gdal_featureset.hpp"
 #include <gdal_priv.h>
 
-using mapnik::query;
-using mapnik::coord2d;
 using mapnik::box2d;
 using mapnik::feature_ptr;
 using mapnik::view_transform;
@@ -77,8 +74,6 @@ gdal_featureset::gdal_featureset(GDALDataset& dataset,
 
 gdal_featureset::~gdal_featureset()
 {
-    MAPNIK_LOG_DEBUG(gdal) << "gdal_featureset: Closing Dataset=" << &dataset_;
-
 }
 
 feature_ptr gdal_featureset::next()
diff --git a/plugins/input/gdal/gdal_featureset.hpp b/plugins/input/gdal/gdal_featureset.hpp
index b90921149..639028b65 100644
--- a/plugins/input/gdal/gdal_featureset.hpp
+++ b/plugins/input/gdal/gdal_featureset.hpp
@@ -24,13 +24,12 @@
 #define GDAL_FEATURESET_HPP
 
 // mapnik
-#include <mapnik/feature.hpp>
+#include <mapnik/featureset.hpp>
+#include <mapnik/query.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/util/variant.hpp>
 // boost
 #include <boost/optional.hpp>
 
-#include "gdal_datasource.hpp"
-
 class GDALDataset;
 class GDALRasterBand;