title: Installing rgdal - backdate rgdal version versus update gdal version, and how?
body: <p>Two part question:</p>
  
  <p>1) Like the person who asked this question (<a href="https://stackoverflow.com/questions/51173933/rgdal-wont-install-on-aws-rstudio-ami">rgdal won&#39;t install on AWS RStudio AMI</a>), I'm running into problems installing the rgdal package on R running on Ubuntu 16.04.  The package wants GDAL 1.11.4 or later, and Synaptic Package manager is only offering GDAL 1.11.3.</p>
  
  <p>The solution offered on the above question is to install an older version of rgdal from the archive.  On the other hand, the answer given to this older question (<a href="https://stackoverflow.com/questions/46289630/trouble-getting-latest-version-of-gdal-on-ubuntu-running-r?rq=1">Trouble getting latest version of GDAL on ubuntu running R</a>) is to install a more recent version of GDAL from ubuntu-unstable.</p>
  
  <p>Do both of these approaches work?</p>
  
  <p>2) What are the steps required for each approach (or the approach that works if they don't both work)?</p>