diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 67a341c374..89a967dcba 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -33,10 +33,6 @@ m4_ifdef([AM_SILENT_RULES],[AM_SILENT_RULES([yes])],
   [AM_DEFAULT_VERBOSITY=1
    AC_SUBST(AM_DEFAULT_VERBOSITY)])
 
-dnl define GST_DATADIR
-AS_AC_EXPAND(DATADIR, $datadir)
-AC_DEFINE_UNQUOTED(GST_DATADIR, "$DATADIR", [data dir])
-
 dnl our libraries and install dirs use GST_API_VERSION in the filename
 dnl to allow side-by-side installation of different API versions
 GST_API_VERSION=1.0
diff --git a/ext/opencv/Makefile.am b/ext/opencv/Makefile.am
index 4bcc78ed2f..badbd30b03 100644
--- a/ext/opencv/Makefile.am
+++ b/ext/opencv/Makefile.am
@@ -30,7 +30,9 @@ libgstopencv_la_CXXFLAGS = $(GST_CXXFLAGS) $(OPENCV_CFLAGS)
 # override CV_INLINE: GLib will take care of defining 'inline' sufficiently and
 # OpenCV's define isn't good enough to avoid 'unused' gcc warnings (at v2.1.0)
 libgstopencv_la_CFLAGS = $(GST_CFLAGS) $(GST_BASE_CFLAGS) $(OPENCV_CFLAGS) \
-	$(GST_PLUGINS_BASE_CFLAGS) -DCV_INLINE="static inline" \
+	$(GST_PLUGINS_BASE_CFLAGS) \
+	-DGST_HAAR_CASCADES_DIR=\"$(pkgdatadir)/@GST_API_VERSION@/opencv_haarcascades\" \
+	-DCV_INLINE="static inline" \
 	-DCV_NO_BACKWARD_COMPATIBILITY
 
 libgstopencv_la_LIBADD = $(GST_LIBS) $(GST_BASE_LIBS) $(OPENCV_LIBS) \
@@ -59,7 +61,7 @@ noinst_HEADERS = gstopencvvideofilter.h gstopencvutils.h \
 		motioncells_wrapper.h \
 		MotionCells.h
 
-opencv_haarcascadesdir = $(datadir)/gstreamer-$(GST_API_VERSION)/opencv_haarcascades
+opencv_haarcascadesdir = $(pkgdatadir)/$(GST_API_VERSION)/opencv_haarcascades
 opencv_haarcascades_DATA = fist.xml palm.xml
 
 EXTRA_DIST = $(opencv_haarcascades_DATA)
diff --git a/ext/opencv/gsthanddetect.c b/ext/opencv/gsthanddetect.c
index 57885c7ba8..bcd07bd200 100644
--- a/ext/opencv/gsthanddetect.c
+++ b/ext/opencv/gsthanddetect.c
@@ -50,8 +50,8 @@
  * <refsect2>
  * <title>Example launch line</title>
  * |[
- * gst-launch autovideosrc ! videoconvert ! "video/x-raw, formt=RGB, width=320, height=240" ! \
-   videoscale ! handdetect ! videoconvert ! xvimagesink
+ * gst-launch-1.0 autovideosrc ! videoconvert ! "video/x-raw, formt=RGB, width=320, height=240" ! \
+ * videoscale ! handdetect ! videoconvert ! xvimagesink
  * ]|
  * </refsect2>
  */
@@ -68,9 +68,8 @@ GST_DEBUG_CATEGORY_STATIC (gst_handdetect_debug);
 #define GST_CAT_DEFAULT gst_handdetect_debug
 
 /* define HAAR files */
-#define HAAR_CASCADES_DIR GST_DATADIR "/gstreamer-"GST_API_VERSION"/opencv_haarcascades/"
-#define HAAR_FILE_FIST HAAR_CASCADES_DIR "fist.xml"
-#define HAAR_FILE_PALM HAAR_CASCADES_DIR "palm.xml"
+#define HAAR_FILE_FIST GST_HAAR_CASCADES_DIR G_DIR_SEPARATOR_S "fist.xml"
+#define HAAR_FILE_PALM GST_HAAR_CASCADES_DIR G_DIR_SEPARATOR_S "palm.xml"
 
 /* Filter signals and args */
 enum
@@ -206,6 +205,7 @@ gst_handdetect_class_init (GstHanddetectClass * klass)
           "Location of HAAR cascade file (palm gesture)",
           HAAR_FILE_PALM, G_PARAM_READWRITE)
       );
+  /* FIXME: property name needs fixing */
   g_object_class_install_property (gobject_class,
       PROP_ROI_X,
       g_param_spec_uint ("ROI_X",
@@ -213,6 +213,7 @@ gst_handdetect_class_init (GstHanddetectClass * klass)
           "X of left-top pointer in region of interest \nGestures in the defined region of interest will emit messages",
           0, UINT_MAX, 0, G_PARAM_READWRITE)
       );
+  /* FIXME: property name needs fixing */
   g_object_class_install_property (gobject_class,
       PROP_ROI_Y,
       g_param_spec_uint ("ROI_Y",
@@ -220,6 +221,7 @@ gst_handdetect_class_init (GstHanddetectClass * klass)
           "Y of left-top pointer in region of interest \nGestures in the defined region of interest will emit messages",
           0, UINT_MAX, 0, G_PARAM_READWRITE)
       );
+  /* FIXME: property name needs fixing */
   g_object_class_install_property (gobject_class,
       PROP_ROI_WIDTH,
       g_param_spec_uint ("ROI_WIDTH",
@@ -227,6 +229,7 @@ gst_handdetect_class_init (GstHanddetectClass * klass)
           "WIDTH of left-top pointer in region of interest \nGestures in the defined region of interest will emit messages",
           0, UINT_MAX, 0, G_PARAM_READWRITE)
       );
+  /* FIXME: property name needs fixing */
   g_object_class_install_property (gobject_class,
       PROP_ROI_HEIGHT,
       g_param_spec_uint ("ROI_HEIGHT",
@@ -642,9 +645,7 @@ gboolean
 gst_handdetect_plugin_init (GstPlugin * plugin)
 {
   GST_DEBUG_CATEGORY_INIT (gst_handdetect_debug,
-      "handdetect",
-      0,
-      "Performs hand gesture detection (fist and palm), providing detected hand positions via bus messages/navigation events, and dealing with hand events");
+      "handdetect", 0, "opencv hand gesture detection");
   return gst_element_register (plugin, "handdetect", GST_RANK_NONE,
       GST_TYPE_HANDDETECT);
 }