March 30, 2003 / WDC 1

GEDCOMA Universal Genealogy

Language

March 30, 2003Bay Area Genealogical Society

Houston, TX

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Introduction

• Presenter

– Dan Cochran

– (281) 480-0688

– dan-cochran@att.net

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Introduction• Scope

– Cover

• GEDCOM

– Not Cover

• Genealogical Research

• Genealogy Software Programs

• Computer Basics

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Agenda

• GEDCOM Concept

• Demo of Data Import / Export

• GEDCOM Details

• Questions

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Acronym

• GEnealogical Data COMmunication

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The Standard

The GEDCOM standard was developed by the Family History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to provide a flexible, uniform format for exchanging computerized genealogical data.

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Purpose

The purpose of GEDCOM is to foster the sharing of genealogical information and the development of a wide range of inter-operable software products to assist genealogists, historians, and other researchers.

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Results• Facilitate exchange of genealogy information

electronically among researchers

• Eliminate data entry errors

• Reduce or eliminate duplication of effort

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Without GEDCOM StandardPAFPAF

GenerationsGenerationsReunionReunion

Family Family OriginsOrigins

Ancestral Ancestral QuestQuest

Master Master GenealogistGenealogist

Ultimate Ultimate Family TreeFamily Tree

Brothers Brothers KeeperKeeper

Family Tree Family Tree MakerMaker

Roots IVRoots IV

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With GEDCOM StandardPAFPAF

GenerationsGenerationsReunionReunion

Family Family OriginsOrigins

Ancestral Ancestral QuestQuest

Master Master GenealogistGenealogist

Ultimate Ultimate Family TreeFamily Tree

Brothers Brothers KeeperKeeper

Family Tree Family Tree MakerMaker

Roots IVRoots IV

GEDCOMGEDCOM

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Analogy

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Import / Export Demonstration

Personal Ancestral File (PAF)& Legacy

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Technical Aspect

Everything you did NOT want to know about GEDCOM and were afraid to ask.

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Levels of GEDCOM• Low Level - GEDCOM Data Format

– General-purpose data representation language

– Represents any kind of structured information in a sequential medium

– Defines the syntax and identification of structured information in general

– Does not deal with the semantic content of any particular kind of data

– Can store other types of data, not just genealogical data

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Levels of GEDCOM (cont)• High Level - GEDCOM Form

– Each type of data that uses the GEDCOM data format has a specific GEDCOM form

– For a genealogist the Lineage-Linked GEDCOM Form is used

– Commercial software developers use Lineage-Linked form to create genealogical software

– Can exchange compiled information about individuals with accompanying family, source, submitter, and note

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Structure• Records represented as a sequence of tagged,

variable-length lines, arranged in a hierarchy

• Format

– Hierarchical level number, a tag, and an optional value (Level - Tag - Value)

– Record may also contain a cross-reference identifier or a pointer

– Record terminated by a carriage return and/or a line feed character

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Structure Example0 @I14@ INDI

1 NAME Roble Clinton /Naylor/

2 SURN Naylor

2 GIVN Roble Clinton

1 SEX M

1 BIRT

2 DATE 3 Nov 1903

2 PLAC Waldron, Platte County, Missouri

2 SOUR @S8@

1 DEAT

2 DATE 8 Mar 1952

2 PLAC Seaside, Clatsop County, Oregon

2 SOUR @S8@

3 PAGE Certificate Number 2539

1 BURI

__________ Continued __________

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Tags• Tags in the GEDCOM line are taken in a

hierarchical context

• Tags identify the information contained in the line in the same sense that a field-name identifies a field in a database record

• With tags data is self-defining

• Tags allow a field to occur any number of times within a record, including zero times.

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Tags (cont)

• Tags allow the use of different or new fields to be included without introducing incompatibility

• User defined nonstandard tags can be used (first character is an underscore “_”)

• The receiving system will ignore data which it does not understand and process only the data that it does understand

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Relationships• GEDCOM defines the inter-record

relationships that allow a record to be logically related to other records, without introducing redundancy

• Relationships represented by a cross-reference pointer and a cross-reference identifier

• Inter-record relationships are optional• Cross-reference identifier is analogous

to a primary key in relational database

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Previous Versions• Version 1.0 and 2.0

– Drafts for public discussion

– Not established as a standard

• Version 3.0

– October 1987

• Version 4.0

– August 1989

• Version 5.5

– January 1995

– Most Current Version

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Supported Character Sets• ASCII

– 8-bit USA version

• ANSEL

– American National Standard for Extended Latin

– 8-bit ASCII and Extended ANSEL Codes (diacritic)

– Super-set of ASCII (33-128)

– Preserves Control Characters (1-32)

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Supported Character Sets (cont)

• Unicode (ISO 10646)

– 16-bit code (65,000 characters)

– Latin alphabet ( English), Cyrillic alphabet (Russian), Greek, Hebrew, Arabic alphabets, other alphabets used in countries across Europe, Africa, the Indian subcontinent, and Asia, such as Japanese Kana, Korean Hangul, and Chinese Bopomofo

• UTF8 (...the universe...)

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Supported Applications• Ancestral Quest 2.1 and higher.

• Ancestors and Descendants 1.4 and higher. In the Char Set drop-down box, select ANSI..

• Brothers Keeper 5.2g.• Cumberland Family Tree 2.51.• DISGEN 7.0e.• DoroTree 1.2 and higher.• Dynas Tree 200.• Everyone's Family Tree 3.03a.• EZITREE Windows Family History 6.48.• Family Origins, version 6.0 and higher. In the Char Set drop-down box,

select ANSI.• Family Reunion 97.1. In the Char Set drop-down box, select ANSI.• Family Ties 4.0.• Family Treasures 2.01.• Family Tree Maker Exchange Utility, 7.5.

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Supported Applications (cont)• FTREE 1.4.• GEDitCOM 2.8.• Genealogical Information Management 3.2.• Genealogia 3.1.• Griot Alternative 3.15.• Generations Family Tree, version 8.0. In the Char Set drop-down box,

select ANSI.• Kindred Konnections (myTrees.com).• Kith and Kin Pro 1.0 and higher.• The Master Genealogist, versions 3.x and higher.• Legacy, version 2.0.• Personal Ancestral File 5.2• Reunion 3.0.• Roots IV.• Tree Draw 2.0.• Ultimate Family Tree 3.0.

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File MaintenanceFile Maintenance

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Backing Up DataBacking Up Data

““It is never a question of will your computer It is never a question of will your computer fail, it is only a question of when.”fail, it is only a question of when.”

Dan CochranDan Cochran

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Backing Up Data Backing Up Data (cont)(cont)

• Use Multiple Media TypesUse Multiple Media Types

– Backup to As Many Different Types of Backup to As Many Different Types of Media As You CanMedia As You Can

– Floppy, ZIP Drive, Tape, Other Hard Floppy, ZIP Drive, Tape, Other Hard Drive, CD-R/W, etc.Drive, CD-R/W, etc.

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Backing Up Data Backing Up Data (cont)(cont)

• Configuration ManagementConfiguration Management

– Clearly Identify Each BackupClearly Identify Each Backup

– There Is Only There Is Only ONEONE Master Master

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Backing Up Data Backing Up Data (cont)(cont)

• Disaster RecoveryDisaster Recovery

– Flood, Fire, Theft, Malfunction, Virus Flood, Fire, Theft, Malfunction, Virus

– Put a copy in your safety deposit boxPut a copy in your safety deposit box

– Periodically send a copy out of state to Periodically send a copy out of state to a friend or relativea friend or relative

– Submit work to the Ancestral FileSubmit work to the Ancestral File

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Additional InformationEmail

gedcom@gedcom.org

Mail

Family History DepartmentGEDCOM Coordinator—3T50 East North Temple StreetSalt Lake City, UT 84150

FTP

ftp://gedcom.org/pub/genealogy

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Questions

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