Genealogical Data Standards (RootsTech Session)
Notes from an open discussion moderated by the Ancestry Insider, held at the RootsTech 2011 Conference.
Attendees are invited to add notes of their own. A big "thank you" is due Pat M. for being our session scribe.
Issues
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| Issue | Notes | Group |
|---|---|---|
| Governance | ||
| Attribution | When data is copied, credit is copied with it | |
| Privacy | ||
| Data in proprietary format | 2 | |
| Ease of use | i.e. data re-entry | |
| Persistent URL's | Average life is 100 days | |
| Guidance | for new users | |
| Unstructured Text | 1 | |
| Tag & link | 2 | |
| Research process | Evidence should be an independent class like persons, families, and sources. | |
| Inconsistent search experience | 2 | |
| Data versioning | ||
| Transfer rich data | Photos, sources, scanned documents. Embedded or linked. Metadata in jpeg. | |
| Inability to do cross-repository search | Lack standard metadata or exposure. | 2 |
| Documentation | Sources, citations. Automatic, user assisted, transferring, ... | 1, 3 |
| Key as seen | (Representation). To surface in search results, the data must be standardized. Error rates for interpretation. | 1 |
| Static data interchange | GEDCOM standard not updated by FamilySearch. | 1 |
Whiteboard Photographs[edit | edit source]
Click on a thumbnail to see a larger-sized image.
Groupings[edit | edit source]
- Data interchange. Exchange uninterpreted data linked with standardized data.
- Searchability
- Documentation/Sources
Governance[edit | edit source]
Governance of a standard can be provided by:
- a vendor,
- a consortium of vendors,
- an existing standards body, or
- a new organization or community.
Perhaps a community led governance body started and assisted by FamilySearch would be appropriate.
Some issues might best be solved at different levels or by different groups.
External Links
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- Jordan Jones, "RootsTech 2011: Towards a New Genealogical Data Model," GenealogicalMedia.com (www.genealogymedia.com : dated 14 February 2011, 12:21 am).
Contact Information[edit | edit source]
Google[edit | edit source]
Robert Gardner of Google volunteered to help any vendors who want Google to index the content that is only accessible with a subscription. His contact information is:
Robert D. Gardner, Ph.D.
Software Engineer
19540 Jamboree Road
Suite 200
Irvine, CA 92612
rgardner@google.com