Practical Uses for the GENTECH Genealogical Data Model Beau Sharbrough, GENTECH President PO Box 3170 Grapevine TX

Part 1 How We Got Here

Lexicon Working Group FGS Joint Effort with FGS NGS Paul Barkley suggests JAD sessions FGS Data Modeling sessions begin FGS GDM 1.0 released NGS GDM 1.1 released.

Who is the Working Group? Curt Witcher Marsha Hoffman Rising Birdie Holdsclaw Helen FM Leary Robert C Anderson Bob Velke John Wylie

Part 2 What IS it?

Genealogical Data Model Request for Comment Project by genealogists and developers to describe genealogy processes. Describes the relationships between the various kinds of family history information. Overview of what genealogists do Not a genealogy program. Not a database design Not a document saying what genealogists SHOULD do.

Every genealogist says that they do research differently. The GDM describes the process that they do differently.

The GDM is a product of cooperation by: GENTECH FGS NGS BCG and other sponsoring organizations

Part 3 Practical Uses

Administration Planning your projects - research objectives and activities Defining surety schemes Defining source groups

Administration Example - Look for Jonathan Sharbrough estate papers at FHL. I’ve defined a … RESEARCH OBJECTIVE, RESEARCH ACTIVITY, SOURCE GROUP, RESEARCHER, and PROJECT

Evidence REPOSITORY SOURCE REPRESENTATION TYPE REPRESENTATION CITATION

EVIDENCE EXAMPLE - I find Jonathan Sharbrough’s Estate Papers on microfilm at FHL. I defined a REPOSITORY, a SOURCE, and a REPRESENTATION.

CONCLUSIONS ASSERTIONS about … –PERSONA –EVENTS –CHARACTERISTICS –GROUPS –ASSERTIONS

CONCLUSION EXAMPLE ASSERTION: Joseph was Jonathan’s son. ASSERTION: Jehu was Jonathan’s son.

CHALLENGE: Describe common research activities in terms of the entities in the model. Census Will Deed Bible Funeral Program

Stop Starting with Conclusions Don’t start with conclusions, start with evidence.

Sharing your thought process Show your work!

GroupWork When is it a source and when is it a conclusion?

One man’s conclusion is another man’s source. What was your evidence? What did you assert?

Data Modeling means better understanding of genealogy processes.

XML is eXtended Markup Language The Title of My Book Jonathan Sharbrough circa 1734

XML is easy to output from genealogy programs

XML is easy to search on web pages

XML means better web searches for genealogy information.

Part 4 What’s Next?

Future number 1 programs publish pedigrees and registers in XML format repositories publish records in the same format local links, remote sources external authorities

A new culture most quoted sites - “authorities” many link sites - “hubs” links define culture, tribe, families

The digital future of family history is a virtual library where it is... Easy to find the conclusions Easy to identify the evidence Easy to identify the thought process that links them.

Missing ingredients agreement on LexML standard wide acceptance of LexML standard wide implementation of LexML

Beau Sharbrough