Open Source Genealogy

I have been searching for ways to improve my genealogical research. I set two specific criteria for my search:

• A cross-platform browser/editor that uses GEDCOM files natively;
• A means to share genealogical data in a free and open manner

Two open source products have emerged that work together to meet my needs: PHPGEDViewer (PGV) and Genesis (an open source PGV research tool) part of the Distributed Family Tree Project.
The market for genealogical software has has been a growth industries over the past couple decades. There is a natural fit between digital tools and genealogy. Digital access to census records has caused an explosion in the numbers of people seeking to discover their roots and in their ability to do so easily and efficiently. When you are dealing with growing datasets, digital tools make sense.
One of the underlying genealogical truisms is that we are all connected through our family trees and this leads to a second realization. At some point, our research will join with another’s and another’s as we conduct research. Thus there is a natural reason why genealogical data should be shared.
Recently there have been calls to adopt an open source model for the data itself. The GEDCOM model, originally constructed and promoted by the Church of the Latter Day Saints was the staring point for such discussion and it has gown from there.
Since the 1990’s I have relied on Reunion from Leister Software. Its has become an OSX only solution that is wonderfully crafted and a joy to use. I have been searching for a more efficient means to store, access and manipulate my genealogical data on multiple platforms seamlessly. GEDCOM files obviously meet this need but few of the proprietary programmes work natively with the GEDCOM format. As a note, JGed, an open source java product does uses GEDCOM files natively and its shows promise, but was not there yet for me. Most programmes can import and export the various flavours of GEDCOM, so with the demise of Leister’s Windows product, this meant constantly syncing GEDCOM files back and forth and keeping fingers crossed that modifications and updates did not lead to data loss.
Web-enabled makes obvious sense for meeting the cross platform availability. However, until recently GEDCOM files on the web were for sharing and not for editing. Most commercial programmes has a routine to create a series of web pages to present your genealogical information, but these pages were static. There are also a number of free or shareware programs that would take a GEDCOM file and create pages. I was particularly fond of Squirrel, a Macintosh port of GED2HTML that, in my mind at least, did a much finer job than its inspiration. However, it hit a wall with the move to OSX. Nonetheless, the process was still one-sided and static…the web pages were pretty, but didn’t treat allow for the modification of the underlying data.
I blogged a couple of times recently about a new web service called Geni. Its visually stunning and very AJAXy. I believe that it is a great set to permit family members with varying degrees of web savvy to cooperatively add to family tree data. Its easy to use and free. Current drawbacks are its inability to allow users to upload existing data files (you have to enter people one at a time), but they have added a download option and seem to be moving quickly to add additional features.
But what about having a solid, friendly GEDCOM-based means to allow for dissemination, editing and storage of your genealogical information? I have recently installed PHPGEDViewer for my family’s use and my initial experience is very positive.
As the name suggests, PGV is a PHP-based framework that works with standard GEDCOM files and offers full user management (to allow for complete collaboration). It is surprisingly flexible allowing you to use a SQL database as a back end if you have larger files and/or access, or to use a indexed text file base if you lack access to a database. The interface is rich and relatively intuitive. Most importantly, its open source! I am very excited about the promise of this product. My GEDCOM file is publicly available through this project and registered at PGV. This fulfills half of my second criteria.
I concurrently discovered Hilton Campbell‘s Genesis which is part of his Distributed Family Tree Project. Genesis allows you to search across publicly referenced PGV data files.
PGV has been around for a while, and I am late comer to it. Interesting tidbit: “On June 26, 2006, the phpGedView site announced that phpGedView was the most active project at Sourceforge.” Genesis is only a recent addition to the game. Together these exciting initiatives start to build towards the promise the a great interlinked open source genealogical web. Geni offers another exciting alternative. Will commercial publishers embrace the promise of open source? There are huge volumes of genealogical data being shared today through a variety of commercial co-operative online ventures. Can this information be liberated?