GEDCOM format as an exchange standard
No DNA family research without family tree data
GEDCOM is an acronym for “Genealogical Data Communication” and supports digital family research. The GEDCOM format was developed in 1984 for the exchange of genealogical data between various genealogical software products and online platforms for family research and was further developed in the following years up to GEDCOM version 7.0 in 2021. Software companies that offer the GEDCOM format for the exchange of family trees enable their users to download their family tree data as a GEDCOM file and then upload it again in another company's software product. Hundreds of software products support the reading and writing of GEDCOM files, which can consist of websites, computers or mobile applications. People who use software products that support importing and exporting GEDCOM files can share all or part of their data for collaboration, reporting, charting, specialized analysis and other innovative purposes.
The GEDCOM format allows users to create, preserve, collaborate, import and export their data with various applications while maintaining control over the original copy of their data. All versions of GEDCOM are still relevant today for personal, private backup of family tree data. The file extension “.ged” is the standard suffix used to indicate that the file has been formatted to any GEDCOM specification.
The GEDCOM specifications are continuously being improved. Future updates will allow for ever more efficient management and sharing of information. GEDCOM version 7.0 provides the additional ability to include photos and other files when users download a GEDCOM 7.0 file from a supported Family Tree product. All of this information is packaged in a zip format called GEDZip and can be shared via email or uploaded to online platforms such as GEDmatch, MyHeritage, Ancestry, FamilySearch or GEDBAS.
Conventional family research
Evaluation options for family trees (GEDCOM)
GEDmatch also supports conventional genealogical research by allowing end users to upload their family tree using a GEDCOM file (GED). Each end user who uploads their own research results to GEDmatch allows other GEDmatch users to compare the data by locations and/or surnames and confirm relationships through DNA matches where appropriate.
GEDmatch offers extensive functions for evaluating the family trees, such as GEDCOM comparisons between two family trees, a search function in family trees of third parties or a search function in family trees with which you have DNA matches. Furthermore, the family trees can be visualized according to different criteria (e.g. from the perspective of the proband or progenitor).
FamGEN supports members of Ancestor Projects with additional, free evaluations such as overview lists with assignments of family names to locations and their visualization in Google Earth and / or Google Maps when members upload their GEDCOM data to GEDmatch. In particular, the cartographical presentations show the regional focal points where the ancestors of a test person come from and additionally in the balloons which families come from the respective places. To edit individual KML files, it is necessary to install Google Earth on your own PC.
