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Practical Uses for the GENTECH Genealogical Data Model. Beau Sharbrough, GENTECH President PO Box 3170 Grapevine TX 76099-3170. Part 1. How We Got Here. Lexicon Working Group. FGS 1995 - Joint Effort with FGS NGS 1996 - Paul Barkley suggests JAD sessions
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Practical Uses for the GENTECH Genealogical Data Model Beau Sharbrough, GENTECH President PO Box 3170 Grapevine TX 76099-3170
Part 1 How We Got Here
Lexicon Working Group • FGS 1995 - Joint Effort with FGS • NGS 1996 - Paul Barkley suggests JAD sessions • FGS 1996 - Data Modeling sessions begin • FGS 1998 - GDM 1.0 released • NGS2000 - 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?
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. Genealogical Data Model
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 • <TITLE>The Title of My Book</TITLE> • <NAME>Jonathan Sharbrough</NAME> • <BIRTHDATE>circa 1734</BIRTHDATE> • <BIRTH PLACE=North Carolina DATE=circa 1734 </BIRTH>
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 beau@sharbrough.net www.sharbrough.net