Family tree mapping is the process of

geocoding Address geocoding, or simply geocoding, is the process of taking a text-based description of a location, such as an address or the name of a place, and returning geographic coordinates, frequently latitude/longitude pair, to identify a locatio ...

places in

family tree A family tree, also called a genealogy or a pedigree chart, is a chart representing family relationships in a conventional tree structure. More detailed family trees, used in medicine and social work, are known as genograms. Representations of ...

files to produce

geospatial Geographic data and information is defined in the ISO/TC 211 series of standards as data and information having an implicit or explicit association with a location relative to Earth (a geographic location or geographic position). It is also ca ...

data suitable for viewing with a

virtual globe A virtual globe is a three-dimensional (3D) software model or representation of Earth or another world. A virtual globe provides the user with the ability to freely move around in the virtual environment by changing the viewing angle and posit ...

or 2D mapping program.

Overview

The availability of several free applications for viewing geographic data has led to a growing interest in the use of this technology by

genealogists Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kin ...

and family history researchers. The ability to share

keyhole markup language Keyhole Markup Language (KML) is an XML notation for expressing geographic annotation and visualization within two-dimensional maps and three-dimensional Earth browsers. KML was developed for use with Google Earth, which was originally named Ke ...

(KML) files through sites such as

Google Maps Google Maps is a web mapping platform and consumer application offered by Google. It offers satellite imagery, aerial photography, street maps, 360° interactive panoramic views of streets ( Street View), real-time traffic conditions, and rou ...

means that researchers can find matches based on geographic location rather than just a place name.

Family tree mapping applications

Genealogy software that can be used for family tree mapping include: * Ahnenblatt using the supplied Google-Earth Plug-In. * Ancestral Quest * Family Historian * Family Tree Builder *

Family Tree Maker Family Tree Maker is genealogy software for Windows and Mac that allows the researcher to keep track of information collected during research and to create reports, charts, and books containing that information. The software was originally develo ...

* GEDitCOM II * GenealogyJ *

GenoPro GenoPro is a software application for drawing family trees and genograms. GenoPro can store additional information such as pictures, contacts, places, sources, occupation and education history for each individual, as well as document the relations ...

- a

Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for ser ...

Genealogy Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kin ...

software, whose Report Generator has ability to convert Places and geographical locations and export them in

. *

Gramps Gramps (formerly GRAMPS, an acronym for Genealogical Research and Analysis Management Programming System) is a free and open source genealogy software. Gramps is programmed in Python using PyGObject. It uses Graphviz to create relationship grap ...

* Heredis *

Legacy Family Tree Legacy Family Tree is genealogy software for Windows that assists family historians in tracking, organizing, printing, and sharing family history. The standard edition is distributed as freeware, with no restrictions, only requiring registration on ...

automatically map where your ancestors lived. * MacFamilyTree *

RootsMagic RootsMagic is a genealogy software program designed and written by RootsMagic, Inc, a United States software design and development company founded by Bruce Buzbee in 1987. Bruce originally wrote the program Family Origins. Features RootsMagic i ...

Utility applications that can be used for family tree mapping include: * ''AniMap''- contains historical maps that show the changing county boundaries * ''Centennia Historical Atlas'' - the map forward or backward in time from the year 1000 to present. * ''Family Atlas'' - a

application that imports data from genealogy software for mapping with its own internal maps. * ''Map My Ancestors'' (as of 3 October 2011 this application was withdrawn from sale and no longer available, due to closure of Yahoo Mapping services see the source site for details) - a

application that imports

GEDCOM GEDCOM ( ), complete name FamilySearch GEDCOM, is a ''de facto'' open file format specification to store genealogical data, and import or export it between compatible genealogy software. GEDCOM is an acronym standing for ''Genealogical Data Comm ...

files or

comma-separated values A comma-separated values (CSV) file is a delimited text file that uses a comma to separate values. Each line of the file is a data record. Each record consists of one or more fields, separated by commas. The use of the comma as a field separat ...

(CSV) files and converts them to

(KML) files for viewing with KML compatible programs such as Google Earth or

. * ''Map My Family Tree'' - a

application that imports data directly from a number of popular

programs. The program uses its own location database to resolve places from the source family tree. Viewing data is generally undertaken from within the program using the internal viewer but individual placemarks can be viewed using Google Earth,

, TerraServer-USA or

MapQuest MapQuest (stylized as mapquest) is an American free online web mapping service. It was launched in 1996 as the first commercial web mapping service. MapQuest vies for market share with competitors such as Google Maps and Here. History MapQuest's ...

.Map My Family Tree
Progeny Genealogy Inc

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Family Tree Mapping Family history Keyhole Markup Language Windows-only genealogy software

Overview

Family tree mapping applications

See also

References