Genealogy Data
I've been debating (with myself) for quite a while about the format in which I should store all my genealogical data. Right now my data is in many different formats - PAF, GEDCOM, text, doc, xls, notes on paper, xeroxes and printouts, images and some in xml (my own dtd).
What format to choose?
I'll have too look in detail what kind of data I store right now (and will in the future). Also will have to debate if I should use any of the existing format (whay? why not?)
I personally prefer a xml format, mainly 'coz I'm familiar with that field, can write xslt/code to view/manipulate the data and can just open the data in a text file and modify it.
I am also working on a classification scheme for the documents. Plan to generate/assign a unique id for each of the document (yep, in the xml format it would be the id of the root element) and also, possibly, for each section/part of the document. This way I can refer to the document as a whole as well as parts of the documents - while giving the source of any inferences and individual details.
From the documents I'll extract all the events mentioned (this will definitely be in xml format). So, we'll have a hierarchy -
Individual/Family -- Event -- Document
Each Individual/Family will have one ore more events associated with it.
Each event will be associated with one or more individual/family.
Each event will be documented in one or more documents.
Each document may document zero or more events.
The document could be a primary document (say the church registers) or a secondary document - in which case the primary document should, preferably, be identified.
An event could have a causal event (identified by its id) - for e.g. a burial event could have the causal event as the death event.
Each event will have details pertaining to it.
What format to choose?
I'll have too look in detail what kind of data I store right now (and will in the future). Also will have to debate if I should use any of the existing format (whay? why not?)
I personally prefer a xml format, mainly 'coz I'm familiar with that field, can write xslt/code to view/manipulate the data and can just open the data in a text file and modify it.
I am also working on a classification scheme for the documents. Plan to generate/assign a unique id for each of the document (yep, in the xml format it would be the id of the root element) and also, possibly, for each section/part of the document. This way I can refer to the document as a whole as well as parts of the documents - while giving the source of any inferences and individual details.
From the documents I'll extract all the events mentioned (this will definitely be in xml format). So, we'll have a hierarchy -
Individual/Family -- Event -- Document
Each Individual/Family will have one ore more events associated with it.
Each event will be associated with one or more individual/family.
Each event will be documented in one or more documents.
Each document may document zero or more events.
The document could be a primary document (say the church registers) or a secondary document - in which case the primary document should, preferably, be identified.
An event could have a causal event (identified by its id) - for e.g. a burial event could have the causal event as the death event.
Each event will have details pertaining to it.
1 Comments:
my last name is roche, i'm from mexico :)
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