Version 2.3.0.0 Beta test

I've released a new beta test version of Family Tree Analyzer this version has a new feature that shows on a timeline where your family tree members were in the selected year. It then draws those points on a map.

If you are reasonably good with a computer (it needs a unzip install and I need feedback on the features) and would be prepared to assist testing the new features please visit the website and download the beta test version.

Now without meaning to sound unkind, if you are the sort of person who might struggle to download and unzip the beta test version then it's probably better that you wait until I'm ready with the proper released version that will auto update when you start FTAnalyzer. The reason is I need people to test out the features give feedback on how they can be made better, let me know of things that work/don't work and generally engage in testing and giving feedback.

So if you are struggling to download or install then you are not the target audience for a beta test. Nothing wrong with that I just need people who can test and give positive criticism of the work on the new features. I need to spend time getting them right and not explaining to people how to install the beta.

Also note that the beta implements a test database to store the results of a Geo-coding. It may be that beta testers will have to delete this test database when the live version comes out so if you aren't confident of doing that again it might be better to wait.

For those that are able to assist once you unzip the program you should be able to run the .exe file and try out the new map features. Note that in order to display things on a map the program needs to connect to Google Maps so you must be online with a fairly good internet connection (one that is ok for browsing maps) for it to work.

Once FTA connects to Google Maps it will lookup the locations in your file and try to convert them into Lat/Long co-ordinates. This is another reason that it is wise to tidy up locations in your file as the lookup to Google Maps may well fail to find the location if its too vague. Note that even with the best formatted locations Google will sometimes not find a location.

With this early test version the logic for geocoding locations will need tweaked to help Google Maps understand where you were looking for. Help finding out how to tweak it is one of the tests people could undertake.

As well as geocoding your locations it will then display the data on a Timeline showing for each year the location an ancestor was at in that year (or the location from the nearest fact date to that year). This of course assumes the ancestor was alive in that year.

This Timeline report is of course a proof of concept report the aim is once the concept is proved and the kinks ironed out it can form the basis of other more useful map based reports. eg: a map of the Fact Locations for an ancestor or a family, with a line tracing the birth location, through life event locations to death location. Thus showing the "life path" of an individual or family.

 

Note if you do help out with the beta then please use the Issues List to report any problems you might discover or suggestions for improvements. I can then work on these. Note it is VITAL when you post an issue that you mention what version of the beta you are using. At this point in time it is only v2.3.0.0.beta-test1 that is available. Later that will become test2, 3, 4 etc.

 

General discussions here are fine, issues are best for more concrete problems or suggestions for future features. To use codeplex simply register as you would with any site and login to create an issue.

 

I should have said that 159 out of 189 is great it only got 1900 ish out of my 3201 locations. The fact it didn't find a location could just be the way I've done the Google search, or it could be that Google just didn't find the location. Note the current version has an issue if Google finds multiple possible answers, at present it just marks it as bad and keeps going. Once I've tidied up the location display handling code, I'm going to look at ways of making the handling of not found Geocodes better.

Also note that the current display of locations incorrectly shows the Geocoded status if you are on anything but the places tab. I need to change the location handler to cope with "shortened" locations. This needs a bit of a re-write of the locations code nothing too major though. This should be in test-2.

 

Hmm some of those are "corrections" that FTA does to standardise the locations for lookups on Ancestry/FindMyPast etc. Part of the issue here is that the locations in the files are typically 19th Century locations whereas Google is 21st Century locations. This is most apparent with large conurbations not being the same "county" as before and being "Greater XXX".

I'll need to think how best to address this. At some level its just not going to work for some addresses and we just have to accept that locations change. The work around is to put the Lat/Long in your GEDCOM as that shouldn't be overwritten (I need to verify that is the case). The downside is that not many family tree programs honour the export of Lat/Long fields even though they are in the GEDCOM 5.5.1 standard.

NB. GEDCOM 5.5.1 is different from GEDCOM 5.5 largely by the addition of fields for email/web address/fax adding a FACT class as an alternative to EVENt, some multimedia (pictures & video) handling, and the addition of Lat/Long to a place field.

 

Yes but "Merseyside" and "Greater Manchester" weren't around in the 1800s which will be when most of your locations are recorded.

 

Alexander, what's the process for reloading the geocodes?

I have updated some addresses to the correct format i.e. Dalton-in-Furness, but the map is now showing the correct address name but its still showing in the US. I'm assuming its because this location has already been "found"?

What's the database called, would deleting it force it to reload all locations?

 

If you change an address then its a different string of letters and thus as far as the program is concerned something completely new. It has no memory of the old GEDCOM so it doesn't know that address changed from the last file. Every load is a new file as far as the program is concerned.

The database is called Geocodes.s3db and should be in c:\users\<name>\appdata\local\Family Tree Analyzer (might be roaming rather than local) not at my PC at present so can't recall plus I think it depends on the PC being in a local network or stand alone.

Deleting this database will cause a fresh empty database to be copied in its place and thus restart the Geocoding.

 

Ok, found the database and deleted it, reloading now.

 

Version 2.3.0.0-beta-test2 will force a delete of a test1 database as I've realised that I need some form of versioning in the database so that if the program needs to update the database with new data structures when a new version comes out I need a means of knowing what version the user currently has. So I know what updates are required.

eg: User hasn't used program for a month and v2.4 and v2.5 adds new features to the database. Their database will be at v2.3 so I need to know it needs updated to v2.4 then to v2.5. To do that I need to have a version number stored.

 

Sounds fair. You better allow for no version, in case someone has the test1 and doesn't download any others.

 

Yes this is in v2.3.0.0-beta-test-2 which is now available.