So, you’ve had your DNA tested with a genetic genealogy company, you’ve reviewed your ethnicity estimate, and you’ve gone through your match list. Now what should you do?
Each major testing company—23andMe, AncestryDNA, MyHeritage DNA, and FamilyTreeDNA—offers tools its customers can use to interpret their results. However, separate third-party programmers and genetic genealogists have created DNA analysis tools and applications that are independent of the testing companies. They offer additional capabilities and features you won’t find provided by the testing companies.
These third-party tools can help you visualize your DNA in different ways, such as in detailed chromosome browsers that display which portions, or “segments,” of DNA you have in common with another user. You can produce spreadsheets that put the data at your fingertips and show insightful patterns and trends in your DNA. They can help you use a complex research technique known as “triangulation,” in which you use data from two different sources—in this case, two of your matches’ genetic information—to draw conclusions about a third, unknown source (i.e., a shared mystery ancestor).
Other third-party tools let you expand your research company’s “in-common-with” (ICW) function, sometimes called shared matches. ICW tools outline which genetic relatives you and a DNA match both share, providing new research leads and collaboration opportunities.
GEDmatch, https://www.gedmatch.com/, is the most popular third-party tool. It was created by Curtis Rogers and John Olson to help users upload their raw DNA data and perform a variety of analyses. In October 2015, genetics news site GenomeWeb, https://www.genomeweb.com, reported that GEDmatch “has over 130,000 registered users, over 200,000 samples in its DNA database, and more than 75 million individuals in its genealogical database.
DNAGedcom, https://www.dnagedcom.com/, was launched by Rob Warthen in February 2013. Its tools allow users to download essential data files from 23andMe and FamilyTreeDNA. It also has tools for comparing GEDCOMs (computer files containing family tree data), performing ICW analysis, and triangulating DNA results.
Once you’ve created a free DNAGedcom account, you can perform analyses with data from the three testing companies, plus GEDmatch.
Join a DNA testing company blog! Some of the most popular blogs are:
FamilyTreeDNA - https://blog.familytreedna.com/
23andMe - https://blog.23andme.com/
How do you maximize your testing dollars to wring every bit of valuable genealogical information out of your DNA test(s)? The answer may be in tools at third-party websites or blogs, which give you new ways to analyze your test results. That can lead you to revelations about your family tree.
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