Friday, March 22, 2019

Moving from GEDMATCH to GEDMATCH/GENESIS

I'm doing a few presentations this year on DNA.  I'll be doing three presentations for the GSCCA (Genealogical Society of Craighead County Arkansas) in Jonesboro Arkansas (Beginning DNA, What to do with the results of your DNA test, and Advanced DNA Tools).  I'm also doing the second hour of Let's Discuss It this Saturday at the Tennessee Genealogical Society and will be doing a quick look at the transformation from GEDMATCH to GEDMATCH/GENESIS.  I'm posting the one page handout so the blog links can be available for attendees.


23 March 2018
GEDMATCH & GEDMATCH/GENESIS




GEDMATCH/GENESIS is a FREE site for uploading autosomal DNA from many different testing companies with the ability to compare SNP data.  This is especially useful for AncestryDNA testers as that site does not provide segment location data with its reported results.  On the tools at GEDMATCH/GENESIS you also have the ability to adjust many reporting thresholds for your matches.

GENESIS is the rebirth of GEDMATCH providing matching for many more testing companies and chips than GEDMATCH handled previously.  GEDMATCH has not yet gone away, but all DNA kits which had been uploaded to GEDMATCH have been ported to GENESIS.  Any NEW uploads will be made to the GENESIS site.  To make things a little confusing, at the moment, any NEW ACCOUNTS will be created on the GEDMATCH site.  Several tools on GENESIS are labeled as Beta and may change as the company tweaks its new site.  The tools at GEDMATCH still function, but no new kits for comparison are added there.

The CURRENT process for using GEDMATCH/GENESIS is to:
1.  Download your raw autosomal DNA data to your computer in ZIP format from AncestryDNA, MyHeritage, 23andME, FTDNA or other DNA testing companies.  Each company provides directions for doing this.  If you don’t see the menu item, use the HELP facility at your testing company. [If you’re a MAC user, set default to NOT unpack ZIP files.]
2.  Create an account at GEDMATCH.
3.  Login to GENESIS
4.  Upload your ZIP file to GENESIS.  You can upload multiple DNA files (for multiple people) in one account.
5.  Wait a couple of days until the matching is complete (there is an icon indicating completion on GENESIS).  While waiting you might read the links above and the HELP files at GEDMATCH/GENESIS.
6.  After your wait, login to GENESIS and begin using the tools, upload a GEDCOM file and assign the point person in your GEDCOM file.
7.  Any password changes you wish to make still need to be made on the GEDMATCH site, currently.

There is another part of GEDMATCH/GENESIS that you will see called TIER ONE.  This is a section of additional tools that are part of a PAID section.  The cost is $10 per month.  You can purchase as many or as few months as you’d like.

Things you can do on GENESIS:



One to Many Matching
Chromosome comparison
User Lookup tool
X-DNA matching
Ethnicity tools
People who match both or 1 of 2 kits