Why doesn't Wikitree automatically conduct dna confirmations when available?

Question

I find it interesting. As a systems administrator looking at the features wikitree has, I'm curious why there isn't an automated system in place that will conduct automatic DNA confirmations on your behalf? Obviously not all at once, but if the gedmatch kit is there, the tree indicates there's a connection to a good degree, why doesn't wikitree automatically conduct these comparisons in the background and update profiles with the confirmation details itself? I have over 2.7k people in my tree, trying to manually configure them is almost a nightmare for me.

Answer 1

As much as Wikitree would like to have a single rule as to what is and is not useful, it really doesn't.

A match based on a 7cM segment may be valid for one relationship but not another.  They may require a 10 or 16cM to be comfortable saying its a valid match.

Also, there is no requirement to have a kit in gedmatch for 3d cousins or closer. So the automation would only work for just some scenarios.

There also seems to be disagreement as to what "to a good degree" would mean.

You can't confirm unless you are "confident" in the relationships affected.  In other words, the process would not proceed until it had this phase completed.

and all profiles must contain a way to independently validate all the connections, even the DNA tester.

Given these restrictions, I am not sure the automated process would be worth the development effort.

The fact we have to cut and paste virtually word for word each profile goes against all my software training.  It makes for a maintenance nightmare.

As more DNA tests arrive, the clarity of the results and confidence level should increase or decrease but it remains static here.

I am in favor of a single place to say "2nd Cousins A and B match on AncestryDNA with a predicted relationship of a second cousin indicating that a Non-Parental event probably did not occur." and then automatically propagating this result to each affected profile.

Answer 2

Wikitree does not hold any DNA data. You need to carry out triangulations on sites where the data is available to identify matching segments.

Comments

Just because it does not hold the actual dna, doesn't mean it can't do a one to one comparison automatically via gedmatch when members manually connect their gedmatch kits to their profiles, right?

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The confirmation involves triangulation, so there is more to the process than just a one to one comparison. Also an automatic matching of segments does not automatically tell you which ancestors the matching DNA is inherited from. How would you automate the process when two members share more than one set of common ancestors.

Answer 3

 Sounds like a great idea – doable & very convenient - I’d not have to spend all the time entering DNA data to link matches.

Consider though, what might happen if WikiTree  automatically linked  4^th cousins or closer in one of the more prolifically  fecund families. Their GGG Grand Parents begat 6 children  – begat 36 first cousins – begat 216 second cousins  –  begat 1296  third cousins  –  begat 7776 fourth cousins.

If that weren’t enough, you have 32 GGG Grand Parents, so you could have 124,000 fourth cousins through various lines.

So if only 1% of your relatives have taken DNA tests & some WikiTree tech expert turned on that DNA Matching feature tomorrow, your WikiTree entry (and those you relatives up through  dear old GGG Grand Dad) could now have 1240 automated entries to your/their profiles.  Not sure I want that!

Before you get depressed with this vision of an automated dystopian WikiTree, there is a solution. Instead of giving you a listing of 1240 folks you match, the WikiTree app might simply calculate the probability your listed parents are your DNA parent based on all 1240 DNA samples. And it could calculate the same for their parents before them, &…

If your app can give you relationship  probabilities, it will ultimately be able to stitch together DNA to give you a pretty good estimate of what your GGG Grandparents looked like. With that we will be able to push back another 2 or 3 more generations of DNA confirmations.

The automated genealogical future is coming, and it will be pretty amazing. But I’m not sure I’ll enjoy it as much as I enjoy the current challenge of sorting out the puzzle pieces.  

Skål - Jim