Contact Tracing was a major initiative during the Pandemic.
It seems like some of the concepts are comparable to tasks in genealogy research. In both genealogy research and contact tracing, if you have a reference document that mentions an event, you try to identify all the attendees and map out their circles of contacts and locations. It is both important to not leave any threads unfollowed and to share information between researchers while complying with privacy regulations.
Surely, some of this tech should be adaptable to Gramps.
For example, there was a German hackathon in March of 2020 with over 40,000+ participants. They developed a prototype for Quarano, which would become an open-source application for epidemic management
fast data entry
new approaches in identifying association networks
Asked Perplexity engine:
How could developments in technology for contact tracing during the COVID pandemic be applied to genealogy research tools?
Perplexity response:
Developments in technology for contact tracing during the COVID-19 pandemic can be applied to genealogy research tools by enhancing data collection, privacy options, and accessibility. Here are some ways this can be achieved based on the information from the search results:
Enhanced Data Collection: Similar to how contact tracing apps collect and analyze data for tracking COVID-19 exposure, genealogy research tools can gather and analyze family history information more efficiently. This could involve advanced algorithms to link relatives, streamline record-keeping, and improve search functionalities.
Privacy Options: Just like contact tracing apps offer privacy settings for users to control their data sharing, genealogy tools can provide flexible privacy options. Users should have the choice to make family trees public or private, share DNA information selectively, and control the use of their biological samples for research purposes.
Accessibility and Collaboration: Technology used in contact tracing apps can inspire genealogy tools to focus on collaboration and accessibility. Tools could facilitate sharing family history research with relatives, enabling collaborative tree-building and information exchange. Additionally, incorporating features that allow users to connect with experts or researchers could enhance the overall genealogy experience.
By integrating these technological advancements inspired by contact tracing tools, genealogy research platforms can offer a more personalized, efficient, and secure experience for individuals exploring their family history.
This is another field where network graph solutions excel…
backend for (embedded) neo4j, arangoDB or orientdb maybe…?
I have been using network graphs for something like this for a long time, long before Covid… can’t even remember the first time I tried to mention it… but I do remember all the negativity and ugly response!
Yes, there’s been a little back-channel discussion with the Isotammi project about learning more about how they use Gramps with neo4j.
When I post ideas, it is implicit that the proposal will take a LOT of fire… both well-targeted and wild potshots… I welcome people shooting holes in the idea and offering even the most unlikely hare-brained alternatives.
ArangoDB could make a good backend for Gramps. At a quick glance, it looks like it supports document graphs where a node or edge can store a JSON document rather than just simple key-value properties.
Yes, ArangoDB is a multi-data model database, something orientDB also are, even though most people think it is only a graph database.
Even though arangoDB has a SQL’ish language, orientDB use standard SQL and have added extensions to it for supporting graphs etc.
here is a little more about it if you would like to read about it. https://orientdb.com/docs/3.0.x/gettingstarted/Tutorial-SQL.html
Yes, any multi-model database should work well as a backend from Gramps. All we really need is a document or object store that can store python objects as JSON documents or some other format.