Genome Mate Pro – A Steep Learning Curve

A  link to a 2015 post on IOWADNAPROJECT led me to look at Genome Mate Pro software.  The best description I’ve found of this app comes directly from that post:

“Genome Mate is a desktop tool used to organize in one place the data collected while researching DNA comparisons. Besides data storage it has many features to aid in identifying common ancestors.

Features

·         Multiple Profiles for multiple kits

·         Import of 23andMe, FTDNA and GedMatch data

·         Chromosome Mapping of Common Ancestor

·         In Common With (ICW) Groups

·         Import of Gedcom data for each Profile

·         Surname Matching and Searching

·         Display of Overlapping Segments

·         X-List of X Chromosome Donors

It sounds like the perfect tool.

The software has been upgraded since that post, so while the description is good, the screenshots are no longer accurate.

This software is FREE. It was developed by Becky Mason Walker as she worked to coordinate and analyze information on her own DNA matches from 23andMe, FTDNA, and GEDmatch.

This software is also very complex – because it is very comprehensive.  But there are Youtube videos to help you get going; and there is a 16 part tutorial on Facebook co-authored by Leah La Perle Larkin and Blaine T. Bettinger. There is also a User Manual. See links below.

I’ve been at this for four days now, and have gotten to part 12 of the tutorial.  So far I’ve watched 3 of the videos.  I think that the videos will make more sense after completing the tutorial.  I expect to need to review some of this material more than once.

I am looking forward to actually trying to use this app – once I’ve had a first pass through the training process.  I’ll post a progress report.

Here are some links

Download the software:  http://getgmp.com/

There are nine videos. Links are on the getgmp site shown above, but here the link to the Introduction. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpl6Pp6AHy4

Tutorial - 16 part

https://www.facebook.com/groups/geneticgenealogytipsandtechniques/permalink/252933428503698/?hc_location=ufi

There is a downloadable user’s guide in PDF format (265 pages).  Link is on the getgmp site.

The developer’s blog is here:  http://genealogypuzzlesdna.blogspot.com/

And there’s a group on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/groups/GenomeMatePro/