Genealogy in the Cloud: Distributed Internet Services for Genealogists

1. Genealogy in the Cloud:
Distributed Internet Services for
Genealogists
Jordan Jones / S-457
NGS 2015 — St. Charles, Missouri
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2. Roadmap
• What is Cloud Computing?
• Are You Already Using the Cloud?
• How Can Genealogists Use the Cloud?
• File Sync and Share
• Digital Memory
• Remote Backup
• What Are the Risks? 2

3. What is Cloud
Computing?
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4. The Cloud

5. Computation Software
Data Access Storage
Definition of the Cloud
The cloud does “not require end-user knowledge
of the physical location and configuration of the
system that delivers the services.”
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The Cloud

6. Previously ...
those who wanted to host a website or
manage a lot of data had to
• buy servers,
• configure, and
• maintain them, or
• arrange for someone else to do this.
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7. Now …
• A layer of abstraction has
been built, allowing
• servers,
• software,
• databases, and
• storage
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• to be
• commoditized,
• delivered, and
• maintained,
• in bulk.

8. The cloud allows people to ...
• Know less and less about the systems they use, and
• get more value for their dollar because
• it “just works” (most of the time) and because
• they don’t need to buy, rent, configure, monitor, and
manage as much as they did previously
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9. Aspects of the
Cloud
• Application Programmer’s Interfaces (APIs).
• Economies of Scale
• Device and Location Independence
• Scalability
• Reliability
• Hands off, automated maintenance and upgrades
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10. The Cloud Means
Device-
Independence
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11. Are You Already
Using the Cloud?
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12. Do You Use?
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• Google: Google Docs, Gmail,
Picasa, GoogleMaps
• Yahoo: Yahoo, Flickr
• AmericanAncestors.com uses
Amazon S3 (Simple Storage
Solution) to deliver records images

13. Do You Use?
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• FamilySearch.org uses Amazon EC2 (Electronic
Compute Cloud) and other Amazon cloud services
• Dynamically add servers during peak load times
• Quickly deliver new versions of the website
• Quickly fall back to previous versions of the website

14. How Can
Genealogists Use
the Cloud?
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15. Genealogical Uses
for the Cloud
• File Sync & Share
• Digital Memory
• Remote Backup
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16. File Sync and Share
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17. File Sync & Share
• Keep files in sync between multiple machines
• Windows
• Mac OS
• Linux
• Mobile devices (iOS, Android)
• Share files with others
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18. Google Drive
• Both file- and folder-level sharing is available.
• Makes 16 file types viewable in the web browser.
• 30 GB free in Drive / Picasa / Gmail; up to 30 TB
paid
• 100 GB, $1.99 / mo. 1 TB, $9.99 / mo.
• Windows, Mac, ChromeOS, iPad, iPhone, Android
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19. Amazon Cloud Drive
• Both file- and folder-level sharing is available.
• 5 GB free, up to unlimited paid
• No storage measured for music purchased from Amazon
• Special photo and music apps
• Mac, Windows, Android, iPad, iPhone
• Unlimited for $59.99 / year
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20. Microsoft OneDrive
• Both file- and folder-level sharing is available.
• 15 GB free, up to 1 TB paid
• Remote file access on Windows 7 OS
• Windows, Mac, iPad, iPhone, Android, Windows
Phone, Xbox
• $6.99 / mo for 1 TB (included Office 365)
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21. Dropbox
• Syncs with any selected folders on your hard drive
• Automatically keeps the Dropbox folder synced to the
cloud and then down to your configured systems
• Specialized app for automated photo sync and viewing
(Carousel)
• 2 GB free; up to 1 TB in paid accounts
• Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android
• $9.99 / month for 1TB 21

22. Apple iCloud
• Both file- and folder-level sharing is available.
• 5 GB free, up to 50 GB paid
• No storage measured for media purchased from Apple
• Remote file access on Mac OS
• Mac, iPad, iPhone
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23. Box
• Both file- and folder-level sharing is available.
• 10 GB free, up to 50 GB paid
• Mac, iPad, iPhone, Android, Windows Phone
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24. Comparison
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Free GB Max GB
File and
Folder Share
Platforms
Dropbox 2 100 Y
Windows, Mac, iPad, iPhone,
Android
Amazon
Cloud Drive
5 Unlimited Y
Windows, Mac, iPad, iPhone,
Android (Amazon)
Apple iCloud 5 50 N Mac, iPad, iPhone, web
Box 10 100 Y
Windows, Mac, iPad, iPhone,
Android, Windows Phone
Microsoft
OneDrive
15 1000 Y
Windows, Mac, iPad, iPhone,
Android, Windows Phone, Xbox
Google
Drive
30 1000 Y
Windows, Mac, ChromeOS, iPad,
iPhone, Android

25. Digital Memory
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26. Google Keep
• Platform: Web, Android
• Price: Free
• Features:
• Stores a specific subset of files and sizes.
• Exceptionally quick note and reminder jotting.
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27. Google Keep
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• Mainly for Notes and Reminders
• Limits attachments to JPG, PNG, GIF of less
than 10 MB and 25 megapixels
• For genealogists, can be a great place to put
research plans and notes
• Excellent reminder system (location- as well as
time-based reminders)

28. Google Keep
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29. Google Keep
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• Because of format limitations on attachments,
Google Keep is of limited utility for genealogists
• It’s powerful as a quick note engine and
reminder tool.
• On the security front, remember that Google
uses every shred of data you give it to
understand you and market to you.

30. Microsoft OneNote
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• Main competitor to Evernote
• Allows multiple file types
• Has a unique folder and tab view organization
• Supported on Windows and Mac OS
• No tagging

31. Microsoft OneNote
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32. Digital Memory
• Store multimedia
(digital audio, video,
images, text, files)
• Can replace “taking
notes”
• Annotation
• Tagging
• Privacy
• Quick and easy
• Access
• Platform ubiquity
• Web clipping
• Tasks and reminders
• Social media
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33. Digital Memory for
Genealogists
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• Capture information where you are
• courthouse
• cemetery
• interviewing family
• Quickly store that information
• Share over social media
• Keep information private

34. Digital Memory for
Genealogists
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• Access information on multiple machines
• Replace paper notes
• Research Plan
• Research Log
• Records

35. Evernote
• Platform: Android, iPad, iPhone, Windows Phone 7
• Price: Free; plus, $25 / year; premium, $50 / year
• Features:
• It stores all kinds of files, and allows you to
organize them with folders and tags, from your
desktop or mobile environment, and then
access any note wherever you happen to be.
• Optical Character Recognition for images, (and
for PDFs for premium accounts).
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36. Evernote
(Notebooks)
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37. Evernote (Tags)
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38. Evernote (Tags)
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39. The Tag Organizer

41. Surname Tags
Surname
Lubuibratich
Lutz
Magann
Milkvoch
etc.

43. Evernote (Media)
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44. Evernote
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45. Evernote
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46. Evernote
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48. Recommendation
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• Evernote is my recommended choice.
• Evernote has a robust API and many
development partners
• Microsoft OneNote has a compelling
organizational scheme; if you favor Microsoft
products, it’s an excellent choice
• Google Keep does not allow for enough file
types to be competitive with the others, but for
quick notes and reminders, it’s a good choice

49. A Workflow for
Research using
Evernote
Putting it All Together

50. 1. Research Plan
Create research plan notes (what are you trying to find, confirm, or
rule out).
I list as much information as necessary, including links to other
research notes, or record notes, and information about the repository. If
there in an online search tool for a repository, I might look up and note
microfilm numbers.
I store this plan note in a folder I call “0 - Research Plans.” I tag the
note with the repository or database where I will be conducting the
search, as well as surnames, personal names, and record types that
may help me find the note later.

51. 2. Update Research Plan
I update the research plan note as I am actually
conducting the search, noting anything about the
research itself.
This will be my research note, but not the record note.

52. 3. Create Record Notes
I tag the record note as appropriate with:
surname,
individual name (if I am focused on this individual)
historical location,
record type, and other relevant tags

54. 3. Create Record Notes
Then title the note with the format
“date - person - record type - place - identifier”
such as
“1968-02-05 - Hill, Mary Jane - Death Certificate -
Nebraska - 69-02358”
I file the record note into a folder for the record type.

55. 4. File Research Plan with
Research Logs
I make any final notes on the research note, then
move it from the “0 - Research Plans” to the “1 -
Research Log” folder.
I do this even if I have a negative search, to remind
myself that I did conduct such a search, and the
circumstances of the search.

56. Remote Backup
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57. Not Just Backup ...
Remote Backup
• If you backup your data only locally,
a local disaster could destroy both
your computer and your backup
• Recommendation: Backup BOTH
locally and to the cloud
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58. The Difference between
Sync & Share and Backup
• Sync and share is keeps data automatically in sync.
Backups may be available, but usually only last 30 days.
• Sync and share usually syncs a subset of your data.
• Backup is designed to keep every file as it existed at a
point in time, a snapshot, and allow for better complete
system recovery.
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59. Cloud Backup Options
• Carbonite http://www.carbonite.com — Had been
Windows only.
• CrashPlan http://www.crashplan.com/ — My current
favorite. Reasonably priced unlimited backup, plus “build-
your-own-cloud” backup to friends’ computers.
• BackBlaze http://www.backblaze.com/ — The most
economical solution, especially if you have one or two
computers to backup. Provides a find-my-computer feature.
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60. Carbonite
• Automatic, easy-to-install backup
• Unlimited storage
• Backs up specific folders
• $59 / year
• Native Windows, Mac applications; mobile apps for sync
and share
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61. BackBlaze
• One of the most economical at $50 a year.
• Popular set-it-and-forget it program.
• Backs up connected USB drives.
• Backs up the entire system, including programs.
• Windows and Mac native clients.
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62. CrashPlan
• The software (Windows, Mac, Linux, Solaris) is free
• Backup to a friend’s computer over the Internet - free
• Backup your own computers - again, free
• Backup to an attached drive - you guessed it, free
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63. CrashPlan
• Java-based Desktop application leaves a lot to be
desired
• Backup to CrashPlan servers, or other cloud-based
servers, such as Amazon Web Services — starting at
$25 / year
• Family Plan (2-10 computers) — starting at $108 / year
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64. CrashPlan - Shared
Backups
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65. What Are the
Risks?
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66. Privacy and Security
• There can be privacy concerns with Dropbox, Evernote, and
others
• Encryption in flight (TLS, HTTPS) — protects data while it’s
moving to the cloud
• Encryption at rest (128 Bit or higher) — protects data while
it’s stored in the cloud
• For encryption at rest, the owner of the encryption key
controls the access
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67. Privacy and Security
• With revelations about the NSA, as well as the
widespread use of unlocking data under court order
or police request, even your encrypted data is only
as secure as the ownership of the encryption key.
• SpiderOak provides encrypted backup where you
own the encryption key. (Note, this does not work if
you use their mobile apps or file sync and share
capabilities.)
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68. Resiliency
• Nothing in life (or on the Internet) is guaranteed
• Servers can go down, even with planned redundancy
and resilience, as we saw with Amazon Web Services in
the last couple of weeks
• Dozens of cloud-based websites rely on a small number
of major cloud players (Amazon, RackSpace)
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69. Recommendations
• Balance ease-of-use with privacy and security
• Not all files need the highest privacy and security
• Mitigate risks of cloud failures with local backups and
syncing
• Do not confuse file sync with file backup.
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70. Recommendations
• We are much more likely to lose files because we did not
back them up than due to a remote backup service
failure.
• We are much more likely to undergo a catastrophic
failure of a personal hard drive than that a cloud service
will fail.
• Cloud service will be more likely to have a working
backup than we will.
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71. Recommendations
• If you are concerned about privacy, and your chosen
you cloud environment does not provide encryption for
which you own the key, you can encrypt your data
before sending it to the cloud to backup or share.
• In terms of managing risk, using the cloud is preferable
to not using it. But the cloud is not a panacea; it should
be part of a suite of tools at your disposal.
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72. Thank You
These slides will be available at:
www.genealogymedia.com/talks/
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