Family Atlas Genealogy Mapping and Publishing Software

A new mapping program aimed at genealogists was announced today. I saw a late beta version of this program in operation a few weeks ago and was impressed by it. I hope to write a review of Family Atlas soon.

Here is today's announcement:

RootsMagic, Inc. Releases Family Atlas Genealogy Mapping and Publishing Software

New software makes creating family maps fun and easy!

SPRINGVILLE, Utah, October 31, 2006 - RootsMagic, Inc., a leader in family history software, today announced the release of Family Atlas, a new Windows software program that lets users create custom family maps based on their own genealogy data.

For years family history enthusiasts have had to create maps by hand, but now Family Atlas makes that a thing of the past. You can use Family Atlas to easily do all these tasks:

• Import data from popular genealogy software including RootsMagic, Family Tree Maker, PAF, Legacy, and GEDCOM.
• View family information on an interactive world map (either spherical or flat).
• Zoom in or out to see additional detail, like state and county boundaries.
• Automatically geo-code places by matching them against the 3.5-million-name world place database included with Family Atlas.
• Pinpoint sites of important family events by adding custom markers automatically tied to the genealogy data. Markers can be based on specific people and events, or on your entire family tree, making it easy to see migrations and clusters in family data.
• Add markers manually, making possible historical marker sets like "Civil War Battles" and personal marker sets like "Our Family Vacations". Both hand-entered and data-based markers can easily be combined on the same map.
• Save or print beautiful maps.
• Enhance maps with text, migration lines, text bubbles, photographs, and other objects.
• Export maps to PDF or a number of popular graphics formats to be used in reports, books, or websites.

"Family Atlas allows you to explore and publish your family history in a way never before possible," explains Bruce Buzbee, president of RootsMagic, Inc. "I'm amazed at the discoveries I've personally made by mapping my own genealogy."

Other features in Family Atlas include the interactive Gazetteer, which helps locate almost any place in the world, and the "Nearby Places List," which finds all places and events within a given distance of any point.

Pricing and Availability
Family Atlas is available now in select retail stores at a list price of $29.95. Family Atlas is also available directly from www.FamilyAtlas.com, or by calling 800-766-8762.

# # #

About RootsMagic, Inc.
Founded in 1986, RootsMagic, Inc., is a publisher of family oriented software, with headquarters in Springville, Utah. RootsMagic's product line includes its flagship genealogy software RootsMagic, Personal Historian, Family Atlas, Family Reunion Organizer, and Daily Journal, which is sold under the Broderbund label. In addition, RootsMagic, Inc., also hosts Family-Reunion.com, the world's most popular family reunion planning website. Additional information on RootsMagic, Inc., can be found at www.rootsmagic.com.

Comments

[Christine Czarnecki]

How does Family Atlas compare to Map my Family Tree software?

[Michael Booth]

Compared to Map my Family Tree, Family Atlas also has:

1) Fully-interactive world globe that lets you zoom, rotate, and see details for more than 1 country at a time
2) Add more than a single set of markers and customize their color and shape
3) Add markers based on different people and events
4) Plot places and events that aren't in your genealogy data
5) Draw connecting lines between a person's events to track migrations
6) Built-in publisher to annotate, add pictures, and beautify your maps
7) See places and events within a given distance of a point
8) Faster, more accurate geocoding of places
9) Higher-resolution map data
10) A larger, more-complete database of places
11) Costs $20 less (only $29.95 instead of $49.95)

[Brian Sanders]

Glad to see your write up. I have been looking for a software tool that would help with this process. I just ordered the software and am looking forward to using it soon as well as reading any future followup you have on the software.

Curious if Family Atlas shows period maps from the past or even train/road/migration routes? This could be very helpful to Genealogy enthusiasts.

I actually have been using GoogleEarth for the same task - mapping my ancestors around the globe - but this can be very manual. Nice thing is you can send the kml/kmz GoogleEarth files to friends, researchers, etc.

Someday it would be great if we could integrate the capabilities of photo/imaging technology with family tree database software, GPS/mapping into one small handheld device, like a PDA/smartphone.

Brian Sanders

[Bruce Buzbee]

Family Atlas uses the current country / state / etc boundaries rather than period maps. This is an area we can look into.

Family Atlas will let you export the marker sets you create to Google Earth, so you can import your data, create your markers, then create the .kml file for Google Earth.

[jtaubman]

Excellent, much better than the Map My Family Tree, I bought a few weeks ago, a waste of money IMHO, the place matching on FA seems much easier to understand and use. Feels like it was designed for Family History, the ability to have multiple datasets on the maps at the same time is ideal.

[Phillip Crow]

I am looking for a software program that will allow me to create .pdf/.jpg DNA maps book pages for related color coded DNA matching family groups.

Example: Have a very small color coded DNA group that lived near, Enoree, Spartanburg County, South Carolina, USA.

I need to create short lines of text within a small box (return address label size?), like:

John Smith
1771 to 1851
DNA Blue Kit 12345
(or perhaps a blue label with just Kit 12345 on it after the name and years)?

and then draw a line from the text box to the place on that .pdf/.jpg small map where John Smith lived/born on that map.

Some of my other .pdf map pages would have up to 50, or more names, in text boxes with lines to the map.

Also, could these color coded text boxes perhaps have mouse-over data that would become visible on the electronic version of these map?

Side comment:
I purchased "Map My Family Tree" and found out that it was worthless for what I really wanted from a mapping program for my DNA map purposes.

"Map My Family Tree" was not of much use for my genealogy program, either, since it couldn't determine if ", Cherokee, Alabama, USA", was the County, or the town of "Cherokee" in another part of Alabama.

[jo-ann Hall,]

Would love to communicate with reunion.com Mac users.