Google celebrated Earth Day by releasing Google Earth 7.1 and announcing some great new content! And there are three reasons you will want to make the upgrade:
1. New Hands-Free Navigation Technology
The big news with version 7.1 is Leap Motion support, a touch-free 3d technology that lets you “navigate Google earth with simple hand gestures.” The Leap Motion Controller ($79.99) will start shipping mid-July, so you’ve got some time to get to know Google Earth a little better before you start flying around in it like this:
You KNOW I have to get me some of that!
2. More 3D City Views There’s also exciting new 3D data in Google Earth, most notably for New York City. But there’s also more imagery for other cities around the world: Innsbruck, Austria; Dijon, France; Cagliari, Italy and the Spanish cities of San Sebastian, Santander, Pamplona, Manresa and Burgos. Other U.S. cities with 3D coverage include Miami, FL; Houston, TX; Orlando, FL; Encinitas, CA and Spokane, WA.
3. The Addition of the 50th Country to Google Maps’ popular Street View Feature
You can now view 50 countries buy lasix medication online with Google Maps’ popular Street View feature. The newest nations to be added are Hungary and Lesotho (a tiny country within South Africa), and there’s new or updated coverage for Poland, Romania, France, Italy, Russia, Singapore, Thailand and other locations worldwide. Google calls this “the largest single update of Street View imagery we’ve ever pushed, including new and updated imagery for nearly 350,000 miles of roads across 14 countries.”
Help for Using Google Earth for Genealogy
How can you access these fabulous features, both for fun virtual travel and for seriously fun genealogy research? Upload the latest version of Google Earth for free (for PC, Mac or Linux). Then check out my Google Earth for Genealogy 2-CD Bundle. There’s a reason is this one of my best-selling presentations: Google Earth is one of the best genealogy research tools around! In these CD presentations, I show you how to locate and map ancestral homesteads; use historical map overlays; identify where old photos were taken; create 3D models of ancestral locations; create custom family history tours and much more.
When you need help deciphering place names in hard-to-read genealogy documents, two free online tools may have great suggestions for you. Use them to take the guesswork out of identifying great-grandpa’s hometown! Thanks to guest blogger Katherine Schober, expert...
SHOW NOTES: In episode 292 of the Genealogy Gems podcast, Lisa Louise Cooke discusses the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on genealogy research, exploring its evolution, ethical considerations, and the importance of data privacy. Genealogists need to understand AI’s capabilities and limitations and develop a balanced approach to its use in research. She also covers the significance of being aware of data privacy when using AI tools. This video comes from our full-length “Elevenses with Lisa” live show exclusively available to Premium Members. Then we discuss genealogy resources, storytelling techniques, and the impact of AI on writing in the genealogy field with author Sunny Morton.
Listen to the Podcast Episode
To Listen click the media player below (AUDIO ONLY):
AI has been around for a while – genealogy websites have used variations of it. But clearly we are experiencing a big uptick in the role that AI is playing not only in genealogy research, but life in general.
What is AI?
According to ChatGPT: “These terms describe different levels of artificial intelligence:
1. AI (Artificial Intelligence): This is a broad term referring to machines or software that can perform tasks typically requiring human intelligence, such as recognizing speech, analyzing data, or playing chess. Most AI today is narrow AI (ANI), meaning it is specialized for specific tasks (e.g., ChatGPT for conversation, DeepMind’s AlphaFold for protein folding).
2. AGI (Artificial General Intelligence): This refers to AI that can understand, learn, and apply intelligence across a wide range of tasks at a human-like level. An AGI system would be able to reason, solve novel problems, and adapt like a human without being limited to pre-programmed tasks.
3. ASI (Artificial Superintelligence): This is a hypothetical AI that surpasses human intelligence in all aspects, including creativity, problem-solving, and emotional intelligence. ASI would be capable of independent thinking and continuous self-improvement, potentially leading to intelligence far beyond human capabilities.
Right now, we have narrow AI (ANI), while AGI is still theoretical, and ASI remains a concept in science fiction and futurist discussions. We are currently at “AI” with AGI as a long-term goal that has not yet been achieved.”
Lesson: Real is usually better than artificial.
Analogy: Even though grandma’s home cooking is better than the cheaper and faster McDonald’s, it doesn’t mean I won’t occasionally take advantage of it carefully and selectively.
Is AI good or bad? Should I avoid AI?
My personal opinion is that there’s no way that AI won’t be used for evil. It’s just human nature. So, AI can be both good and bad. A knife is a perfect example. It’s good on a dinner table, and bad in the hands of a killer.
For me, it boils down to my world view. Personally, I have a Biblical worldview and that makes things much clearer for me. It dictates how I will use it – for good, to help people. However, there will always be people seeking power and control. And there are serious concerns that ASI could get to a place where it attempts to take power and control. I know, it sounds like science fiction…as did airplanes to our ancestors! AI could easily become an idol to mankind. It’s not hard to imagine finding it difficult to live without the conveniences of AI once we get used to them. In fact, we might think we can’t bear to give it up. I don’t personally fear that because my worldview makes my choice crystal clear.
No matter where you currently stand on all this, AI is here, and we can do our best to understand it together. The scope of this show isn’t about a future we can’t control. I don’t believe that you or I can control the acceleration of AI. But we can focus on how it can help us in our research, and to help others.
Keep in mind the Silicon Valley saying that Vice-President Vance shared during his speech to the global AI Action Summit recently held in Paris, “If you aren’t paying for the product, you are the product.” I’ve said this myself when teaching about using Google and other technology. In other words, we may be tempted to only use free AI tools. However, we must keep in mind that nothing is free. We learned that with the evolution of Google, genetic genealogy, and many other forms of technology. Assume that what you are doing on free AI tools is public and once said can never be retracted. Keep an eye on the way various tools use your data. You get what you pay for.
Copilot’s Integration into Windows 11
The AI chatbot Copilot is now integrated with Windows 11 by default. You don’t need to download it separately. Use Alt + spacebar to open it wherever you’re working on your PC.
Family History Writing and Storytelling
Guest: Sunny Morton
In this conversation we discuss genealogy resources, storytelling techniques, and the impact of AI on writing in the genealogy field.
Resources mentioned:
• Get Sunny Morton’s book How to Find Your Family History in U.S. Church Records: A Genealogist’s Guide
• Watch the Genealogy Gems video class on Church Records with Sunny Morton (Premium)
• Genealogy Gems video class by Sunny Morton: Share Your Life Story in a More Meaningful Way (Premium)
• Genealogy Gems video class by Sunny Morton: Reconstructing Your Family’s Amazing Stories (Premium)
Takeaways:
• Storytelling is crucial for sharing family history effectively.
• Genealogists should focus on the stories that resonate with them personally.
• AI can serve as a helpful tool in genealogy writing. (Lisa will be covering these techniques in upcoming episodes.)
• Practicing storytelling can enhance engagement with family members.
• Finding the right hook is essential for captivating an audience.
• Genealogy writing should be concise and impactful.
• Understanding the historical context of ancestors enriches storytelling.
• Ethical considerations are important when using AI in genealogy.
Sign up today here. The Genealogy Gems email newsletter is the best way to stay informed about what’s available with your Premium eLearning Membership.
Many of us already know that some of Ancestry’s content is free to search for everyone. But did you know that you can use Ancestry’s powerful search interface to search genealogy databases on OTHER websites, too? This includes sites that may be in another language–and sites you may not even know exist!
You may have heard that there’s a lot available on Ancestry for free to anyone. Like the 1940 and 1880 U.S. censuses. Australian and Canadian voter’s lists. A birth index for England and Wales. The SSDI.
A few years ago, Ancestry also began incorporating off-site indexes into its search system. These are known as “Ancestry Web Indexes.” There are now more than 220 of these, and they point users to over 100 million records ON OTHER WEBSITES.
“Ancestry Web Indexes pull together a lot of databases that are already online from repositories all over the world, like courthouses and archives,” Matthew Deighton of Ancestry told me. “We index them here because we’ve found that people may not know their ancestor was in a certain region at a certain time. They may not know about that website that has posted those records. What you don’t know about, you can’t find.”
According to an online description, the guiding principles of Ancestry Web Search databases are:
“Free access to Web Records – Users do not have to subscribe or even register with Ancestry.com to view these records;
Proper attribution of Web Records to content publishers;
Easy access to Web Records – Prominent links in search results and the record page make it easy to get to the source website.”
Better yet, you may have a better search experience at Ancestry than you would at the original site. Some sites that host databases or indexes don’t offer very flexible search parameters. They may not recognize “Beth Maddison” or “E. Mattison” as search results for “Elizabeth Madison,” while Ancestry would.
Results from Ancestry Web Indexes point you to the host website to see any additional information, like digitized images and source citations. A subscription to that site may be required to learn all you want from it. But just KNOWING that the data is there gives you the option to pursue it.
Doesn’t Google bring up all those same results if you just do a keyword search on your ancestor’s name? Not necessarily. Not all indexes are Google-searchable. Even if they are, Google may not present them to you until the 534th page of search results–long after you’ve lost interest.
And Ancestry specifically targets genealogically-interesting databases. Your results there won’t include LinkedIn profiles or current high school sports statistics from a young person with your ancestor’s name. (Learn how to weed out Google results like these with The Genealogist’s Google Toolbox by Lisa Louise Cooke.)
Some may be skeptical: isn’t it bad form for Ancestry to reference other sites’ material, especially when they often do so without consulting the host of the databases? They do have an opt-out policy for those who wish their databases to be removed from the search engine. Matthew says a couple of places have opted out–because the increased web traffic was too much for them to handle. That tells me that Ancestry Web Indexes are helping a lot of people find their family history in places they may otherwise never have looked.
A new Mayflower ancestors database can help connect you with your Pilgrim roots. Also, amateur US newspapers: Hill Air Force Base newspaper, Norwegian and African American Mormons, PERSI updates and collections for Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Massachusetts, Ohio,...
presentations: Google Earth is one of the best genealogy research tools around! In these CD presentations, I show you how to locate and map ancestral homesteads; use historical map overlays; identify where old photos were taken; create 3D models of ancestral locations; create custom family history tours and much more.
