Should all family history information be accessible on free ancestry websites?
Is free ancestry research really “free”?
Over recent years there has been a dramatic increase in ancestry data available on the web. Commercial organisations have invested large sums in scanning, indexing and delivering bulk historical data into the public domain. There is divided opinion as to whether or not it is reasonable to have to pay for this ancestry search data, as it is, for the most part, held in archives that are paid for by the public purse. The simple response would be that the high cost of delivering a user friendly web based service has to be paid for somehow and that the subscription and pay per view business models are the most logical way of delivering this information at a reasonable cost to the individual.
However, there remains the question of what should happen to the data in the longer term. It is reasonable that companies such as Ancestry, Genes Reunited and Find My Past, who invest considerable sums in the scanning and indexing process, deserve the right to have a monopolistic licence over a given time frame to earn back these costs and a reasonable profit. However, if a licence is granted for a particular data set such as census records, after the licence period is over there seems to be no cogent argument for the continued charging for that data.
The National Archives is not a commercial body, it was not set up with the objective of making profits but it would appear that the intention is to offer the data to the highest bidder at the end of the licence period which will then continue the need to charge for the data in order to earn back the cost of the licence.
There is a clear argument that census and other commercialised bulk data projects should be capable of being delivered free to the public by the holder of that data after the end of the licence period. At worst, the data should be capable of being licensed to any number of third parties at low cost so as to offer a more competitive environment where websites can choose to offer content free, in a better format, added to mapping, shared amongst users within a social networking structure and so on.
Technology is already in place that can automatically download a pdf document of a chosen image and the databases are already constructed to search by simple criteria such as name and date range in order to locate the original document image. It is a straightforward step to allow free access to such data and image download. Of course there must be a “reasonable use” policy but with multiple licences being issued availability would be easier and cheaper.
No doubt there would be harder negotiations by the original companies involved in the scanning and delivery process but data held by the government and paid for by the people should not be used to generate an income over and above the reasonable cost of delivery. In the first instance this cost of delivery includes the cost of scanning and database development but after the initial licence period compensating the organisation that has carried out this work, the cost of delivery over the internet is minimal.
There is already a large amount of free ancestry research data available on the web, normally produced by volunteers, enthusiasts, church organisations or charities. These free ancestry websites are an important part of genealogical research but questions remain over their provenance, particularly those sites that allow users to upload their own ancestry research. On the other hand, making available primary sourced data from recognised national and local archives creates a “data foundation” that can be trusted and should help build an environment where an ancestry or family search can be carried out simply, accurately and at little or no cost.
To map your family tree online for free please visit: www.ancestralatlas.com
About the Author
Ancestral Atlas is a Web 2.0 company dedicated to providing online genealogy mapping services.
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