Legacy Family Tree 8 Revealed – Migration Mapping

Geoff Rasmussen

27 Jun 2013

OK, I've revealed some of the smaller new features that are coming with the next version of Legacy later this year, now it's time to reveal one of my favorite new features. And although this new feature is not going to make the world stop spinning, for genealogists it just might.

Genealogists know how important it is to trace an ancestor's migration. For years, Legacy Family Tree users have been able to visualize migration patterns by looking at Legacy's Chronology View. The chronology shows the ancestor's movement year-by-year.

With Legacy version 8, you have a new method of visualizing the migration. Legacy 8's enhanced Mapping will now animate the ancestor's movement throughout time.

How cool is that?!?! You can pause and resume the animation at any time, or you can click on any location to just view it.

You can still hover over any balloon to see what happened there:

Or switch to Aerial mode:

Or 3D mode:

Or even Bird's eye mode:

It gets even better. Legacy 8 will now also map the Addresses that you have added. So if you have added cemeteries, hospitals, churches, or other places to Legacy's Address fields, those will now be included in the map.

So what do you think? A winner or a dud?

What are the other new features of Legacy 8?

Here are links to the articles I've previously written:

Legacy Family Tree 8 Revealed

Legacy Family Tree 8 Revealed – Q/A, new Tagging options, and other surprises

When will Legacy 8 be released?

There's still more than one truthful answer to this:

I'm not really sure, but probably before the end of the year, and hopefully way before then
When it has been thoroughly tested by our development team and beta testers

But if you are considering downloading either the free or deluxe editions of Legacy, don't wait! Any purchases of Legacy 7.5 from May 8, 2013 forward will receive the new Legacy 8 at no charge. And as always, anyone who has purchased Legacy Deluxe previously will qualify for special discounted upgrade pricing. Get started today – you won't have to relearn everything when Legacy 8 is ready, but you'll get some really nice new features when it is.

Comments (32)

Shirley – yes, we’ll send you an email when Legacy 8 is ready with all the details.

I currently have 7.5 De Luxe. Will I get a notice telling me when and how much to pay?

The one new feature that makes Legacy 8 already worthwhile for me is the addition of shared events. This looks like fun, though!

Dave – I like your ideas too. Yes, the maps can be printed. You can currently open Legacy in Access to write your own queries.

I would love to see the markers (red ballons) have a number in them to indicate the order of the markers. The other thing that I would like to see is a line connecting the markers.
Will you be able to print the maps showing the markers, etc.?
Lastly I would love to see you open up Legacy some and allow us to write our own queries or have an API to access the data, or a SDK (Software Developers Kit), etc.
Thanks

I am going to love it already. Wonderful.

Ingo – no, but an interesting idea.

Ulf – yes, you can geotag any location and have it correctly plot on the map.

Diane – the mobile app for Legacy is called Families. You can learn more about the mobile apps at http://www.legacyfamilytreestore.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=29

Will legacy 8 be available for android
I like having a full mobile app and will transfer my records as soon as it is. Ancestry has too many in fixed bugs diane

This sounds fantastic. But many places in the past is not valid today and does not show up on the map. Is it possible to “geotag” places in order to have GPS coordinates for places that doesn’t exist on the maps? BTW, I live in Sweden and Bing Maps has still really low resolution on their “Bird’s eye” maps here. We prefer to use Google Maps in Sweden. Maybe their could be an opition in Legacy to choose map services?

That’s a nice one, really. Can this work with multiple trees to visualize potential patterns or links in locations?

Yikes! I never even noticed that. It’s way cool. Thanks so much for pointing it out, Geoff. So much to learn….

Judi – no, clicking on the Address icon in the event opens the Event’s Address screen.

Are you using the terms “address” and “location” interchangeably? I see a place for locations in events, but not for addresses.

Kristin – yes, mapping will pick up addresses/locations in the Place fields.

This sounds great. I agree with Darline – put those programmers on double shifts!
Geoff, I have event locations mostly in the “Place” field (in the events entry box). Will the mapping pick up those locations?
Suggestion: Time for a webinar (and some printed guidance) to help us get our databases ready for Version 8, especially in regard to places – where recorded, consistency, accuracy, etc. Then we will be ready!

This is a great addition and I look forward to it. I have found mapping so helpful and it is one of my favourite features.
One thing I would like to do is compare the migration routes of different people in the same family.
Thanks for the update. I look forward also to the next one, and to the debut of the new edition.

Dale – addresses, if in a Note field, will not plot on a map. In the event, click on the Address button. Addresses added to the Address fields will be plotted.

I hate to sound as though I’m beating a dead horse (maybe I am) but the area I have been storing addresses in the EVENTS section is in the Notes area. I have put several in there today and if there is a betterplace I’d like to know so I can start doing so NOW in preperation for the upgrade.

Sylvia – it is not limited to North America.

Clive – if Bing Maps can map it, then Legacy will map it also. Bing Maps is the tool that Legacy uses to map the places which is not restricted to North America.

Really great! Love it.
Perhaps, I am thinking, we may need more than one migration map – one from the old world to the antipodes but another will be needed to show movement in the new world. Otherwise there won’t be any visible movement at either end of a long journey that goes out to Rio to catch the trade winds to Tasmania.

Is this only for the USA or will it cover the entire world Like the Seychelles.

Please realize that addresses on the census are NOT the same as they are today. Back then they would start at one end of the street and go around through town. If they ran into someone across the street, they caught them and then went back to the same old route. Houses didn’t have numbers or at least not always the same as they are done now.

How well will the new migration mapping tool work internationally? Is it only going to be good for North American locations or will it work on my British, European, Asian(Indian) and Australian locations?

This is great! I just took a course from Google on Google Earth and Google Maps that is this exact thing, thinking I could build an auxiliary to my genealogy program. Now, I won’t have to do that (unless, of course, I’m bored). Love it!!!

Mary – if you have recorded the locations in some kind of a location field or an address, it will accept and plot them.

Enhanced Mapping sounds wonderful – just what I’ve always wanted! I already have many dwellings and gravestones pinpointed to within a few yards, with exact map references taken from Google Earth. Will the new Mapping feature just accept them?

Dale – yes, it maps the locations of events and the event addresses too.

I’m not sure you should give us these peeks into Legacy 8 when we can’t use them yet!! I love this new mapping feature & want it NOW!! Thanks Geoff for these great articles and “teasers”–I can hardly wait!!

I have been adding addresses I find on Census forms, draft registrations, etc. in the events section. Will this pick up these addresses so they can be mapped or will I need to add/move them to another section?

GR
Geoff Rasmussen

11 years ago

Shirley – yes, we’ll send you an email when Legacy 8 is ready with all the details.
SK
Shirley Kidd

11 years ago

I currently have 7.5 De Luxe. Will I get a notice telling me when and how much to pay?
TG
Taco Goulooze

11 years ago

The one new feature that makes Legacy 8 already worthwhile for me is the addition of shared events. This looks like fun, though!
GR
Geoff Rasmussen

11 years ago

Dave – I like your ideas too. Yes, the maps can be printed. You can currently open Legacy in Access to write your own queries.
DV
Dave Venus

11 years ago

I would love to see the markers (red ballons) have a number in them to indicate the order of the markers. The other thing that I would like to see is a line connecting the markers.
Will you be able to print the maps showing the markers, etc.?
Lastly I would love to see you open up Legacy some and allow us to write our own queries or have an API to access the data, or a SDK (Software Developers Kit), etc.
Thanks
LR
Laminda Roberts

11 years ago

I am going to love it already. Wonderful.
GR
Geoff Rasmussen

11 years ago

Ingo – no, but an interesting idea.
GR
Geoff Rasmussen

11 years ago

Ulf – yes, you can geotag any location and have it correctly plot on the map.
GR
Geoff Rasmussen

11 years ago

Diane – the mobile app for Legacy is called Families. You can learn more about the mobile apps at http://www.legacyfamilytreestore.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=29
D
diane

11 years ago

Will legacy 8 be available for android
I like having a full mobile app and will transfer my records as soon as it is. Ancestry has too many in fixed bugs diane
UW
Ulf Widen

11 years ago

This sounds fantastic. But many places in the past is not valid today and does not show up on the map. Is it possible to “geotag” places in order to have GPS coordinates for places that doesn’t exist on the maps? BTW, I live in Sweden and Bing Maps has still really low resolution on their “Bird’s eye” maps here. We prefer to use Google Maps in Sweden. Maybe their could be an opition in Legacy to choose map services?
IT
Ingo ter Meulen

11 years ago

That’s a nice one, really. Can this work with multiple trees to visualize potential patterns or links in locations?
JP
Judi Page

11 years ago

Yikes! I never even noticed that. It’s way cool. Thanks so much for pointing it out, Geoff. So much to learn….
GR
Geoff Rasmussen

11 years ago

Judi – no, clicking on the Address icon in the event opens the Event’s Address screen.
JP
Judi Page

11 years ago

Are you using the terms “address” and “location” interchangeably? I see a place for locations in events, but not for addresses.
GR
Geoff Rasmussen

11 years ago

Kristin – yes, mapping will pick up addresses/locations in the Place fields.
K
Kristin

11 years ago

This sounds great. I agree with Darline – put those programmers on double shifts!
Geoff, I have event locations mostly in the “Place” field (in the events entry box). Will the mapping pick up those locations?
Suggestion: Time for a webinar (and some printed guidance) to help us get our databases ready for Version 8, especially in regard to places – where recorded, consistency, accuracy, etc. Then we will be ready!
AC
Ann Corner

11 years ago

This is a great addition and I look forward to it. I have found mapping so helpful and it is one of my favourite features.
One thing I would like to do is compare the migration routes of different people in the same family.
Thanks for the update. I look forward also to the next one, and to the debut of the new edition.
GR
Geoff Rasmussen

11 years ago

Dale – addresses, if in a Note field, will not plot on a map. In the event, click on the Address button. Addresses added to the Address fields will be plotted.
DF
Dale Fleener

11 years ago

I hate to sound as though I’m beating a dead horse (maybe I am) but the area I have been storing addresses in the EVENTS section is in the Notes area. I have put several in there today and if there is a betterplace I’d like to know so I can start doing so NOW in preperation for the upgrade.
GR
Geoff Rasmussen

11 years ago

Sylvia – it is not limited to North America.
GR
Geoff Rasmussen

11 years ago

Clive – if Bing Maps can map it, then Legacy will map it also. Bing Maps is the tool that Legacy uses to map the places which is not restricted to North America.
PD
PM Daly

11 years ago

Really great! Love it.
Perhaps, I am thinking, we may need more than one migration map – one from the old world to the antipodes but another will be needed to show movement in the new world. Otherwise there won’t be any visible movement at either end of a long journey that goes out to Rio to catch the trade winds to Tasmania.
CB
Clive Barker

11 years ago

Is this only for the USA or will it cover the entire world Like the Seychelles.
S
Sweet16

11 years ago

Please realize that addresses on the census are NOT the same as they are today. Back then they would start at one end of the street and go around through town. If they ran into someone across the street, they caught them and then went back to the same old route. Houses didn’t have numbers or at least not always the same as they are done now.
SM
Sylvia Murphy

11 years ago

How well will the new migration mapping tool work internationally? Is it only going to be good for North American locations or will it work on my British, European, Asian(Indian) and Australian locations?
PB
PE Brennan

11 years ago

This is great! I just took a course from Google on Google Earth and Google Maps that is this exact thing, thinking I could build an auxiliary to my genealogy program. Now, I won’t have to do that (unless, of course, I’m bored). Love it!!!
GR
Geoff Rasmussen

11 years ago

Mary – if you have recorded the locations in some kind of a location field or an address, it will accept and plot them.
MY
Mary Young

11 years ago

Enhanced Mapping sounds wonderful – just what I’ve always wanted! I already have many dwellings and gravestones pinpointed to within a few yards, with exact map references taken from Google Earth. Will the new Mapping feature just accept them?
GR
Geoff Rasmussen

11 years ago

Dale – yes, it maps the locations of events and the event addresses too.
DB
Darline Burke

11 years ago

I’m not sure you should give us these peeks into Legacy 8 when we can’t use them yet!! I love this new mapping feature & want it NOW!! Thanks Geoff for these great articles and “teasers”–I can hardly wait!!
DF
Dale Fleener

11 years ago

I have been adding addresses I find on Census forms, draft registrations, etc. in the events section. Will this pick up these addresses so they can be mapped or will I need to add/move them to another section?