New ISOGG Y-tree leadership Search

[Cofgene]

In view of the censorship of Y-tree related discussions which occurred today on the Yahoo ISOGG discussion list - this is the 2nd time scientific discussions have been squashed - I am looking for individuals or a group who would consider and be able to serve as an interim y-tree coordinator. The immediate transition will be a thankless one but the outcome is expected to provide a tree with improved operational processes which improve the quality of the y-tree content and set the stage for significant automation of variant identification and listing.

Ideally the candidate individual(s) should have an advanced degree in the sciences or medical profession. Project management experience would be a bonus for driving.

I am starting this discussion to gather what type of qualifications and organizational structure should be utilized for ISOGG y-tree activities.

This is an open call for an immediate change.

[AOK]

I was involved with design of the original one in the beginning. I left ISOGG because of <probably doesn't matter>. As we all know, the old tree format we developed is outdated since the flood of SNPs from full Y tests.

I would be willing to give assistance/input if you want it. But not on Yahoo or Google or Facebook. A standard forum like this along with IRC, IM, email list, etc (the old stand-bys) are my preferred tools. I mostly want to see the tree presented in a manageable, useable format, and kept as current as possible.

B.S. & M.S. in Biology (genetics was not the same back then and was not my major), former DNA project organizer/manager (non-FTDNA) and tested with multiple companies, html coding and some (rusty) programming experience, currently working full time (can't check personal email etc. at work).

[VinceT]

Cofgene:

Please do not forget that "ISOGG" is nothing more than a service mark owned and managed by Mrs. Borges, loosely applied to her personal network of friends and associates. It is not a legally registered corporation, NPO or professional association. It does not have governing bylaws, assets, or an elected board of officers. "ISOGG" cannot and will never be anything other or more than what Mrs. Borges herself will allow it to be.

The Y-tree you speak of, and the Y-tree you hope for, must be hosted and managed independently of "ISOGG". It's as simple, and as challenging, as that.

[AOK]

And that''s a good idea. The organization is irrelevant to me and most other users. It isn't the same as it was 10 years ago. I'm not even sure we need one tree. We could have links to the parts that are best handled separately.

I have already quit using the ISOGG tree so, in the absence of a good replacement, I will continue to find the best alternative or make my own to suit nyself.

[paulgill]

And that''s a good idea. The organization is irrelevant to me and most other users. It isn't the same as it was 10 years ago. I'm not even sure we need one tree. We could have links to the parts that are best handled separately.

I have already quit using the ISOGG tree so, in the absence of a good replacement, I will continue to find the best alternative or make my own to suit nyself.

Are you not using this one http://www.yfull.com/tree/

[Cofgene]

Are you not using this one http://www.yfull.com/tree/

That is not an independent tree. Like FTDNA's internal tree it is dependent upon a subset of the data present in the community. Individuals should not have to pay $$ to have their haplogroup identified and placed on a globally referenced resource.

[Cofgene]

Cofgene:

Please do not forget that "ISOGG" is nothing more than a service mark owned and managed by Mrs. Borges, loosely applied to her personal network of friends and associates. It is not a legally registered corporation, NPO or professional association. It does not have governing bylaws, assets, or an elected board of officers. "ISOGG" cannot and will never be anything other or more than what Mrs. Borges herself will allow it to be.

The Y-tree you speak of, and the Y-tree you hope for, must be hosted and managed independently of "ISOGG". It's as simple, and as challenging, as that.

I know. But we do need to see what type of talent is available to facilitate improved operations of the successor.

[Michał]

That is not an independent tree. Like FTDNA's internal tree it is dependent upon a subset of the data present in the community. Individuals should not have to pay $$ to have their haplogroup identified and placed on a globally referenced resource.

AFAIK, you don't need to pay to have your haplogroup identified and placed on the YFull tree. You will only need to pay if you want to have access to the more detailed results of the YFull analysis (like the exact result for any SNP or nucleotide position tested, Y-DNA STRs, mtDNA, etc.).

[GTC]

ISOGG's simple HTML based tree cannot possibly be expected to cope with the tsunami of SNPs flowing from NGS techniques.

I gather that there was some talk a year or more ago within ISOGG about converting it to a model with a database at its center, but nothing came of that.

10 years down the track I think the task is now well beyond the well-meaning ISOGG volunteers and I would prefer any such tree to be managed by professionals, as long as they were independent of the testing companies.

[lgmayka]

AFAIK, you don't need to pay to have your haplogroup identified and placed on the YFull tree. You will only need to pay if you want to have access to the more detailed results of the YFull analysis (like the exact result for any SNP or nucleotide position tested, Y-DNA STRs, mtDNA, etc.).

This is unclear. Initially, YFull's policy was exactly as you describe. But YFull's web site now has a clause which sounds more like a true service contract. In practice, my observation is that if a customer forgets to pay his $49 fee, YFull not only keeps his personal results hidden but also (eventually) removes his entry from the haplotree. Even then, however, YFull's haplotree retains any new tree levels or TMRCAs added during the analysis.