Question

What exactly is a "Gedcom" data? What does it stand for, and what is it used for?

Answer 1

The Gedcom file is a format for exchanging genealogical data. It was invented in the previous century to send data to the Mormones. See the Wiki lemna for history.

It can be used to import data into WikiTree via a specific process that tries to match WikiTree profiles. You can also download data from Wikitree and import it into your own software or other sites.

In general it is really old and limited in use, but still promoted a lot. Modern day software developers work with APIs and Linked Open Data to combine and exchange data.

Answer 2

GedCom stands for Genealogical Data Communications. It is a way to download data from a genealogy program and then upload it to another venue. In other words, download genealogy data from your computer program or an Ancestry or other online tree and then upload it to another tree such as WikiTree.

The downside is that not all of the information is transmitted - such as media. And, when uploading to an online site such as WikiTree, each profile needs to be cleaned up as the sources do not upload in a desirable format. So, they have to be cleaned and made more readable.

I hope this helps explain it and there is more help here:

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Help:GEDCOM

Answer 3

Check out the Help Page on WikiTree for GEDCOM. It has short explanation of the software format, and explains & links to the Upload and Download of GEDCOM on WikiTree.

To open a GEDCOM, there's various software to choose from, but Gramps is a reliable cross-platform option (Windows, MAC, Linux) that's long been used by open source enthusiasts, although other paid options might be easier to use. But if you just want to download a GEDCOM from WikiTree and open up a part of a tree on your desk ... Gramps is free option.

DL page for Gramps: 

https://gramps-project.org/blog/download/