WO2019153054A1

WO2019153054A1 - System and method of identifying, and making available, information relating to persons or events

Info

Publication number: WO2019153054A1
Application number: PCT/AU2019/050108
Authority: WO
Inventors: James Edward HURST
Original assignee: Project Legacy Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2018-02-12
Filing date: 2019-02-12
Publication date: 2019-08-15
Also published as: AU2019216884A1

Abstract

A computer implemented system enabling information relating to persons or events to be made available by a user to one or more other users, the system including a user interface, a coordinate system, and a mapping application, wherein the user interface enables the user to navigate the coordinate system by the use of the mapping application to identify the person or event, and enter, amend and/or delete information in a database, relating to the person or event.

Description

SYSTEM AND METHOD OF IDENTIFYING, AND MAKING AVAILABLE, INFORMATION RELATING TO PERSONS OR EVENTS

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a system and method for enabling information relating to persons or events, such as, but not limited to, deceased family members or significant events in history, to be made available, to, for example, the general public.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Computer software applications providing systems and methods for searching and identifying information regarding persons of interest (for example, family ancestors) or events in history are presently available. One example is ancestry.com, which is an online application that enables a user to locate and gather information regarding their genealogy. Such information is extracted from existing and publicly accessible records and/or from official registries such as the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.

[0003] However there are many countries in which accurate records have not been maintained or have been lost due to, for example, war, natural or man-made disasters, social and economic oppression. As a result, it is often difficult for many people to trace their genealogical history or find lost family members using the internet or applications such as ancestry.com, since official records, such as Birth, Marriage and Death Certificates, either do not exist, have not been maintained or have not been accurately recorded.

[0004] In addition, the personal records maintained in presently available computer software applications are not able to be updated by persons having direct knowledge and/or experience regarding family members, and hence, the records only reflect official records and information that is publicly available such as published historical information. Accordingly, information regarding family ancestors is often not recorded, and as a consequence, much of our history is being lost.

[0005] Another challenge that is often encountered by persons seeking to learn about their genealogy, is a lack of knowledge with respect to names of present and/or deceased family members or family associates. Accordingly, in order to successfully identify information regarding a family member or ancestor, a searcher is required to have accurate details including a name of the person they seek to identify. This presents difficulties in identifying and/or locating people in situations where people change their names, either through marriage or other circumstances, or when people have common names. Such difficulties make identifying/locating a person problematic and even sometimes impossible.

[0006] In addition, conventional methods and systems for identifying information relating to persons or events of interest also make searching for people and events difficult, if not impossible, due to the vast volume of information captured and available on data communication networks such as the internet. Searching with the use of applications such as Google, often returns many results that are not relevant to the person of particular interest to the searcher.

[0007] A further disadvantage associated with conventional methods and computer software applications for identifying information relating to persons and events of interest is that the searcher is often required to filter a vast amount of information available on the internet which requires the searcher to enter specific search criteria in searching tools which often yields incorrect results due to the entry of inappropriate search criteria. Accordingly it is difficult, if not impossible, to identify information regarding persons or events of interest.

[0008] A still further disadvantage is that the majority of information publicly available with regard to a particular event is generated by the media, and hence is often not an accurate representation of the facts associated with the event. Presently, there are limited opportunities in which any member of the public can provide their personal account and/or experience of an event, and if they do record it, for example, on the internet, the same issues associated with identifying such information exists for reasons discussed above.

[0009] Accordingly, difficulties presently exist associated with the ability to identify, locate and contact persons within an associated extended network or group of people. Difficulties also presently exist regarding the ability to add information to a body of knowledge, associated with persons or events of interest. [0010] The present invention is intended to address at least some of the above disadvantages associated with conventional methods of identifying and recording information associated with persons or events of interest.

[0011] The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgement or any suggestion that the prior art forms part of the common general knowledge.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Aspects and embodiments of the invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying figures.

[0013] In one aspect, the present invention provides a computer implemented system enabling information relating to persons or events to be made available by a user to one or more other users, the system including: a user interface, a coordinate system, and a mapping application, wherein the user interface enables the user to, navigate the coordinate system by the use of the mapping application to identify the person or event, and enter, amend and/or delete information in a database, relating to the person or event.

[0014] In an embodiment, the information relating to the person or event includes a genealogical chart (sometimes known as a family tree) associated with the person or event.

[0015] In an embodiment, the genealogical chart displays the contact details of one or more members within the genealogical chart. In this way, contact and communication between family members, who may or may not be known to each other, can be initiated/facilitated as a result of sharing a common ancestor.

[0016] In an embodiment, the information relating to a person includes a medical history of the person. The medical history may also include details regarding a family medical history and may further include details regarding the family history pertaining to one or more members within a genealogical chart. Accordingly, users (i.e., family members) are able to access medical information with respect members of their extended family, whether such persons are known to them or not. It will be appreciated that the ability to access a medical history regarding family members (including family members that are not known to the user) may be particularly useful for persons seeking to gain an understanding regarding their own personal health and any potential medical risk factors or characteristics. In this regard, genetic diseases such as heart disease, breast/bowel cancer and other various auto-immune diseases are often passed onto descendants. It will also be appreciated that the ability to access a medical history regarding family members (including unknown and deceased family members) may also result in improved or expedited diagnosis of disease and may also prompt a user to seek medical attention/intervention earlier than they may otherwise. This is particularly useful for any medical conditions where early diagnosis dramatically improves patient outcomes, for example, breast cancer.

[0017] In another embodiment, the medical information includes general health (such as height and weight from birth to adulthood), behavioural traits and characteristics which may be of particular interest to distant family members.

[0018] In an embodiment, the information relating to the person includes a cause of death. This may be in the form of, for example, text or a death certificate. The information relating to the cause of death may pertain to one or more members within a genealogical chart. Accordingly, in this embodiment, users (i.e., family members) are able to access information relating to the cause of death with respect to members of their extended family, whether such persons are known to them or not.

[0019] In an embodiment, the user interface also enables a user who enters information regarding a person or event, to also enter their own contact details and therefore make themselves contactable by one or more other users.

[0020] The contact details may include, but are not limited to, any one or more of a name, telephone number, email address, postal address, or a link to professional or social networking site such as a Linkedin profile or Facebook page.

[0021] The user interface, in an embodiment, may also enable one or more users to search the coordinate system by the use of the mapping application in order to search for, and identify, information pertaining to a person or event that has been entered by another user.

[0022] For example, if a user desires to locate information relating to their genealogy, yet only has limited information, e.g., a geographical region in which their surname is popular (for example, the surname“Rossini” is popular in the north of Italy), the user can navigate to that known geographical location using the mapping application of the present invention, and identify any information associated with persons having the same surname and similar profiles/family trees. It will be understood that such information may have been entered or“pinned” to a particular location by one or more other users according to the system and method of the present invention.

[0023] It will also be appreciated that such information can include, but is not limited to, family trees, historical accounts relating to various family members and/or family events, photographs, video material, eulogies, obituaries, biographies, autobiographies, and contact details of various family members including links to various social or professional networking sites, for example, Facebook and Linkedin.

[0024] In an embodiment, the coordinate system is associated with a geographical map.

[0025] In an embodiment, the one or more users are able to enter information, and/or search the coordinate system, according to a location, date, or date range.

[0026] For example, a user can enter or“pin” information at a particular geographic location and at a particular point in time (or time period) with regard to a deceased family member. The user can enter details such as the place and date of death of the family member and write or attach, for example, their family tree, a eulogy about that family member and their personal contact details in the event they desire to be contacted by one or more other users. It will be appreciated that this information will remain as a historical record, that can be accessed and viewed by anybody having an interest in the user, or the user’s deceased family member.

[0027] It will also be appreciated that one or more users of the system and method of the invention may also able to enter, amend and/or delete information relating to a person or event in respect of which information has been entered by another user.

[0028] Accordingly, if another user navigates, in this embodiment, a geographical map using the mapping application of the present invention and identifies information regarding a person of interest that happens to be the deceased family member discussed in the example above, if the other user also knew that family member and preferred to add to the body of knowledge and accessible information regarding the deceased person , the user could either contact the user who initially posted information regarding their deceased family member, and request permission to update the deceased persons profile. It will be appreciated that, in this embodiment, permission is required to be sought by another user from the user who initially pinned in the information in order to update or amend such information. It will be appreciated, however, that in other embodiments, the present invention contemplates the updating of information located in the database by a user and in the absence of any permission.

[0029] For example, if a user desired to provide and share an account of their own personal experience regarding a significant event in history (for example, the US (“9/1 1”) terror attack in New York on the 1 1 ^th of September 201 1 ) the user could navigate to the geographic location: 285 Fulton Street, New York, NY 10007, USA, select the date 1 1 September 201 1 , and post their comments, photographs and contact details.

[0030] Accordingly, the present invention in various embodiments assists in capturing historical information associated with persons and events, present or historical, according to the knowledge and/or experience of members of the public associated with such persons or events. It will be appreciated that this is expected to provide a more accurate and intimate account of persons and events, as opposed, to information published by groups such as, for example, the media or government bodies.

[0031] In another aspect, the present invention provides a computer implemented system enabling information relating to persons or events to be identified by one or more users, the system including: a user interface; a coordinate system; and a mapping application; wherein the user interface enables the user to: navigate the coordinate system by the use of the mapping application to identify information relating to the person or event; wherein the information relating to the person or event includes a network of associations associated with the person or event.

[0032] It will be appreciated that the network of associations may include any type of group or association such as, for example, a sporting group or members of a graduating class that attended a particular educational institution.

[0033] In an embodiment, the network of associations may also include the contact details of one or members within the network. The contact details may include, but are not limited to, any one or more of a name, telephone number, email address, postal address, or a link to a professional or social networking site such as a Linkedin profile or Facebook page.

[0034] In an embodiment, the network of associations may include a dendritic association, for example, a genealogical chart in which the branched relationship between various members of a family are shown.

[0035] In an embodiment, once information relating to a person or event has been identified by the one or more users, the one or more users are also able to enter, amend and/or delete information in a database relating to the person or event.

[0036] In another aspect, the present invention provides a method for enabling information relating to persons or events to be made available by a user to one or more other users, the method including: the user accessing a computer-implemented system through a user interface, wherein the system includes a coordinate system, and a mapping application, the user navigating the coordinate system using the mapping application associated with the coordinate system to identify the person or event, and the user entering, amending and/or deleting information into a database relating to the person or event using the mapping application associated with the coordinate system.

[0037] In yet another aspect, the present invention provides a method for enabling information relating to persons or events to be identified by one or more users, the method including: the user accessing a computer-implemented system through a user interface, wherein the system includes a coordinate system, and a mapping application, the user navigating the coordinate system using the mapping application associated with the coordinate system to identify the person or event, wherein the information relating to the person or event includes a network of associations associated with the person or event. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] Figure 1 provides a conceptual illustration of a system in accordance with an embodiment of the invention identifying primary system components and how the components relate to one another to allow a user to either enter, or search for, information relating to a person or event;

[0039] Figure 2 provides a conceptual illustration detailing the association between the mapping application and a coordinate system and also illustrating the entry of a user’s personal information into a database in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

[0040] Figure 3 illustrates a list of possible attributes that may be associated with an information“pin” with a description/purpose of each attribute in addition to an example of each possible attribute;

[0041] Figure 4 provides a conceptual illustration depicting how attributes are linked to an information pin to provide more information associated with a person, or an event, to facilitate interaction between two parties;

[0042] Figure 5 provides an example of a user interface in accordance with an embodiment of the invention detailing an embedded mapping application, various “pinned” information and the contact details of a person who pinned the information and the search filter adopted by a user to limit and/or focus a search;

[0043] Figure 6 is a block diagram depicting how a system may be used in accordance with an embodiment of the invention enabling a user to“drop a pin” in order to enter information about a person, or event, in order to make such information available to one or more users;

[0044] Figure 7 is a block diagram depicting how a system may be used in accordance with an embodiment of the invention by a user to search for a person, or event, according to a known location associated with the person or event;

[0045] Figure 8 is provides an example of a user interface that a user encounters upon attempting to access a system in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; and [0046] Figure 9 provides an example of a user interface showing the results of a search in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT(S) OF THE INVENTION

[0047] A system according to an embodiment of the invention is illustrated in Figure 1 wherein the system components and their interrelationship is illustrated. In this embodiment, a computer-implemented system (1 ) that may be any device including, but not limited to, a personal computer, laptop, mobile phone or iPad, is accessed through user interface (3) and includes mapping application (5) associated with geographic coordinate (grid/coordinate) system (7), Mapping application (5), for example Google Maps, allows a user to search one or more databases (9) of information in order locate one or more information pins (1 1 ) associated with a person or event of interest. Figure 1 also shows that one or more buoys (1 1 ) is/are associated with one or more links (13) to any third party website including professional or social networking sites such as, but not limited to, Facebook and/or Linkedin.

[0048] The illustration of Figure 1 also depicts an inwardly facing arrow (15) that demonstrates the entry of information by a user onto system (1 ) and in particular in database (9) in relation to a person (which could be themselves) or an event. Figure 1 also depicts an outwardly facing arrow (17) that demonstrates searching by another user when the other user seeks to identify any information made available in relation to a person or an event of interest.

[0049] Any first time user seeking to enter discoverable personal information must initially register on the system (1 ) and create a profile by providing, as a minimum, a user name and password. In order to re-enter the system (1 ), the user will necessarily undergo an authentication process and re-enter their username and password thereby ensuring a secure system that only allows a user’s personal details and/or discoverable information to be updated/altered after entry of the correct authentication details. Of course, if a user only seeks to search for information regarding persons of interest, it may not be necessary to create a profile and the user may access the system (1 ) in the absence of any authentication step.

[0050] The system (1 ) shown in Figure 1 may be a computer system, one or more computer applications, or any device with a user interface that allows a user to access the system (1 ). The system (1 ) may be a stand-alone system that provides all the necessary functionality to allow a user to access, search and enter (or“pin”) information. In other embodiments, the system (1 ) may be embedded within another third party system, such as Google Maps, that provides either all, or at least some, of the features/applications to allow a user to search and pin information. Alternatively, the system (1 ) may provide additional functionality to an existing third party application such that it enables a user to search and pin information. The system (1 ) may be publicly accessible through the internet, or it may be a private program with restricted access.

[0051] It will be appreciated that the system and method of the present invention addresses the difficulty that confronts many people when attempting to identify information regarding family members, alive and deceased, using data communication networks such as the internet, conventional search tools such as the telephone directory, or specific genealogy subscription-based websites such as ancestry.com. Searching for information regarding persons or events of interest is often tedious and can often yield either no results or a vast amount of results that, due to the large volume, ceases to be useful or provide any assistance with respect to locating such information.

[0052] In an embodiment, the system and method of the invention enables information relating to persons or events of interest to be searched geographically. Accordingly, any user seeking to identify information relating to one or more persons or events of interest, can conduct a search on the basis of a geographic area or location that is known to have an association with the person or event of interest.

[0053] The following description relates to a specific embodiment of the system and method of the invention. However, it will be appreciated by skilled readers that the invention is not limited to the specific features of the described system and method.

[0054] In the embodiment shown in Figure 2, the system is constructed as a stand alone computer system that embeds a mapping application (20) such as Google maps. Google maps is particularly suited for use in the described embodiment of system of the present invention as it will be appreciated that this application operates on a variety of platforms and has an extensive application programming interface (API), wherein the API enables Google maps to be embedded within other applications and also allows other features/applications to be overlaid on the maps. Whilst Google Maps is a preferred mapping application, other mapping applications such as Apple or Bing maps may be used with the system and method of the present invention. [0055] The mapping application (20) provides the functionality that allows a user to identify information relating to a person or event of interest on a map (geographic coordinate system (22)) where one or more information pins (24) are operable to be “dropped” into one or more databases (26) of information (28). Additionally, the mapping application (20) also allows a user to locate the area upon which they intend to search for any information relating to pins that have been“dropped” by other users.

[0056] In the embodiment shown in Figure 2, the geographic coordinate system (22) uses the global spherical (latitudinal/longitudinal) coordinate system used to specify the position of a point on the earth’s surface. It will appreciated that other coordinate systems may be suitable for use in the system of the present invention including map projection models that are typically used to project maps of the earth’s spherical surface onto a two-dimensional Cartesian (X/Y) coordinate plane. Other coordinate systems that may be used within the system of the present invention may have one, two or multiple dimensions depending upon the application.

[0057] In the instance that information relating to a number of persons or events occurring at different elevations with respect to a particular geographical location (e.g. different floors of a multi-story building or apartment complex), the co-ordinate system may accommodate this eventuality. Alternatively, when seeking to enter information regarding a person or event at a geographical location with more than one possible elevation, the system may prompt the user to include additional information to define the elevation pertaining to the person or event (e.g. floor number or level).

[0058] With further reference to Figure 2, information pin (24) represents information relating to a person of interest (Joe Citizen) having an association with the location at which pin (24) was dropped by another user. An example of the information associated with a particular pin is shown in Figure 3, in which each information pin or record within database (26) has attributes such as those shown in Figure 3. In an embodiment, each dropped pin is implemented as a row, or record, in a spatial database.

[0059] In the embodiment shown in Figure 2, associated with the information (28) is a link (30) as shown in Figure 4. Link (30) is implemented as a URL hyperlink to a genealogy website such as ancestry.com and is one of the attributes captured in the information pin (24) as is identified in Figure 3. Alternatively, a user may upload a family tree directly into database (26) which may be accessed and viewed by one or more other users having an interest in the same person or event. In one embodiment, the link is implemented as a URL hyperlink to a database of personal accounts regarding an event.

[0060] The system and method of the present invention preferably enables a user to search for, and/or enter/amend/delete, information relating to a person or event of interest in the absence of any special skills. In an embodiment, a single web page user interface enables a user to search and/or enter information regarding persons or events of interest on the same webpage. An example of an interface that may be used with the system and method of the present invention is shown in Figure 5. It will be appreciated that the interface shown in Figure 5 represents only one possible configuration and other interface configurations are possible.

[0061] Preferably, the user interface will support at least two user interactions including“pinning” and“searching”. In other embodiments, the user interface supports a range of additional functions including, but not limited to:

• Setting user preferences/user details;

• Obtaining/providing help and information;

• Entering user registration details;

• Logout/exit functions;

• Allowing a user to update or delete pins;

• Allow a user to report pins that are considered inappropriate/inaccurate; and/or

• Allow a user to obtain/set a new password.

[0062] The system will also desirably have one or more security features to prevent unwanted pinning and saving of information pins by automated programs (i.e. non-human users).

[0063] The steps involved in a user pinning information onto a system in accordance with an embodiment of the invention is shown in the block diagram of Figure 6.

[0064] The first step involves accessing the system through a user interface associated with the system that is available across the internet. The user is able to access the system by launching a browser and entering a URL upon which the user is presented with a login page as shown in Figure 8. [0065] Authentication of the user is required and accordingly the user is prompted to enter their username and password. Upon providing the correct username and password details, the user is directed to a system profile which may contain personal details of the user such as their name and any links to associated social media profiles which could be used to auto-populate information pins.

[0066] Once the user is directed to their system profile, the user will typically select a geographic location in respect of which they seek to enter information (i.e., drop a pin) in relation to a person or event.

[0067] A user may prefer to enter information relating to themselves onto the system database such as an autobiography, or some other person of interest, and make themselves contactable by providing their contact details, for example, a link to their Facebook page. In order to drop a pin and enter such information, the user navigates Google Maps by dragging their electronic input device (i.e., pointer) over the map in order to identify a geographic location of interest (latitude/longitude coordinates), for example, of their current residence, to which their profile is to be pinned.

[0068] Once the geographic location has been identified, the user may then“drop” a pin by selecting a location with their electronic input device designating the desired geographic location. Preferably, the information pin includes a URL link to their social media profile which is auto-populated upon the user“dropping” the pin. The user may also prefer to upload, or attach, a family tree, photographs and enter comments, facts, and/or anecdotes about the person of interest. Once the user saves the information, the information pin and associated information is available for identification by other users.

[0069] The user may continue to“drop” further pins or may elect to search for further information relating to the same person or other persons or events of interest, or may elect to exit the system.

[0070] The steps involved in a user searching for information within a system in accordance with an embodiment of the invention is shown in Figure 7.

[0071] The first step involves accessing the system through a user interface associated with the system that is available on the internet. The user is able to access the system by launching a browser and entering a URL upon which the user is presented with a login page as shown in Figure 8. [0072] If authentication of the user is required, the user will be prompted to enter their username and password. Upon providing the correct username and password details, the user is directed to the system profile which may contain personal details of the user such as their name and any links to associated social media profiles which could be used to auto-populate the information pins.

[0073] Once the user is directed to their system profile, the user will typically need to select a geographic location within which they propose to search for information.

[0074] As a means of focusing or limiting the search results returned, a user may refine their search by entering search criteria such as a specific date range within a search filter located on the user interface. An example of a search filter according to an embodiment is shown in the interface in Figure 9.

[0075] Once the desired geographic location has been selected and search criteria have been entered in the search filter, the user searches for information associated with persons of interest by navigating Google Maps and dragging their electronic input device (or pointer) over the map to locate a position of interest (latitude/longitude coordinates), for example, a known former residence of a deceased family member. In an embodiment, search criteria relating to the time period over which the search should occur is also selected using an electronic input device (or pointer) to define a time period.

[0076] As the user navigates the system, a search query is performed on the spatial database to identify any results/records in the search area that match the search (filtering) criteria. These records/results are overlaid on the map as shown in Figure 9 which are visible to the user and which, when selected, provide information about the person of interest as is shown in the example of Figure 5.

[0077] The user performing the search is able to enter their contact details and associate same with any saved record to facilitate communication with the user who initially pinned the information, or any other users having an interest in the same person. Alternatively, the user performing the search may elect to directly contact the user who initially pinned the information (preferably through a link connected to the social media profile), in an attempt to initiate a discussion and/or seek permission to update the information relating to the person of interest. [0078] In the instance where there are numerous results to display in a geographic area, a summary marker is shown at that particular location (for example, the summary marker (23) shown in figure 9), that indicates how many records (pins) exist at the location that matches the entered search or filter criteria. The user may refine a search to further limit the results/records returned.

[0079] Accommodating the possibility of numerous elevations at a particular geographic location at the time of receiving information enables the system to graphically identify different elevations when a search result includes more than one relevant result at the same location. For example, the search results at different elevations for the same geographical location may be graphically represented in different coloured pins or may be identified with a graphical representation of a stack of pins. The stack of pins may be unstacked by selection of the stack of pins with the user’s electronic pointing device and selection of a specific unstacked pin to display information relating to a particular person or event is subsequently possible.

[0080] Once information relating to a person or event of interest has been identified, the user may continue to search for information to identify further information relating to persons, or events, of interest or may“drop” one or more pins in order to make themselves contactable or may elect to exit the system.

[0081] Throughout this specification and claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word “comprise”, and variations such as “comprises” and “comprising”, will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated feature or step, or group of features or steps, but not the exclusion of any other feature or step or group of features or steps.

[0082] It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the relevant field of technology that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the invention as detailed in the embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all aspects as illustrative and not restrictive.

Claims

The claims defining the invention are as follows:

1 . A computer implemented system enabling information relating to persons or events to be made available by a user to one or more other users, the system including: a user interface;

a coordinate system; and

a mapping application;

wherein the user interface enables the user to:

navigate the coordinate system by the use of the mapping application to identify the person or event; and

enter, amend and/or delete information in a database, relating to the person or event.

2. A computer implemented system according to claim 1 or, wherein the information relating to the person includes a genealogical chart.

3. A computer implemented system according to claim 2, wherein the genealogical chart displays the contact details of one or more members within the genealogical chart.

4. A computer implemented system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the information relating to the person includes a medical history.

5. A computer implemented system according to claim 4 wherein the medical history is a family medical history.

6. A computer implemented system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the information relating to the person includes a cause of death.

7. A computer implemented system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the user interface also enables a user who enters information regarding a person or event, to also enter their own contact details and therefore make themselves contactable by one or more other users.

8. A computer implemented system according to claim 7, wherein the contact details include any one or more of a name, telephone number, email address, postal address, Linkedin profile or Facebook page.

9. A computer implemented system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the user interface also enables one or more users to search the coordinate system by the use of the mapping application in order to search for, and identify, information pertaining to a person or event that has been entered by another user.

10. A computer implemented system according to claim 9, wherein the one or more users are able to search the coordinate system according to a date, or date range.

1 1 . A computer implemented system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the one or more users are also able to enter, amend and/or delete information relating to a person or event in respect of which information has been entered by another user.

12. A computer implemented system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the coordinate system is associated with a geographical map.

13. A computer implemented system enabling information relating to persons or events to be identified by one or more users, the system including:

a user interface;

a coordinate system; and

a mapping application;

wherein the user interface enables the user to:

navigate the coordinate system by the use of the mapping application to identify information relating to the person or event;

wherein the information relating to the person or event includes a network of associations associated with the person or event.

14. A computer implemented system according to claim 13, wherein the network of associations includes the contact details of one or members within the network.

15. A computer implemented system according to either one of claims 13 or 14, wherein the network of associations includes a genealogical chart.

16. A computer implemented system according to any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein the one or more users are able to enter, amend and/or delete information in a database relating to the person or event.

17. A computer-implemented method for enabling information relating to persons or events to be made available by a user to one or more other users, the method including:

the user accessing a computer-implemented system through a user interface, wherein the system includes a coordinate system, and a mapping application; the user navigating the coordinate system using the mapping application associated with the coordinate system to identify the person or event; and

the user entering, amending and/or deleting information in a database relating to the person or event using the mapping application associated with the coordinate system.

18. A method according to claim 17, wherein the information relating to the person includes a genealogical chart.

19. A method according to either claim 17 or claim 18, wherein the information relating to the person includes a medical history.

20. A method for enabling information relating to persons or events to be identified by one or more users, the method including:

the user accessing a computer-implemented system through a user interface, wherein the system includes a coordinate system, and a mapping application; and the user navigating the coordinate system using the mapping application associated with the coordinate system to identify the person or event; and