DNAGedcom Autosomal Tools

DNAGedcom Client includes a suite of autosomal DNA analysis tools designed to help you identify patterns and relationships among your DNA matches. These tools use your gathered match, In Common With (ICW), chromosome, and ancestor data to organize matches into meaningful groups.

Available Tools

Warthen Interactive Cluster Gold

An advanced interactive clustering tool that combines hierarchical analysis with superclusters and an ancestor overlay. View your clusters in a zoomable, pannable heatmap directly inside the Client — click cells to view chromosome segments and common ancestors, navigate between clusters, and export results as HTML or Excel. Supports two clustering algorithms: Threshold (Collins-Leeds Method) and Hierarchical.

Collins-Leeds Method (CLM)

The Collins Leeds Method uses a grid (often called a matrix) to show your matches arrayed in groups (clusters). Membership in clusters is based on matches sharing other matches in common (ICW) with your selected kit. Cluster members share a common line of descent within a few generations, often even the same ancestors. Output is an HTML file and Excel workbook. CLM supports both database kits and external CSV file imports.

Chromosome Matrix App (CMA)

CMA is a chromosome-focused analysis tool that organizes matches by shared DNA segments on specific chromosomes. Unlike other tools that rely primarily on ICW relationships, CMA uses actual chromosome segment data to create a matrix showing which matches share overlapping regions of DNA. Requires chromosome segment data in addition to match and ICW data.

Shared Clustering

Based on the original Shared Clustering algorithm by Jonathan Brecher. Uses hierarchical agglomerative clustering to group matches based on the strength and pattern of their ICW relationships — including both direct ICW connections and indirect paths through shared intermediaries. Produces an HTML report with cluster list and optional heatmap visualization, plus optional Excel output.

Matches

The Matches viewer is a sortable, filterable table of every gathered match for a selected kit, with shared cM, segment counts, vendor and calculated relationships, tree links, and direct links to each match's vendor profile. You can select matches with checkboxes to compare shared segments side by side in the built-in chromosome browser. Useful both as a starting point for triaging a new gather and for drilling into specific matches that show up in your clustering results.

Vendor Compatibility

Tool	A*	23andMe	FTDNA	MyHeritage‡	GEDmatch‡
Warthen Interactive Cluster	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
CLM	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
CMA	No*	Yes†	Yes	Yes	Yes
Shared Clustering	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Matches	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

*CMA requires chromosome segment data, and A* does not provide chromosome segments through any of its products. (CMA can still operate on chromosome data already in your database from another source, but you can't gather A* chromosome segments to feed it.)

†23andMe chromosome segment data requires a 23andMe+ Premium subscription. Free 23andMe accounts cannot access this data, so CMA has no chromosome data to work with on a free 23andMe kit.

‡Gathering from MyHeritage and GEDmatch is currently unavailable while support for those services is being rebuilt. The Autosomal tools continue to work on data already gathered before the outage and on CSV imports, and will work on fresh gathers again once those services are re-enabled.

Data Requirements

All clustering tools require that you first gather data from your DNA testing service using the Gather tools in the Client. The specific data needed varies by tool:

Data Type	How to Gather	Used By
Matches	Gather Matches from your DNA service	All tools (required)
ICW (In Common With)	Gather ICW from your DNA service	All tools (required)
Chromosome Segments	Gather Chromosome data from your DNA service	CMA (required), WIC and CLM (optional)
Ancestors / Trees	Gather Tree data from your DNA service	WIC, CLM, and CMA (optional)

Choosing the Right Tool

Different tools use different approaches to analyze the same data. Running multiple tools on the same kit can provide additional confidence in your findings or reveal alternative groupings.

• Warthen Interactive Cluster — Best for interactive exploration. Use when you want to zoom into clusters, see ancestor overlays, and browse chromosome data all in one view. The most feature-rich tool, but requires a Gold subscription.
• Collins-Leeds Method (CLM) — Best for a traditional matrix-style clustering view with broad compatibility. Supports external CSV file import and produces both HTML and Excel output.
• Chromosome Matrix App (CMA) — Best when chromosome segment data is your focus. The only tool that lets you focus on individual chromosomes.
• Shared Clustering — Best for a straightforward, algorithmic clustering with clean output. Simple to configure with good defaults. A good starting point if you're new to clustering.
• Matches — Best for browsing and triaging individual matches rather than producing groupings. Reach for it when you want to look at a specific match's shared cM, vendor profile, or chromosome browser comparison — or when a clustering result has surfaced a match you want to dig into. Pairs well with the other tools rather than replacing them.

File-Based Kits

CLM and CMA also support importing data from external CSV files rather than using gathered database data. This is useful when working with exported data files from DNA services, when you want to modify match or ICW files to exclude specific matches before clustering, or when you want to save a “snapshot” of your data for comparison against future gathers. Supported CSV file formats include exports from A*, FTDNA, and GEDmatch.