Simple way to create an interactive family tree

Recently I had my family get together and I need to create a family tree for that purpose. Our family tree has some 500 members I needed a way to quickly create the family tree. Main requirement was to link all family members so that all will know each other.

In additon, I had these requirments for creating the family tree.
  • The family tree should be accesible from any device like PC (Windows, Linux or mac etc ) and also in mobile and tablets (Android, Blackberry, IPhone, Windows Phone etc.)
  • It should be light weight so it loads up fast in any device.
  • Family tree created should be easy to navigate through.
  • It should be easy to create
I checked many family tree software, finally decided on using Space tree model of JIT javascript library. To see the family tree I created for my family visit thalassery.in/tm/ . As you can see in the tree, spouse name of each member is given in second line of each node. One advantage of this tree is that the nodes can be collapsed and expanded. All the members are given unique numbers based on their level in tree, so that each one can be referenced easily, especially when the marriages are within family.

Using the above method to create family tree would be easy for those who have knowledge about web development/ javascript but may be difficult for others. I would give step by step instructions to how to create family tree using this method if there is sufficient interest. You can request for this in the comments below.