text: user6728: Background:
  I am looking for some advice on the use of SNP variants versus INDEL variants for determining Genetic Genealogy, specifically for determining accurately the "START" and "END" of shared DNA segments (shared between two DNA testers' results). The test data used is RAW DNA from direct to consumer DNA testing companies such as AncestryDNA and 23andMe.
  Question:
  For the purpose of Genetic Genealogy, are the INDEL variants as useful as the SNP variants? Should the INDEL variants be ignored? Or, alternatively, do the INDEL variants hold a greater significance than the SNP variants?
  I hope that using INDEL variants would increase the data in the comparison algorithm, thus increasing the certainty and resolution when determining each shared segment.
  
  user3233: InDels are just as informative, but are less reliable to call. Errors should be averaged out in this kind of analysis though (so long as they don't predominate).
  Both SNPs and InDels are valid data points to consider when comparing triads, but identifying IBD segments will only ever be probabilistic.
  
original_text: 6728: <p><strong>Background:</strong>
  I am looking for some advice on the use of SNP variants versus INDEL variants for determining Genetic Genealogy, specifically for determining accurately the "START" and "END" of shared DNA segments (shared between two DNA testers' results). The test data used is RAW DNA from direct to consumer DNA testing companies such as AncestryDNA and 23andMe.</p>
  
  <p><strong>Question:</strong>
  For the purpose of Genetic Genealogy, are the INDEL variants as useful as the SNP variants? Should the INDEL variants be ignored? Or, alternatively, do the INDEL variants hold a greater significance than the SNP variants?</p>
  
  <p>I hope that using INDEL variants would increase the data in the comparison algorithm, thus increasing the certainty and resolution when determining each shared segment.</p>
   3233: <p>InDels are just as informative, but are less reliable to call. Errors should be averaged out in this kind of analysis though (so long as they don't predominate).</p>
  
  <p>Both SNPs and InDels are valid data points to consider when comparing triads, but identifying IBD segments will only ever be probabilistic.</p>
  