Massively parallel sequencing (MPS) is revolutionizing forensic DNA analysis, but the transition from traditional methods like STRs requires specialized expertise, dedicated tools, and proper metrics to ensure success.
From early methods like blood group analysis to modern approaches using massively parallel sequencing, scientists have developed quantitative techniques to measure genetic relationships.
Every detail matters and any detail could be a clue so when you use advanced DNA tools such as biogeographical ancestry analysis, you should expect, and in fact demand, a complete genomic analysis, without shortcuts.
Call rate is an indicator of data quality for microarrays but doesn't mean much for DNA sequencing, and since microarrays are wrong for forensics samples, we need to move past call rates and agree on better quality metrics.
Degradation index is useful for STR typing but irrelevant for SNP testing, especially with modern DNA sequencing, since SNPs can be measured from much shorter DNA fragments than STRs.
Q scores are an important measure of DNA sequencing accuracy, but in forensic genetic genealogy, sequencing depth and other metrics are more critical for accurately detecting SNPs and building ultra-sensitive DNA profiles.