What is the Working Group on Stratigraphic Information System (SIS)?

The Stratigraphic Information System (SIS) is a task force of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). SIS aims to promote and coordinate the gathering of selected stratigraphic information worldwide and to organize logically its presentation through the SIS/ICS website. The Subcommission’s first priority is to enable the world geoscience community to have quick and free access to a vast amount of stratigraphic information, thus helping to spread the knowledge and foster the advancement of the science globally.

Present officers

Chairman
Dr. Eduardo A. M. Koutsoukos
PETROBRAS-CENPES
Cidade Universitária, Quadra 7 - Ilha do Fundão,
21949-900 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
koutsoukos@cenpes.petrobras.com.br
Eduardo.Koutsoukos@urz.uni-heidelberg.de

1st Vice-Chairman
Dr. James S. Crampton
Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences, Gracefield Research Centre,
69 Gracefield Road, Lower Hutt, New Zealand.
j.crampton@gns.cri.nz

Secretary General
Dr. Simone Galeotti
Istituto di Geologia, Università degli Studi di Urbino, Campus Scientifico,
Località Crocicchia, 61029 Urbino, Italy.
galeotti@uniurb.it

Webmaster
Prof. Sorin Filipescu
Department of Geology, Babeş-Bolyai University, Str. Kogălniceanu 1, 3400
Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
sorin@bioge.ubbcluj.ro


Membership

Prof. Thilo Bechstädt - Lehrstuhl für Sedimentgeologie und Historische Geologie Geologisch-Paläontologisches Institut der Universität Heidelberg Im Neuenheimer Feld 234, D-69120 Heidelberg Germany, e-mail: bechstaedt@uni-hd.de
Prof. Peter Bengtson - Geologisch-Paläontologisches Institut Im Neuenheimer Feld 234, DE-69120 Heidelberg Germany, e-mail: bengtson@uni-hd.de
Dr. Roger Cooper - Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences, PO Box 30368, Lower Hutt, New Zealand, Phone 64 (4) 5704853, Fax 64 (4) 5704600, e-mail: R.Cooper@gns.cri.nz
Dr. James S. Crampton - Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences, Gracefield Research Centre, 69 Gracefield Road, Lower Hutt, New Zealand. e-mail: j.crampton@gns.cri.nz
Prof. Bernd Dietrich Erdtmann - Institut für Angewandte Geowissenschaften, Technische Universität Berlin, Sekr. EB10 D-10587 Berlin Germany, e-mail: Berni.Erdt@TU-Berlin.DE
Prof. Jorge C. Della Favera - UERJ- Faculdade de Geologia, Rua São Francisco Xavier, 52, 4o andar, Ala A, Maracanã, 20559-900 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil, e-mail: favera@uerj.br
Prof. Sorin Filipescu - Department of Geology, Babeş-Bolyai University, Str. kogălniceanu 1, 3400 Cluj-Napoca, Romania. e-mail: sorin@bioge.ubbcluj.ro
Dr. Simone Galeotti - Istituto di Geologia, Università degli Studi di Urbino, Campus Scientifico, Località Crocicchia, 61029 Urbino, Italy. e-mail: galeotti@uniurb.it
Dr. Holger Gebhardt - Christian-Albrechts Universität zu Kiel, Institut für Geowissenschaften - Mikropaläontologie Olshausenstraße 40 D-24118 Kiel Germany, e-mail: hg@gpi.uni-kiel.de
Prof. Felix M. Gradstein - Museum for Geology and Paleontology, Boks 1172 Blindern, N-0318 Oslo, Norway. Tel.: 22-851663, Fax. 22-851832, e-mail: felix.gradstein@nhm.uio.no, felix.gradstein@geologi.uio.no, felixg@ulrik.uio.no
Prof. Malcolm B. Hart - Department of Geological Sciences, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL4 8AA, Devon U.K., e-mail: M.Hart@plymouth.ac.uk
Dr. Eduardo A. M. Koutsoukos - PETROBRAS-CENPES, Cidade Universitária, Quadra 7 - Ilha do Fundáo, 21949-900 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. e-mail: koutsoukos@cenpes.petrobras.com.br
Dr. Martin A. (Marty) Perlmutter - Texaco Upstream Technology, 3901 Briarpark Houston, Texas 77042, USA, e-mail: perlmma@texaco.com
Dr. Maria Antonieta Lorente - Apdo 281 Jumilla 3050, Spain, e-mails: lorentema@geoambio.com, lorente_1954@hotmail.com
Dr. Eduardo Aldo Musacchio - UNPSJB - Laboratory of Biostratigraphy, (9000) Comodoro Rivadavia, Argentina, e-mail: aldo@unpata.edu.ar
Prof. Geoffrey Playford - Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia, e-mail: geoff@earth.uq.edu.au
Dr. Peter Szatmari - PETROBRAS-CENPES, Cidade Universitária, Quadra 7 Ilha do Fundão, 21949-900 Rio de Janeiro, RJ Brazil, e-mail: szatmari@cenpes.petrobras.com.br

Admission of new members:
Decision on the admission of all members is the responsability of the SIS Membership Committee and the Executive of the IUGS Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS).

Interface with other international projects
The SIS will have a close interaction with CHRONOS, a U.S.A. national initiative sponsored by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Geoscience Directorate to develop a network of interactive chronostratigraphy and stratigraphic databases. In addition, SIS will interface and collaborate with the NEPTUNE database Project, a stratigraphic information system about Cenozoic marine microfossil biogeochronology of the DSDP and ODP, currently curated by Michael Knappertsbusch (Natural History Museum, Basel). It is also important to note that several active participants of the late IGCP Project 381 (South Atlantic Mesozoic Correlations), which was concluded on February 2000 and coordinated by project leaders E. Koutsoukos (current SIS Chairman) and Peter Bengtson (University of Heidelberg), have demonstrated their support and willingness to actively collaborate with SIS, and shall play an important role in fomenting specific Task Group activities.


Goals of the Working Group on Stratigraphic Information System (SIS)

SIS goal is to gather selected stratigraphic information (such as databases, compilation of regional time scales and biozonal schemes, stratigraphic standards, and geohistory teaching modules) and develop a method of classification to organize the databases and related links, and make easy search and use of the contents through its website to the world scientific community. This way, the Working Group primarily aims to promote scientific cooperation and the advancement of the science worldwide, and to maintain the leading role of ICS in the stratigraphic information network. Therefore, to accomplish this objective we plan to carry out over the next 5 years the following tasks:
  1. Stratigraphic Database Center and Links
  2. Geologic Time Scale Information
  3. Stratigraphic Standards & Lexicons
  4. Geohistory Education & Research
Short-term goals of SIS are: to work on regional correlation frameworks and link them to the GTS2004, and increase the GSSP web displays with the standard index fossils and photographs of sections.

Accomplishments, achievements and products

The year 2002 was essentially a year of organizing the SIS structure, discussing its website design, defining the main tasks to be carried out and establishing priorities.

Liaison between SIS and CHRONOS has also been established, with an acquaintance meeting between SIS (represented by Eduardo Koutsoukos and James Crampton) and participants of the CHRONOS Steering Committee (Jim Ogg and Richard Lane), held on October 29 at the GSA Annual Meeting in Denver.




Work plan, critical milestones and anticipated results to be achieved for 2003

a. Launch the website for the SIS at the ICS server in www.stratigraphy.org, and enhance network communications with links to related/sister database websites. All stratigraphic information and links presently located in the ICS site will be moved to SIS.

b. Establish Working Subgroups to deal with key SIS objectives, as outlined above, and appoint coordinators.

c. Add three relational stratigraphic data sets derived from Geochemistry (Sr and O stable isotope variations), Paleomagnetism, Biostratigraphy and Geomathematics, to the Geochemical, Paleomagnetic and Time Scale components of SIS/ICS. These are fundamental to build a modern, updated and detailed version of the standard Phanerozoic geological time scale. Making available such international database at the SIS/ICS website will be highly valuable to the global geoscience community.

d. In addition to the website we plan to issue regularly an electronic newsletter, to be called SIS News, through the SIS/ICS website, to disseminate information on progress reports and research results by individuals and Working Groups, and announcements and reports of meetings.

e. Furthermore, a link to a thematic discussion group (electronic mailing list, called SIS-Net) could be set up within the SIS/ICS website, or alternatively spread over individual Working Group sites and linked to SIS. Its purpose would be to make it possible to exchange useful information quickly and efficiently. Scientific comments, debates, and discussions of problems within the areas of interest of Working Group members and collaborators, and specifically addressed questions, would be all encouraged, as long as they are of relevance to SIS. Maps and stratigraphic charts are of obvious interest and photographs of significantly and/or problematic fossils could be launched for discussion among specialists.

f. Hold an “ad hoc” inaugural SIS meeting, later in 2003, either in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, or Urbino, Italy. The meeting will focus on discussing specific issues related to SIS, such as objectives and organization of Task/Working Subgroups, ways of improving the SIS/ICS website (structure, quality of displays, accessibility, web nodes, etc.) and contributions, and of SIS interactions and linkages with related/sister www-database projects.


Objectives and work plan for the next 5 years (2003-2007)
The SIS will focus on a worldwide basis on the continuous gathering of selected stratigraphic information to be edited, incorporated into logically arranged interactive and user-friendly relational (oracle-type) databases, and made easily accessible through its website.


Mechanisms to foment scientific exchange and cooperation:
We envisage that a SIS Symposium (every 2 years or so) and regional thematic Task Group meetings/workshops (every year) be held periodically as a forum to where SIS-related research data and results will be presented and discussed, where specific SIS problems will be clarified and new directions appointed, as well as a means of stimulating new research to be carried out within the scope of SIS, and of facilitating scientific exchange and cooperation.

Mechanisms to update the information:
Establish well-defined mechanisms to allow constant refreshment and update of information into SIS. We may count on a chain reaction mechanism of individual and group contributions to SIS, which could be further stimulated by active thematic Task/Working Subgroup coordinators.