Prof. Stanley Finney, chairman of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS), visited the GBDB(Geobiodiversity Database, www.geobiodiversity.com) team in Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS) on July 10, 2012, together with Academician CHEN Xu and Prof. PENG Shanchi, the vice chairman of ICS.

The leader of the GBDB team, Prof. FAN Junxuan from NIGPAS gave a comprehensive introduction on the online GBDB platform, including the section-based structure of database, data coverage, data sharing, data visualization, and analytical tools for quantitative research. Finney spoke highly of the GBDB platform and appreciated that the GBDB team aims to provide free stratigrapic information service to the public, which coincides with the goal of ICS. He also showed great interests in the new function of panoramic view of outcrops.

After the visiting, Finney said that the GBDB had been accepted as the formal stratigraphic database of ICS. He also indicated that the ICS and all its subcommissions should involve deeply in the presentation of GSSP and stratigraphic service together with the GBDB platform.