StrataData Staff and Associates
Paul Britton - Geological Software Engineer and Director
Rosa Townsend - Designer and Programmer, Geological Software
Peter Norton - Software Engineer
Paul Britton BSc
- 1992 - present: Director/Geological software engineer, StrataData Ltd.
- 1986 - 1992: Geological software engineer, Stratigraphy Branch, BP Research
- 1984 - 1986: Database administrator, Stratigraphy Branch, BP Research
Paul has been working since 1979 on data processing and computer applications development in the oil industry. He has been responsible for the overall design and implementation of StrataBugs on both PC and Unix platforms, and provides end user and StrataBugs system administrator support and training.
Prior to forming StrataData, he was primarily responsible for the development, enhancement and maintenance of BUGS, the BP global biostratigraphy system.
Paul currently works in Java and C++ on the Windows platform. He has experience in database design with ORACLE and Access, and a wide experience of other operating system environments and languages.
Paul has a degree in geology and experience in marine seismic survey navigation data processing. He has also published on biostratigraphic database design and implementation.
Rosa Townsend (née Britton) BSc
- 2010 - present: Programmer and Designer, StrataData Ltd.
- 2006 - 2010: University of East Anglia, BSc Environmental Science.
Rosa was heavily involved with the roll-out, support and documentation of StrataBugs Version 2, focusing on GUI design and workflow. By working closely with StrataBugs users she has developed a thorough understanding of the problems facing biostratigraphers and enjoys translating their ideas into exciting new features. More recently she has taken a leading role creating and supporting the v2.1 Charts module. She is an Oracle Certified Java Associate, and also has skills using Adobe Creative Suite for graphic and web design. She has taught StrataBugs training courses around the world, including the new MSc course at Birmingham, UK.
Peter Norton Bsc
Associates
John Athersuch BSc, PhD, C Geol, FGS
- 2020 - present: Director/Biostratigrapher, BioChron Ltd.
- 1992 - 2020: Managing Director/Biostratigrapher, StrataData Ltd
- 1989 - 1992: Head of Biostratigraphic Computing Section, BP Research
- 1987 - 1989: Senior Biostratigrapher, Applied R&D Section, BP Research
- 1985 - 1987: Senior Biostratigrapher, BP Exploration, Guangzhou, China
- 1982 - 1985: Head of Micropalaeontology Section, BP Research
- 1978 - 1982: Biostratigrapher, BP Research, Sunbury
John has spent 35 years working in the petroleum industry on both research and operational aspects of biostratigraphy. His experience covers a wide range of microfossil groups of all ages and a good working knowledge of allied exploration disciplines. He has held a number of managerial posts and was responsible for the introduction, development and documentation of BP's biostratigraphic computing systems.
John's main biostratigraphic projects have included studies on non-marine ostracods and charophytes from China, S.America, W.Africa and Europe, Tertiary and Mesozoic foraminifera and algae in Middle East and Pakistan, Tertiary and Mesozoic marine ostracods from N.Africa, Middle East, S.America and Europe. He has carried out major stratigraphic studies on Canadian Arctic, offshore Ireland, Chinese offshore and onshore basins, Peru & Ecuador, Abu Dhabi, the Tertiary of Sirte Basin, Libya and the Jurassic and Carboniferous of NW Europe. In addition, John has experience of well-site operations and overseas fieldwork in Europe, China, FSU, N.Africa and Greenland.
John has been involved in numerous multidisciplinary studies of archaeological sites in Britain and Europe where ostracods and foraminifera have contributed to elucidating past environments.
John also specialises in stratigraphic studies using biostratigraphy and other dating methods for geohazard assessment worldwide but principally in the Caspian Sea and offshore West Africa and The Mediterranean. He has pioneered the use of optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) in deep sea sediments.
John has developed an international reputation through a large number of publications on a wide range of topics including ostracod and foraminiferal taxonomy and biostratigraphy, graphic correlation, expert systems and computing applications.
In 2006 John was appointed Research Associate in the Oxford University Centre for the Environment.
John shared in the development of StrataBugs and now manages stratigraphic projects under the name of a new company, BioChron Ltd.