In1997,IGCPProjectNo.410wasestablishedtoappraiseknownrecordsofOrdovicianbiotas,inordertoevaluateoneofthegreatest-everpersificationsoflifeonEarth,between489and443millionyearsago.Datacollectionandanalysisofbiopersitywerecoordinatedthroughsevenregionalteams,andaglobal“clade”team.