AGSO Formats for Marine Seismic and Navigation Digital Data Standards

AGSO digital seismic data adheres to standards from Barry et al. (1975) with trace header mnemonics from CogniSeis DISCO software. Variations and optional entries, such as SHOT or SPN numbers, account for field acquisition, processing, and historical data released prior to 1993. The dataset, provided by Geoscience Australia, also includes corrected bathymetry and geophysical data like magnetics and gravity.

Use Cases

• Interpret seismic trace headers based on the defined mnemonics and byte descriptions
• Relate vintage pre-1993 seismic data to original field data using SPN or time header values
• Correct navigation data to the source-channel mid-point convention described
• Process integrated datasets containing seismic, bathymetry, magnetics, and gravity data

Strengths

• Format descriptions are based on a cited geophysics standard from 1975
• Explicitly documents historical data conventions for pre-1993 AGSO releases
• Includes corrections for integrating bathymetry and other geophysical data

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Format description for assisting users of AGSO digital seismic data

Time Range

Data released from before 1993 onward, with a format change noted in 1993

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03 25 15:42:12.629451; freshness should be verified

Geography

Marine areas surveyed by AGSO, location not specified