Marine Geospatial Data Including Bathymetry And MH370 Search Sonar

Geoscience Australia Marine Data WCS is a web service providing marine geospatial data. It contains bathymetry, backscatter, sediment data, and sonar data from the MH370 search in the Indian Ocean. The service is maintained by the Australian Ocean Data Network and was last updated in April 2026.

Use Cases

• Model seafloor topography using bathymetry and backscatter gridded data layers.
• Analyze sediment distribution patterns across the Indian Ocean with marine sediment data.
• Plan future marine surveys by assessing bathymetry collection priority and planning areas.
• Compare sonar resolutions for target detection using 150m, optimal, 5m SSS, and SAS data from the MH370 search.

Strengths

• Includes high-resolution data layers such as 5m sidescan sonar and synthetic aperture sonar.
• Contains data from an internationally coordinated search operation (MH370) involving multiple governments.

Limitations

• Specific row counts, column details, and dataset size are unknown.
• Data coverage is focused on areas surveyed, primarily the Indian Ocean for the MH370 search, which may limit global applicability.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia, via the Australian Ocean Data Network.

Collection Method

Compiled from multibeam sonar and other marine datasets acquired during government-led surveys.

Time Range

Includes data from Phase 1 and 2 of the MH370 search (circa 2014-2018), plus ongoing collections.

Freshness

Updated as of April 2026.

Geography

Indian Ocean, with a focus on the MH370 search area, and other Australian marine regions.