Marine Geospatial Data for Seafloor Exploration, Including MH370 Search Areas

Geoscience Australia's marine geospatial web service contains bathymetry, backscatter, and marine sediment data. It includes 150 m and optimal resolution bathymetry, plus 5 m sidescan sonar and synthetic aperture sonar data from phase 1 and 2 surveys for Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 in the Indian Ocean. The service, last updated in 2026, allows exploration of seafloor topography compiled from multibeam sonar and other marine datasets.

Use Cases

• Map seafloor bathymetry based on gridded bathymetry and backscatter data.
• Analyze sediment distribution patterns based on marine sediment data layers.
• Plan marine survey missions based on bathymetry collection priority and planning areas.
• Study specific search areas based on high-resolution sonar data from the MH370 investigation.

Strengths

• Includes high-resolution data such as 5 m sidescan sonar and synthetic aperture sonar.
• Contains data from a specific, well-documented international search operation (MH370).
• Compiles data from multiple sources including multibeam sonar surveys.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and dataset size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic bias focused on areas surveyed, particularly the Indian Ocean.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia, via the Australian Ocean Data Network.

Collection Method

Data collected during marine surveys, including those conducted by the Governments of Australia, Malaysia, and the People's Republic of China.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-23 02:03:14.698775; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Indian Ocean, specifically areas related to the search for Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370.