Geoscience Australia Marine Data: Bathymetry and Sonar Surveys

Geoscience Australia's marine geospatial data web service includes bathymetry and backscatter grids, marine sediment data, and derived products. It also contains 150 m and optimal resolution bathymetry, plus 5 m sidescan sonar and synthetic aperture sonar data collected during phases 1 and 2 of the MH370 search in the Indian Ocean by Australia, Malaysia, and China. The service allows exploration of seafloor topography compiled from multibeam sonar and other marine datasets.

Use Cases

• Map seafloor topography based on compiled multibeam sonar data
• Analyze marine sediment distribution based on marine sediment data layers
• Plan bathymetry surveys based on bathymetry collection priority and planning areas
• Study backscatter characteristics based on backscatter gridded data

Strengths

• Includes specific data from the MH370 search operations in the Indian Ocean
• Contains multiple derived layers and products beyond raw bathymetry
• Provides bathymetry at 150 m and optimal resolutions

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Compilation of multibeam sonar and other marine datasets acquired by Geoscience Australia and international partners.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-05 04:26:14.864501; freshness should be verified

Geography

Indian Ocean, specifically areas surveyed for MH370, and other marine areas covered by Geoscience Australia.