Geoscience Australia Marine Data: Bathymetry and Sonar Surveys for MH370 Search

Geoscience Australia's marine geospatial web service contains bathymetry, backscatter, and sediment data for the seafloor. It includes 150 m and optimal resolution bathymetry, 5 m sidescan sonar, and synthetic aperture sonar data collected during Phase 1 and 2 surveys by Australia, Malaysia, and China for the search of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 in the Indian Ocean. The service allows exploration of seafloor topography through compiled multibeam sonar and other marine datasets.

Use Cases

• Modeling seafloor topography based on compiled multibeam sonar data.
• Analyzing marine sediment distribution patterns based on the described sediment data layers.
• Planning underwater survey missions based on bathymetry collection priority and planning areas.
• Studying backscatter characteristics for seafloor composition classification.

Strengths

• Includes high-resolution data such as 5 m sidescan sonar and synthetic aperture sonar.
• Contains data from a specific, well-documented international operation (MH370 search).
• Integrates multiple data types including bathymetry, backscatter, and derived products.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to the specific survey areas in the Indian Ocean.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia, via the Australian Ocean Data Network.

Collection Method

Collected via multibeam sonar and other marine surveys during specific search operations.

Time Range

Time range of the MH370 search phases is not specified.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-28 14:00:15.903270; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Indian Ocean, specifically areas surveyed for Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370.