Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) Civil Hydrography Programme 2025 Backscatter and Samp

Acoustic Backscatter mosaics, seabed samples, images, and natural feature shapefiles collected for the UK's Civil Hydrography Programme. Data and records were verified by the UK Hydrographic Office using vessels MV Lode, MV Northern Storm, and MV Northern Wind. The dataset was published by the British Geological Survey and last updated on 2026-04 09.

Use Cases

• Classify seabed sediment types based on H575 seabed samples mentioned in the description
• Map seafloor features and habitats based on Natural Feature Shapefiles mentioned in the description
• Analyze seabed acoustic properties based on Backscatter mosaics mentioned in the description
• Verify hydrographic survey data quality based on UK Hydrographic Office verification mentioned in the description

Strengths

• Data is verified by the authoritative UK Hydrographic Office
• Includes multiple complementary data types: mosaics, samples, images, and shapefiles
• Collection involved three specific vessels: MV Lode, MV Northern Storm, MV Northern Wind

Limitations

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

Provenance

Source

British Geological Survey (BGS)

Collection Method

Collected as part of the Civil Hydrography Programme (CHP) using vessel-based surveys.

Time Range

2025

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-09 08:32:38.575616; freshness should be verified

Geography

Thurso to Hoy, UK coastal waters