MH370 Phase 1 Bathymetry: 150m Resolution Seafloor Topography of the Southern Indian Ocean

Multibeam sonar bathymetric data covering over 710,000 square kilometres of the Southern Indian Ocean, collected to support the search for missing flight MH370. Geoscience Australia provided expertise and support for surveys conducted by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau from June 2014 to February 2017. The dataset allows exploration of seafloor topography at a 150-meter resolution, overlain on a hillshade layer for enhanced visualization.

Use Cases

• Modeling seafloor geomorphology based on the 150-meter resolution bathymetry data
• Planning underwater navigation and search operations based on detailed seafloor topography
• Conducting geological and oceanographic research in the Southern Indian Ocean based on the surveyed area
• Creating enhanced visualizations and maps using the provided hillshade layer

Strengths

• Covers a vast area of over 710,000 square kilometres
• Provides a consistent 150-meter resolution across the search and transit areas
• Includes a derived hillshade layer for improved visual analysis
• Data collection spanned nearly three years, from June 2014 to February 2017

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia, collected on behalf of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB).

Collection Method

Bathymetric data acquired by multibeam sonar mounted on the hull of multiple vessels.

Time Range

June 2014 to February 2017

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-10 17:00:33.418416; freshness should be verified

Geography

Southern Indian Ocean, specifically the MH370 search area and transit lines