MH370 Search Area Backscatter Data at 30m Resolution

Geoscience Australia provided bathymetric and backscatter data to support the Australian Transport Safety Bureau's search for missing flight MH370. The dataset covers over 710,000 square kilometres of the Southern Indian Ocean, collected from June 2014 to February 2017. It offers a 30-meter resolution view of the seafloor topography across the search and transit areas.

Use Cases

• Analyze seafloor composition and texture based on backscatter intensity values.
• Map underwater topography for geological research based on bathymetric survey data.
• Study the Southern Indian Ocean's seabed features across a large search area.
• Support non-navigational marine spatial analysis using high-resolution sonar data.

Strengths

• Covers over 710,000 square kilometres of ocean area.
• Data collected over a multi-year period from June 2014 to February 2017.
• Provides a 30-meter resolution view of seafloor topography.

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.
• Row count and file formats are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Acquired by multibeam sonar mounted on the hull of multiple vessels.

Time Range

June 2014 to February 2017

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-16 15:09:03.884666; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Southern Indian Ocean, specifically the MH370 search and transit areas.