Multibeam Survey Standards for Australian Marine Bathymetry Data

Since 2001, Geoscience Australia has been the co-custodian of bathymetry data for Australia's 7,000,000 km² marine jurisdiction, of which at most 25% is surveyed at high resolution. This document provides standard operating procedures and a mandatory checklist for multibeam data acquisition and processing to improve consistency across surveys from 48 vessels and 26 different sonar systems. The document, last updated in 2026, includes specific guidance for processing with Caris HIPS & SIPS and Kongsberg EM series data.

Use Cases

• Standardizing multibeam survey workflows based on the provided mandatory checklist and deliverables.
• Processing bathymetric data from Kongsberg EM series multibeam systems using the specific tips in the appendix.
• Improving data consistency for merging datasets from diverse survey standards and sonar frequencies (12-455 kHz).
• Training new personnel on critical steps for multibeam acquisition and processing as outlined in the guidance document.

Strengths

• Covers a vast geographic area of approximately 7,000,000 km² of Australian marine jurisdiction.
• Based on experience with data from 48 vessels and 26 different multibeam sonar systems across 9 frequencies.
• Provides specific, actionable guidance for software like Caris HIPS & SIPS and Kongsberg EM series data.

Limitations

• The dataset is a procedural document, not a direct collection of bathymetric measurement records.
• Row count and data file sizes are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network and Geoscience Australia.

Collection Method

Compilation of standards and guidance based on accumulated survey experience.

Time Range

Document references data since September 2001, with a last update in 2026.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-27 16:21:30.544941; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Australian Marine Jurisdiction.