MH370 Phase 2: 5 m Resolution Sonar Images of Southern Indian Ocean Seafloor

Side Scan Sonar, Synthetic Aperture Sonar, and multibeam sonar backscatter data at 5 m resolution was collected during Phase 2 marine surveys for missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau led search operations, with data collected by multiple vessels and sonar systems between September 2014 and January 2017. Geoscience Australia provided expertise, and the dataset is sourced from the Governments of Australia, Malaysia, and the People's Republic of China.

Use Cases

• Training computer vision models for underwater object detection based on high-resolution sonar imagery.
• Analyzing seafloor topography and backscatter characteristics for geological studies.
• Developing navigation and mapping tools for autonomous underwater vehicles using detailed bathymetric data.
• Supporting historical analysis and simulation of search and rescue operations in deep ocean environments.

Strengths

• Data has a high spatial resolution of 5 meters per pixel.
• Surveys were conducted by a multinational collaboration involving the governments of Australia, Malaysia, and China.
• Multiple advanced sonar systems were used, including Side Scan Sonar, Synthetic Aperture Sonar, and multibeam sonar.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and total file size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic and temporal bias inherent to the specific search area and period.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network, on behalf of the Governments of Australia, Malaysia, and the People's Republic of China.

Collection Method

Collected via marine surveys using Echo Surveyor 7 (Kongsberg AUV Hugin 1000), Edgetech 2400 Deep Tow, and SLH PS-60 Synthetic Aperture Sonar Deep Tow systems deployed from vessels including Fugro Supporter and Go Phoenix.

Time Range

September 2014 to January 2017

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-23 01:31:04.157498; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Southern Indian Ocean (specific search area for flight MH370)