MH370 Phase 2 Search: High-Resolution Sonar Data from the Southern Indian Ocean

High-resolution raw and processed sonar data collected during the underwater search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. Survey vessels and autonomous vehicles gathered over 121,000 square kilometres of data in the Southern Indian Ocean between September 2014 and January 2017. The data was acquired by third-party operators on behalf of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau and Geoscience Australia.

Use Cases

• Generate high-resolution bathymetric maps based on multibeam and side scan sonar data.
• Analyze seafloor topography for safe navigation and underwater vehicle operations.
• Conduct geological studies of the Southern Indian Ocean seafloor using detailed survey data.
• Support future underwater search missions by modeling terrain and planning survey routes.

Strengths

• Covers over 121,000 square kilometres of previously unmapped ocean floor.
• Data is high-resolution, derived from multibeam and side scan sonar systems.
• Acquired by multiple vessels and vehicles over a multi-year period from September 2014 to January 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 Data, on behalf of the Governments of Australia, Malaysia, and the People's Republic of China.

Collection Method

Data acquired by third-party operators using towed and autonomous underwater vehicles equipped with multibeam and side scan sonar.

Time Range

September 2014 to January 2017

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-14 02:57:12.460931; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Southern Indian Ocean, specifically the MH370 search area.