From the beginning of the underwater search for MH370, it was always intended that all sea floor data gathered would be released to the international public.
Geoscience Australia has published the data collected during bathymetric surveys that mapped the topography of the sea floor in the search area; these maps were then used to guide the more detailed underwater search safely.
While the data was collected for the sole purpose of locating the aircraft, which disappeared in March 2014, it will also be of interest to the scientific community, as it is some of the first high-resolution data of this area of the southern Indian Ocean.
The second phase of the sea floor data is expected to be released in 2018.
Geoscience Australia provided advice, expertise and support for the sea floor mapping and underwater search for MH370. The Joint Agency Coordination Centre was the lead agency in the search, coordinating all Government assistance and responsible for whole of Government information. The ATSB led the search operations, as Australia’s national transport safety investigator.
At a meeting of Ministers from Malaysia, Australia and the People’s Republic of China held on 22 July 2016, it was agreed that should MH370 not be located in the current search area, and in the absence of credible new evidence leading to the identification of a specific location of the aircraft, the search would be suspended upon completion of the current search area.
As such, the search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 was suspended on 17 January 2017. Malaysia, as the state of registry for the aircraft, retains overall authority for any future search.
For more information or to access the data visit the Geoscience Australia website.