MH370 - Data release
Last updated:7 June 2023
The search for MH370 involved the collection and analysis of large volumes of marine data from a remote area. The data obtained during the Phase One and Two of sea floor mapping is now available to the public.
Fly-over video of the whole of the MH370 search area.
On 8 March 2014, Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 disappeared from air traffic control radar during a flight from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Beijing, China with 239 passengers and crew on board.
The Joint Agency Coordination Centre (JACC) was established as the lead agency in the search, coordinating all Australian Government assistance and responsible for whole-of-government information, including keeping the families of those on board the aircraft and the general public informed of the progress of the search.
After initial air and sea searches, the governments of Malaysia, Australia and the People's Republic of China agreed that Australia would take the lead in the underwater search operation in the southern Indian Ocean.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) led the underwater search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 in the southern Indian Ocean, including analysis of the search area, the sea floor mapping and sea floor search.
Geoscience Australia provided specialist advice and capability in the sea floor mapping and underwater search and provided an understanding of the environment in which the search was conducted.
The search comprised two phases, Phase One, a bathymetric survey, provided a detailed map of the sea floor topography in the search area; this was used to guide Phase Two, the underwater sea floor search. The underwater search used sidescan and multibeam sonar equipment mounted on towed and autonomous underwater vehicles to collect high-resolution sonar images of the sea floor in an attempt to identify the location of MH370.
Despite every effort using the best science available, cutting edge technology, as well as modelling and advice from experts across a range of fields, the search has not been able to locate the missing aircraft. The missing aircraft was not located within the 120,000 square kilometre underwater search area. Accordingly, in January 2017, the governments of Malaysia, Australia and the People's Republic of China jointly announced the suspension of the search until further credible evidence is available that identifies the specific location of the aircraft.
Australia, with the support of Malaysia and the People's Republic of China, committed to publicly releasing the data acquired during the bathymetric survey and underwater search. As such, the Phase Two data is now available via the Geoscience Australia website and the National Computational Infrastructure.
In January 2018, the Government of Malaysia accepted the offer by Ocean Infinity to continue to search for the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 for 90 days. Further information is available at www.MH370.gov.my.
To learn more about the search for MH370 and to view the data, see The data behind the search for MH370 story map.
Geoscience Australia has released sidescan and multibeam sonar data through an interactive story map for users to learn more about the search for MH370 and to explore the data that has been collected.
For technical users wanting to download the processed data:
- To further visualise and download datasets, visit https://portal.ga.gov.au/persona/marine
For technical users wanting to download the raw data:
(Please note the raw data requires speciality software and high capacity systems to use the data)
- To download the Phase 1 raw and processed data visit the National Computational Infrastructure
- To download the Phase 2 raw and processed data visit the National Computational Infrastructure
- Phase 1 data only: Amazon Web Service users can access the raw data via s3://mh370.phase1.data.