Visioning the Coral Sea

Last month, the Visioning the Coral Sea Marine Park bathymetric data was made publicly accessible through the AusSeabed portal.

The R/V Falkor arrived in Australia earlier this year, and despite COVID-19 restrictions, the Visioning the Coral Sea Marine Park survey took place from 29th April – 12th June with the scientists all working remotely. Pairing with the Falkor marine technician team and chief scientist Dr Robin Beaman of James Cook University, it was a wonderful opportunity for Geoscience Australia and AusSeabed to process and publish the newly collected seabed mapping data. This work is a milestone for AusSeabed, in which it is paving the way for future AusSeabed Data delivery and collaboration.

The survey collected over 35,000 km of multibeam data that was provided to the AusSeabed Data Hub for distribution. The data was able to go from the ship to our live web service within two weeks of the Falkor coming into port.

For more information, check out our article on the Schmidt Ocean Institute website (Rapid Data Publication: From Ship to Home), a feature in the New York Times or this amazing 3D fly through.