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Marine multibeam backscatter data from around the UK (2005 onwards)

Publisher
British Geological Survey (BGS)
Updated
28 August 2026
Topic
Not set
Licence
Not set

Summary

The British Geological Survey (BGS) holds an archive of multibeam backscatter data from BGS, the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) and other organisations. The data are stored within the National Geoscience Data Centre (NGDC) as the Marine Environmental Data and Information Network (MEDIN) Data Archive Centre (DAC) for geology and geophysics. The majority of the data were collected and processed for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) under the Civil Hydrography Programme (CHP). Backscatter image files for a survey can be downloaded (in GeoTIFF format) using the URL link provided or via the Deposited Data Search (https://webapps.bgs.ac.uk/services/ngdc/accessions/index.html?simpleText=backscatter&subjectList=3159). Backscatter data are useful for seabed characterisation for geological and habitat mapping. BGS works with the DAC for bathymetry data at the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) to archive the backscatter data. View and download the related bathymetry data via the ADMIRALTY Marine Data Portal: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/inspire-portal-and-medin-bathymetry-data-archive-centre.

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Additional information

Source Metadata
XML, HTML
Date added
28 August 2026
Harvest GUID
c35db9dd-2a07-6c2d-e044-0003ba9b0d98
Extent (Latitude)
63.9100° to 47.4100°
Extent (Longitude)
-25.1400° to 3.4100°
Dataset reference date (creation)
2005
Frequency of update
irregular
Access constraints
The copyright of materials derived from the British Geological Survey's work is vested in the Natural Environment Research Council [NERC]. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the prior permission of the copyright holder, via the BGS Intellectual Property Rights Manager. Use by customers of information provided by the BGS, is at the customer's own risk. In view of the disparate sources of information at BGS's disposal, including such material donated to BGS, that BGS accepts in good faith as being accurate, the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) gives no warranty, expressed or implied, as to the quality or accuracy of the information supplied, or to the information's suitability for any use. NERC/BGS accepts no liability whatever in respect of loss, damage, injury or other occurence however caused.
Responsible party
Maritime and Coastguard Agency (owner); British Geological Survey (distributor, pointOfContact, custodian, owner)
ISO 19139 resource type
dataset
Metadata language
eng

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