It includes what used to be called the Australian National Shipwreck Database (ANSDB), originally developed by the Australasian Institute of Maritime Archaeology in December 2009,[1] now significantly expanded to include other objects.
It comprises historical and environmental information about objects currently or previously located underwater in the Oceania and Southeast Asian regions.
[3] Approved researchers may be recruited from the public and provided with access to edit or create records.
[2] The AUCHD also serves as the register of protected underwater cultural heritage for the Underwater Cultural Heritage Act 2018 (the UCH Act),[4] which provides a means whereby the public can submit notifications and permit applications required under the UCH Act.
[2] Shipwrecks, sunken aircraft and other types of underwater heritage and their associated artefacts are protected through the Act, which is administered in collaboration between the Commonwealth and the States, Northern Territory and Norfolk Island.