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Document and Entity Information - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
Document and Entity Information - USD ($)	Jan. 31, 2020	Apr. 27, 2020	Jul. 31, 2019
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-K
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Jan. 31, 2020
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2020
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Entity Registrant Name	MITCHAM INDUSTRIES INC
Entity Central Index Key	0000926423
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--01-31
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	No
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Interactive Data Current	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Non-accelerated Filer
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false
Entity Small Business	true
Entity Shell Company	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		12,182,233
Entity Public Float			$ 49,096,243

Consolidated Balance Sheets - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jan. 31, 2020	Jan. 31, 2019
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 3,090	$ 9,389
Restricted cash	144	160
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $4,054 and $2,113 at January 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively	11,921	12,082
Inventories, net	13,261	10,774
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	2,211	1,735
Assets held for sale	0	2,202
Total current assets	30,627	36,342
Seismic equipment lease pool and property and equipment, net	13,777	14,155
Operating lease right-of-use assets	2,300
Intangible assets, net	8,161	10,495
Goodwill	2,531	2,531
Non-current prepaid income taxes	0	128
Deferred tax asset	0	68
Long-term receivables, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $- and $- at January 31, 2020 and January 31, 2019, respectively	403	712
Other assets	429	584
Long-term assets held for sale	0	286
Total assets	58,228	65,301
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	2,650	1,534
Deferred revenue	765	1,040
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities	3,452	3,738
Income taxes Payable	242	224
Operating lease liabilities - current	1,339
Liabilities held for sale	0	892
Total current liabilities	8,448	7,428
Operating lease liabilities - non-current	961
Other non-current liabilities	967	1,195
Deferred tax liability	200	0
Total liabilities	10,576	8,623
Commitments and contingencies (Notes 10,16, and 20)
Shareholders’ equity:
Preferred stock, $1.00 par value; 1,000 shares authorized; 994 and 830 shares issued and outstanding at January 31, 2020, and 2019, respectively	22,104	18,330
Common stock $.01 par value; 20,000 shares authorized; 14,097 and 14,049 shares issued at January 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively	141	140
Additional paid-in capital	123,964	123,085
Treasury stock, at cost (1,929 shares at January 31, 2020 and 2019)	(16,860)	(16,860)
Accumulated deficit	(77,310)	(63,973)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(4,387)	(4,044)
Total shareholders’ equity	47,652	56,678
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity	$ 58,228	$ 65,301

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jan. 31, 2020	Jan. 31, 2019
Statement of Financial Position [Abstract]
Allowance for doubtful accounts, current	$ 4,054	$ 2,113
Allowance for doubtful accounts, non-current	$ 0	$ 0
Preferred stock, par value (in usd per share)	$ 1.00	$ 1.00
Preferred stock, shares authorized (in shares)	1,000,000	1,000,000
Preferred stock, shares issued (in shares)	994,000	830,000
Preferred stock, shares outstanding (in shares)	994,000	830,000
Common stock, par value (in usd per share)	$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Common stock, shares authorized (in shares)	20,000,000	20,000,000
Common stock, shares issued (in shares)	14,097,000	14,049,000
Treasury stock, shares (in shares)	1,929,000	1,929,000

Consolidated Statements of Operations - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2020	Jan. 31, 2019	Jan. 31, 2018
Revenues:
Sale of marine technology products	$ 29,538	$ 25,571	$ 27,420
Equipment leasing	11,206	11,427	7,826
Sale of lease pool and other equipment	1,931	5,944	13,030
Total revenues	42,675	42,942	48,276
Cost of sales:
Sale of marine technology products	16,481	14,863	16,686
Equipment leasing (including lease pool depreciation of $4,959, $9,186 and $14,370 at January 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively)	8,983	13,522	17,764
Equipment sales	590	2,817	7,742
Total cost of sales	26,054	31,202	42,192
Gross profit	16,621	11,740	6,084
Operating expenses:
Selling, general and administrative	19,716	20,905	19,663
Research and development	1,850	1,159	1,502
Provision for doubtful accounts	2,000	200	1,013
Impairment of intangible assets	760	0	1,466
Depreciation and amortization	2,670	2,496	2,148
Total operating expenses	26,996	24,760	25,792
Operating loss	(10,375)	(13,020)	(19,708)
Other income (expense):
Loss on sale (including $5,355 of cumulative translation loss)	0	(5,405)	0
Reserve against non-current prepaid income taxes	0	(1,211)	0
Interest (expense) income, net	(46)	72	47
Other, net	12	(24)	(498)
Total other expense	(34)	(6,568)	(451)
Loss before income taxes	(10,409)	(19,588)	(20,159)
Provision for income taxes	(878)	(252)	(910)
Net loss	(11,287)	(19,840)	(21,069)
Preferred stock dividends	(2,050)	(1,708)	(905)
Net loss attributable to common shareholders	$ (13,337)	$ (21,548)	$ (21,974)
Net loss per common share:
Basic (in usd per share)	$ (1.10)	$ (1.78)	$ (1.82)
Diluted (in usd per share)	$ (1.10)	$ (1.78)	$ (1.82)
Shares used in computing loss per common share:
Basic (in shares)	12,143	12,105	12,084
Diluted (in shares)	12,143	12,105	12,084

Consolidated Statements of Operations (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2020	Jan. 31, 2019	Jan. 31, 2018
Income Statement [Abstract]
Lease pool depreciation	$ 4,959	$ 9,186	$ 14,370
Change in cumulative translation adjustment for sale of foreign entities	$ 0	$ 5,355	$ 0

- Definition

Amount of expense for allocation of cost of tangible asset over its useful life directly used in production of good and rendering of service.

+ References + Details

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2020	Jan. 31, 2019	Jan. 31, 2018
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Net loss attributable to common shareholders	$ (13,337)	$ (21,548)	$ (21,974)
Change in cumulative translation adjustment for sale of foreign entities	0	5,355	0
Other changes in cumulative translation adjustment	(343)	(545)	1,740
Comprehensive loss	$ (13,680)	$ (16,738)	$ (20,234)

- Definition

Amount after tax of increase (decrease) in equity from transactions and other events and circumstances from net income and other comprehensive income, attributable to parent entity. Excludes changes in equity resulting from investments by owners and distributions to owners.

+ References + Details

- Definition

Amount after tax, before reclassification adjustments of gain (loss) on foreign currency translation adjustments, foreign currency transactions designated and effective as economic hedges of a net investment in a foreign entity and intra-entity foreign currency transactions that are of a long-term-investment nature.

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Amount after tax of reclassification adjustment from accumulated other comprehensive income for translation gain (loss) realized upon the sale or liquidation of an investment in a foreign entity and foreign currency hedges that are designated and qualified as hedging instruments for hedges of the foreign currency exposure of a net investment in a foreign operation.

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Consolidated Statements of Changes in Shareholders' Equity - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	Total	Common Stock	Preferred Stock	Additional Paid-In Capital	Treasury Stock	Retained Earnings (Accumulated Deficit)	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)
Beginning balances (in shares) at Jan. 31, 2017		14,019	343
Beginning balances at Jan. 31, 2017	$ 80,932	$ 140	$ 7,294	$ 121,401	$ (16,858)	$ (20,451)	$ (10,594)
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Net loss	(21,069)					(21,069)
Foreign currency translation	1,740						1,740
Restricted stock forfeited for taxes	(2)				(2)
Preferred stock offering (in shares)			189
Preferred stock offering	4,250		$ 4,250
Preferred stock dividends	(905)					(905)
Stock-based compensation	903			903
Ending balances (in shares) at Jan. 31, 2018		14,019	532
Ending balances at Jan. 31, 2018	65,849	$ 140	$ 11,544	122,304	(16,860)	(42,425)	(8,854)
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Net loss	(19,840)					(19,840)
Foreign currency translation	4,810						4,810
Restricted stock issued (in shares)		30
Restricted stock forfeited for taxes	0
Preferred stock offering (in shares)			298
Preferred stock offering	6,786		$ 6,786
Preferred stock dividends	(1,708)					(1,708)
Stock-based compensation	781			781
Ending balances (in shares) at Jan. 31, 2019		14,049	830
Ending balances at Jan. 31, 2019	56,678	$ 140	$ 18,330	123,085	(16,860)	(63,973)	(4,044)
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Net loss	(11,287)					(11,287)
Foreign currency translation	(343)						(343)
Equity Compensation (in shares)		9
Equity Compensation	26	$ 1		25
Restricted stock issued (in shares)		39
Preferred stock offering (in shares)			164
Preferred stock offering	3,774		$ 3,774
Preferred stock dividends	(2,050)					(2,050)
Stock-based compensation	854			854
Ending balances (in shares) at Jan. 31, 2020		14,097	994
Ending balances at Jan. 31, 2020	$ 47,652	$ 141	$ 22,104	$ 123,964	$ (16,860)	$ (77,310)	$ (4,387)

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2020	Jan. 31, 2019	Jan. 31, 2018
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net loss	$ (11,287)	$ (19,840)	$ (21,069)
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash (used in) provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization	7,768	11,814	16,637
Stock-based compensation	854	781	903
Impairment of intangible assets	760	0	1,466
Provision for doubtful accounts, net of charge offs	2,000	200	1,013
Provision for inventory obsolescence	298	140	815
Gross profit from sale of lease pool equipment	(1,197)	(2,367)	(4,906)
Loss on sale of business	0	5,405	0
Deferred tax expense	503	(376)	(20)
Non-current prepaid tax	50	1,577	182
Changes in:
Accounts receivable	(1,723)	1,292	4,405
Unbilled revenue	(327)	(340)	0
Inventories	(2,810)	(781)	685
Accounts payable, accrued expenses and other current liabilities	(178)	(722)	(455)
Prepaids expenses and other current assets, net	(506)	(1,382)	1,002
Deferred revenue	(335)	567	0
Foreign exchange losses net of gains	313	171	61
Net assets held for sale	0	(1,596)	0
Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities	(5,817)	(5,457)	719
Cash flows from investing activities:
Purchases of seismic equipment held for lease	(2,955)	(1,717)	(909)
Acquisition of assets	0	(3,000)	0
Purchases of property and equipment	(1,036)	(814)	(407)
Sales of used lease pool equipment	1,664	5,663	10,313
Sale of business, net of cash sold	239	(147)	0
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities	(2,088)	(15)	8,997
Cash flows from financing activities:
Net payments on revolving line of credit	0	0	(3,500)
Payments on term loan and other borrowings	0	0	(2,807)
Net proceeds from preferred stock offering	3,773	6,853	4,174
Preferred stock dividends	(2,050)	(1,708)	(905)
Proceeds from exercise of stock options	26	0	0
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	1,749	5,145	(3,038)
Effect of changes in foreign exchange rates on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	(159)	(270)	(43)
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents including cash classified within current assets held for sale	0	458	0
Less: Net increase (decrease) in cash classified within current assets held for sale	0	(458)	0
Net (decrease) increase in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	(6,315)	(597)	6,635
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, beginning of period	9,549	10,146	3,511
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, end of period	$ 3,234	$ 9,549	$ 10,146

Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

12 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2020

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Going Concern — These consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming the Company will continue as a going concern, which contemplates the realization of assets and the discharge of liabilities in the normal course of business for the foreseeable future. As discussed in Note 3, the Company has a history of losses, has had negative cash from operating activities in the last two years and may not have access to sources of capital that were available in prior periods. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic and the decline in oil prices subsequent to January 31, 2020 have created significant uncertainty and could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial position, results of operations and liquidity. Accordingly, substantial uncertainty has arisen regarding the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. These consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments to reflect the possible future effects on the recoverability and classification of assets or the amounts and classification of liabilities that may result should the Company not be able to continue as a going concern.

Organization —Mitcham Industries, Inc., a Texas corporation (the “Company”), was incorporated in 1987. The Company, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Seamap International Holdings Pte, Ltd. (“Seamap”), and its wholly owned subsidiary, Klein Marine Systems, Inc. (“Klein”), designs, manufactures and sells a broad range of proprietary products for the seismic, hydrographic and offshore industries with product sales and support facilities based in New Hampshire, USA, Singapore and the United Kingdom. The Company, through its wholly owned Canadian subsidiary, Mitcham Canada, ULC (“MCL”), its wholly owned Hungarian subsidiary, Mitcham Europe Ltd. (“MEL”), its wholly owned Singaporean subsidiary, Mitcham Marine Leasing Pte. Ltd. (“MML”), and its branch operations in Colombia, provides full-service equipment leasing, sales and service to the seismic industry worldwide. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation. During August 2018, the Company completed the sale of its wholly owned Russian subsidiary, Mitcham Seismic Eurasia (“MSE”) and no longer operates within Russia. During February 2019, the Company completed the sale of its wholly owned Australian subsidiary, Seismic Asia Pacific Pty Ltd. (“SAP”) (see Note 22 - “Sale of Subsidiaries” for additional details related to this transaction).

Revenue Recognition of Leasing Arrangements —The Company leases various types of seismic equipment to seismic data acquisition companies. All leases at January 31, 2020 , 2019 and 2018 are for one year or less. Lease revenue is recognized ratably over the term of the lease. The Company does not enter into leases with embedded maintenance obligations. The standard lease provides that the lessee is responsible for maintenance and repairs to the equipment, excluding normal wear and tear. The Company occasionally provides technical advice to its customers without additional compensation as part of its customer service practices. Repairs or maintenance performed by the Company is charged to the lessee, generally on a time and materials basis. Repair and maintenance revenue are recognized as incurred.

Revenue Recognition of Equipment Sales —Revenues and cost of sales from the sale of equipment are recognized upon acceptance of terms and when delivery has occurred, unless there is a question as to collectability. In cases where the equipment sold is manufactured by others, the Company reports revenues at gross amounts billed to customers because the Company: (a) is the obligor in the sales arrangement; (b) has full latitude in pricing the product for sale; (c) has general inventory risk should there be a problem with the equipment being sold to the customer or if the customer does not complete payment for the items purchased; (d) has discretion in supplier selection if the equipment ordered is not unique to one manufacturer; and (e) assumes credit risk for the equipment sold to its customers.

Revenue Recognition of Long-term Projects —From time to time, Klein enters into contracts whereby they assemble and sell certain marine equipment, primarily to governmental entities. Performance under these contracts generally occurs over a period of several months.

Revenue Recognition of Service Agreements —Seamap provides on-going support services pursuant to contracts that generally have a term of 12 months . The Company recognizes revenue from these contracts ratably over the term of the contract. In some cases, the Company will provide support services on a time and material basis. Revenue from these arrangements is recognized as the services are provided. For certain new systems that Seamap sells, the Company provides support services for up to 12 months at no additional charge. Any amounts attributable to these support obligations are immaterial. Revenues from service contracts for each of the three months ended January 31, 2020 were not material. Due to immateriality, service revenues are not presented separately in the financial statements.

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts —Trade receivables are uncollateralized customer obligations due under normal trade terms. The carrying amount of trade receivables and contracts receivable is reduced by a valuation allowance that reflects management’s estimate of the amounts that will not be collected, based on the age of the receivable, payment history of the customer, general industry conditions, general financial condition of the customer and any financial or operational leverage the Company may have in a particular situation. Amounts are written-off when collection is deemed unlikely. Past due amounts are determined based on contractual terms. The Company generally does not charge interest on past due accounts.

Cash and Cash Equivalents —The Company considers all highly liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less at the date of purchase to be cash equivalents.

Short-term Investments— The Company considers all highly liquid investments with an original maturity greater than three months , but less than twelve months , to be short-term investments.

Inventories —Inventories are stated at the lower of average cost (which approximates first-in, first-out) or market. An allowance for obsolescence is maintained to reduce the carrying value of any materials or parts that may become obsolete. Inventories are periodically monitored to ensure that the allowance for obsolescence covers any obsolete items.

Seismic Equipment Lease Pool —Seismic equipment held for lease consists primarily of recording channels and peripheral equipment and is carried at cost, net of accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is computed on the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the equipment, which are five to seven years for channel boxes and two to 10 years for other peripheral equipment. As this equipment is subject to technological obsolescence and wear and tear, no salvage value is assigned to it. The Company continues to lease seismic equipment after it has been fully depreciated if it remains in acceptable condition and meets acceptable technical standards. This fully depreciated equipment remains in fixed assets on the Company’s books. The Company removes from its books the cost and accumulated depreciation of fully depreciated assets that are not expected to generate future revenues.

Property and Equipment —Property and equipment is carried at cost, net of accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is computed on the straight-line method over the related estimated useful lives. The estimated useful lives of equipment range from three to seven years . Buildings are depreciated over 30 years and property improvements are amortized over 10 years or the shorter of their useful life. Leasehold improvements are amortized over the shorter of the realized estimated useful life or the life of the respective leases. No salvage value is assigned to property and equipment.

Intangible Assets —Intangible assets are carried at cost, net of accumulated amortization. Amortization is computed on the straight-line method (for customer relationships, the straight-line method is not materially different from other methods that estimate run off of the underlying customer base) over the estimated life of the asset. Proprietary rights, developed technology and amortizable tradenames are amortized over a 10 to 15 -year period. Customer relationships are amortized over an eight -year period. Patents are amortized over an eight to nine -year period.

Impairment —The Company reviews its long-lived assets, including its amortizable intangible assets, for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable . In reviewing for impairment, the carrying value of such assets is compared to the estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected from the use of the assets and their eventual disposition. If such cash flows are not sufficient to support the asset’s recorded value, an impairment charge is recognized to reduce the carrying value of the long-lived asset to its estimated fair value. The determination of future cash flows as well as the estimated fair value of long-lived assets involves significant estimates on the part of management. The Company performs an impairment test on goodwill and indefinite lived assets on an annual basis. The Company performs a qualitative review to determine if it is more likely than not that the fair value of our reporting units is greater their carrying value. If the Company is unable to conclude qualitatively that it is more likely than not that a reporting unit’s fair value exceeds its carrying value, then the Company performs a quantitative assessment of fair value of the reporting unit. The quantitative reviews involve significant estimates on the part of management.

Product Warranties —Seamap provide its customers warranties against defects in materials and workmanship generally for a period of three months after delivery of the product. Klein also provides its customers with similar warranties against defects in material and workmanship for an approximate twelve months period subsequent to delivery of the product. The Company maintains an accrual for potential warranty costs based on historical warranty claims. For the fiscal years ended January 31, 2020 , 2019 and 2018 , warranty expense was not material.

Income Taxes —The Company accounts for income taxes under the liability method, whereby the Company recognizes deferred tax assets and liabilities which represent differences between the financial and income tax reporting basis of its assets and liabilities. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on temporary differences between income and expenses reported for financial reporting and tax reporting. The Company has assessed, using all available positive and negative evidence, the likelihood that the deferred tax assets will be recovered from future taxable income.

The weight given to the potential effect of positive and negative evidence is commensurate with the extent to which it can be objectively verified. The preponderance of negative or positive evidence supports a conclusion regarding the need for a valuation allowance for some portion, or all, of the deferred tax asset. The more significant types of evidence considered include the following:


•	projected taxable income in future years;


•	our history of taxable income within a particular jurisdiction;


•	any history of deferred tax assets expiring prior realization;


•	whether the carry forward period is so brief that it would limit realization of tax benefits;


•	other limitations on the utilization of tax benefits;


•	future sales and operating cost projections that will produce more than enough taxable income to realize the deferred tax asset based on existing sales prices and cost structures;


•	our earnings history exclusive of the loss that created the future deductible amount coupled with evidence indicating that the loss is an aberration rather than a continuing condition; and


•	tax planning strategies that will create additional taxable income.

Use of Estimates —The preparation of the Company’s consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires the Company’s management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in these consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Estimates are used for, but not limited to, the allowance for doubtful accounts, lease pool valuations, valuation allowance on deferred tax assets, the evaluation of uncertain tax positions, estimated depreciable lives of fixed assets and intangible assets, impairment of fixed assets and intangible assets, valuation of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in business combinations and the valuation of stock options. Future events and their effects cannot be perceived with certainty. Accordingly, these accounting estimates require the exercise of judgment. The accounting estimates used in the preparation of the consolidated financial statements will change as new events occur, as more experience is acquired, as additional information is obtained and as the Company’s operating environment changes. Actual results could differ from these estimates.

Substantial judgment is necessary in the determination of the appropriate levels for the Company’s allowance for doubtful accounts because of the extended payment terms the Company often offers to its customers and the limited financial wherewithal of certain of these customers. As a result, the Company’s allowance for doubtful accounts could change in the future, and such change could be material to the financial statements taken as a whole. The Company must also make substantial judgments regarding the valuation allowance on deferred tax assets and with respect to quantitative analysis prepared in conjunction with impairment analysis related to goodwill and other intangible assets.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments — The Company’s financial instruments consist of accounts and contracts receivable and accounts payable.

The Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) has issued guidance on the definition of fair value, the framework for using fair value to measure assets hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used to measure fair value. These tiers include:


•	Level 1: Defined as observable inputs such as quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities as of the reporting date. Active markets are those in which transactions for the asset or liability occur in sufficient frequency and volume to provide pricing information on an ongoing basis.

•

Level 2: Defined as pricing inputs other than quoted prices in active markets included in Level 1, which are either directly or indirectly observable as of the reporting date. Level 2 includes those financial instruments that are valued using models or other valuation methodologies. These models are primarily industry standard models that consider various assumptions, including quoted forward prices for commodities, time value, volatility factors and current and contractual prices for the underlying instruments, as well as other relevant economic measures.


•	Level 3: Defined as pricing inputs that are unobservable form objective sources. These inputs may be used with internally developed methodologies that result in management’s best estimate of fair value.

The Company measures the fair values of goodwill, intangibles and other long-lived assets on a recurring basis if required by impairment tests applicable to these assets. The Company utilized Level 3 inputs to value goodwill, intangibles and other long-lived assets as of January 31, 2020 . See Notes 10 and 11 to our consolidated financial statements.

Foreign Currency Translation —All balance sheet accounts of the Canadian, Australian and United Kingdom resident subsidiaries have been translated at the current exchange rate as of the end of the accounting period. Statements of operations items have been translated at average currency exchange rates. The resulting translation adjustment is recorded as a separate component of comprehensive income within shareholders’ equity.

Stock-Based Compensation —Stock-based compensation expense is recorded based on the grant date fair value of share-based awards. Restricted stock awards are valued at the closing price on the date of grant. Determining the grant date fair value for options requires management to make estimates regarding the variables used in the calculation of the grant date fair value. Those variables are the future volatility of our common stock price, the length of time an optionee will hold their options until exercising them (the “expected term”), and the number of options that will be forfeited before they are exercised (the “forfeiture rate”). We utilize various mathematical models in calculating the variables. Share-based compensation expense could be different if we used different models to calculate the variables.

Earnings Per Share —Net income (loss) per basic common share is computed using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Net income (loss) per diluted common share is computed using the weighted average number of common shares and potential common shares outstanding during the period. Potential common shares result from the assumed exercise of outstanding common stock options having a dilutive effect using the treasury stock method, from unvested shares of restricted stock using the treasury stock method and from outstanding common stock warrants. For the fiscal years ended January 31, 2020 , 2019 and 2018 , the following table sets forth the number of potentially dilutive shares that may be issued pursuant to options, restricted stock and warrants outstanding used in the per share calculations.



	Years Ended January 31,
	2020	2019	2018
	(in thousands)
Stock options	79	96	77
Restricted stock	3	11	32
Total dilutive shares	82	107	109

For the fiscal years ended January 31, 2020 , 2019 and 2018 , respectively, potentially dilutive common shares, underlying stock options and unvested restricted stock were anti-dilutive and were therefore not considered in calculating diluted loss per share for those periods.

Reclassifications —Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current year presentation. These reclassifications had no effect on the results of operations or comprehensive income.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for the organization, consolidation and basis of presentation of financial statements disclosure, and significant accounting policies of the reporting entity. May be provided in more than one note to the financial statements, as long as users are provided with an understanding of (1) the significant judgments and assumptions made by an enterprise in determining whether it must consolidate a VIE and/or disclose information about its involvement with a VIE, (2) the nature of restrictions on a consolidated VIE's assets reported by an enterprise in its statement of financial position, including the carrying amounts of such assets, (3) the nature of, and changes in, the risks associated with an enterprise's involvement with the VIE, and (4) how an enterprise's involvement with the VIE affects the enterprise's financial position, financial performance, and cash flows. Describes procedure if disclosures are provided in more than one note to the financial statements.

+ References + Details

New Accounting Pronouncements	12 Months Ended
New Accounting Pronouncements	Jan. 31, 2020
Accounting Changes and Error Corrections [Abstract]
New Accounting Pronouncements	New Accounting Pronouncements In June 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-07, Compensation – Stock Compensation (“Topic 718”): Improvements to Nonemployee Share-Based Payment Accounting, which expands the scope of Topic 718 to include share-based payment transactions for acquiring goods and services from nonemployees except for certain circumstances. Any transition impact will be a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of the beginning of the year of adoption. This ASU is effective for the annual period beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within that annual period and early adoption is permitted. The Company adopted this ASU as of February 1, 2019. The adoption of ASU No. 2018-07 did not have a material effect on the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements. In January 2017, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2017-04, Intangibles-Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment, to simplify impairment testing of goodwill and other intangible assets by eliminating step two of the impairment test. The Company adopted the provisions of ASU 2017-04 as of January 31, 2018. The adoption of ASU 2017-04 did not have a material effect on the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements. In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-18, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Restricted Cash, to require that amounts generally described as restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents be included with cash and cash equivalents when reconciling the beginning-of-period and end-of-period total amounts shown on the statement of cash flows. The Company adopted the provisions of ASU No. 2016-18 as of February 1, 2017. The adoption of ASU No. 2016-18 did not have a material effect on the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements. In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments, to address how certain cash receipts and cash payments are presented and classified in the statement of cash flows. This update addresses eight specific cash flow issues with the objective of reducing the existing diversity in practice. The Company adopted the provisions of ASU No. 2016-15 as of February 1, 2018. The adoption of ASU No. 2016-15 did not have a material effect on the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-09, Compensation -Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting , to reduce complexity in accounting standards involving several aspects of the accounting for employee share-based payment transactions, including the income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, and classification on the statement of cash flows. The Company adopted this new standard as of February 1, 2017, utilizing the prospective transition method. As a result, the Company now recognizes all excess tax charges or benefits as income tax expense or benefit in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations and in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows as operating activities. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), which requires organizations that lease assets to recognize on the balance sheet the assets and liabilities for the rights and obligations created by those leases. Qualitative and quantitative disclosures are required, and optional practical expedients may be elected. This ASU is effective for the annual period beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within that annual period. Subsequent amendments to the initial guidance have been issued in January 2017, January 2018, and July 2018 within ASU No. 201703, ASU No. 2018-01, ASU No. 2018-10, and ASU No. 2018-11 regarding qualitative disclosures, optional practical expedients, codification improvements and an optional transition method to adopt with a cumulative-effect adjustment versus a modified retrospective approach. These updates do not change the core principle of the guidance under ASU No. 2016-02, but rather provide implementation guidance. The Company adopted the accounting standard as of February 1, 2019, using the cumulative-effect transition method, which applies the guidance at the beginning of the period of adoption. The Company elected the package of practical expedients permitted, which, among other things, allowed the Company to carry forward the historical lease classification. In addition, the Company made the accounting policy elections to not recognize lease assets and lease liabilities with an initial term of 12 months or less and to not separate lease and non-lease components. The impact of adoption on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet was the recognition of a ROU asset of $3.0 million and an operating lease liability of $3.0 million, primarily for office and shop space leases that are currently off-balance sheet. The adoption did not have a material impact on its results of operations nor any material impact on its cash flows. In July 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-11, Inventory: (Topic 330) , to provide guidance on measurement of inventory. ASU 2015-11 requires that inventories utilizing the first-in, first-out (FIFO) method be measured at lower of cost or net realizable value. The Company has adopted the provisions of ASU 2015-11 as of February 1, 2017. The adoption of ASU 2015-11 did not have an impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements as the Company’s inventory is determined using the average cost and standard cost methods. In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) (“ASU 2014-09”), which supersedes the revenue recognition requirements in ASC 605, Revenue Recognition. ASU 2014-09 was later amended by ASU No. 2016-10 Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing, and ASU No. 2016-12, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Narrow-Scope Improvements and Practical Expedients. ASU 2014-09, as amended, (the “New Revenue Standard”) supersedes most industry specific guidance and intends to enhance comparability of revenue recognition practices across entities and industries by providing a principle-based, comprehensive framework for addressing revenue recognition issues. The Company adopted the New Revenue Standard as of February 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective method. The adoption of the New Revenue Standard did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Subsequent Events and Liquidity

12 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2020

Subsequent Events [Abstract]

Subsequent Events and Liquidity

The COVID-19 pandemic has created significant uncertainty in the global economy which could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial position, results of operations and liquidity. The time frame for which disruptions related to the pandemic will continue is uncertain as is the magnitude of any adverse impacts. We were required to temporarily shut-down our facilities in Malaysia and Singapore on March 17 and April 7, respectively. Although both locations have now reopened for limited operations, they are not yet operating at full capacity. Our other facilities have been allowed to operate, although at reduced efficiencies as certain employees have worked remotely. Management believes that any negative impacts will be temporary, but there can be no assurance of that.

Additionally, oil prices have declined sharply during the first quarter of 2020 and continuing in the second quarter in response to the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent announcement of Saudi Arabia’s abandonment of output restraints. This decline could have an adverse effect on our customers in the energy industry, which could in turn cause them to cancel or delay projects and orders with us and could impair their ability to make payments to us.

The Company has a history of losses, has had negative cash from operating activities in each of the last two years and its cash balance as of January 31, 2020 is significantly lower than at January 31, 2019. For the past three years, the Company has generated significant cash from the sale of preferred stock pursuant to an “at the market” program. That program has been completed and no further preferred shares can be sold pursuant to it. Furthermore, the amount of authorized preferred stock available for other financing transactions is limited. While the Company has plans to increase the authorized shares, such increase requires shareholder approval and there can be no assurance such approval will be obtained.

The above factors create substantial uncertainty regarding the Company’s future financial results and liquidity.

Management has identified the following mitigating factors regarding adequate liquidity and capital resources to meet its obligations.:


•	The Company has no funded debt or other outstanding obligations, outside of normal trade obligations.


•	The Company has no obligations or agreements containing “maintenance type” financial covenants.


•	The Company has working capital of approximately $22.2 million as of January 31, 2020, including cash of approximately $3.2 million.


•	Should revenues be less than projected, the Company believes it is able, and has plans, to reduce costs proportionately in order to maintain positive cash flow.


•	The majority of the Company’s costs are variable in nature, such as raw materials and personnel related costs. The Company has already terminated or furloughed certain employees and contractors.


•	Despite the temporary suspension of operations in Malaysia and Singapore, operations have continued uninterrupted at other locations. Certain of these operations have been deemed “essential businesses” by authorities. There can be no assurance that there will not be further suspensions in the future.


•	The Company has a backlog of orders of approximately $8.9 million as of January 31, 2020 that is primarily related to customers not engaged in the energy industry. Production for certain of these orders was in process and included in inventory as of January 31, 2020, thereby reducing the liquidity needed to complete the orders.

•

There are various government sponsored grant or loan programs, both in the United States and in certain foreign locations which are available to the Company and for which the Company has applied. Although the initial funding for one such program has been depleted, the Company has pending applications for approximately $1.6 million in government sponsored loans. Management believes additional funding will become available for these programs.


•	Despite the present difficulties in world energy markets, Management believes there are opportunities sell assets such as lease pool equipment and have completed such transactions recently.


•	The Company has declared the quarterly dividend on the its Series A Preferred Stock for the quarter ending April 30, 2020, but such quarterly dividends could be suspended in the future.


•	Based on publicized transactions and inquiries received from potential funding sources, Management believes that other sources of debt and equity financing are available should the need arise.

Notwithstanding the mitigating factors identified by management, there remains substantial uncertainty regarding the Company's ability to meet its obligations as they arise over the next twelve months.

Revenue from Contracts with Customers

12 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2020

Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]

Revenue from Contract with Customers

Revenue from Contracts with Customers

Effective February 1, 2018 the Company adopted the New Revenue Standard using the modified retrospective method applied to those contracts which were not completed as of February 1, 2018. Results for reporting periods beginning after January 31, 2018 are presented under Topic 606.

Under the New Revenue Standard, revenues are recognized when control of the promised goods or services is transferred to our customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration we expect to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services. The Company has determined that the New Revenue Standard applies to contracts performed by the businesses in our Marine Technology Products segment, but not to contracts performed by our Equipment Leasing segment which are within the scope of other revenue recognition standards.

The impact of adopting the New Revenue Standard was not material, as the analysis of our contracts under the New Revenue Standard supported the recognition of revenue at a point in time for the majority of our contracts, consistent with our historic revenue recognition model. As a result, the Company did not record an adjustment to opening retained earnings as a result of the adoption of the New Revenue Standard.

The following table presents revenue from contracts with customers disaggregated by product line and timing of revenue recognition:



	Twelve Months Ended January 31,
	2020		2019
Revenue recognized at a point in time:	(in thousands)
Seamap	$	21,270	$	15,213
Klein	7,468		6,515
SAP	101		3,264
Total revenue recognized at a point in time	$	28,839	$	24,992
Revenue recognized over time:
Seamap	$	733	$	776
Klein	—		—
SAP	—		—
Total revenue recognized over time	733		776
Total revenue from contracts with customers	$	29,572	$	25,768

The revenue from products manufactured and sold by our Seamap and Klein businesses, as well as the revenue from products marketed and sold by our SAP business, is generally recognized at a point in time, or when the customer takes possession of the product, based on the terms and conditions stipulated in our contracts with customers. Our Seamap business also provides annual Software Maintenance Agreements (“SMA”) to customers who have an active license for software imbedded in Seamap products. The revenue from SMA is recognized over time, with the total value of the SMA amortized in equal monthly amounts over the life of the contract.

The following table presents revenue from contracts with customers disaggregated by geography, based on shipping location of our customers:



	Twelve Months Ended January 31,
	2020		2019
Revenue from contracts with customers:	(in thousands)
United States	$	3,920	$	2,690
Europe, Russia & CIS	15,262		11,858
Middle East & Africa	1,576		1,243
Asia-Pacific	5,030		8,900
Canada & Latin America	3,784		1,077
Total revenue from contracts with customers	$	29,572	$	25,768

As of January 31, 2020, contract assets and liabilities consisted of the following:



	January 31, 2020		January 31, 2019
Contract Assets:	(in thousands)
Unbilled revenue-current	$	13	$	340
Unbilled revenue - non-current	—		—
Total unbilled revenue	$	13	$	340
Contract Liabilities:
Deferred revenue & customer deposits - current	$	220	$	556
Deferred revenue & customer deposits - non-current	12		11
Total deferred revenue & customer deposits	$	232	$	567

Considering the products manufactured and sold by the businesses in our Marine Technology Products segment and the Company’s standard contract terms and conditions, we expect our contract assets and liabilities to turn over, on average, within a three to six -month period .

Pursuant to practical expedients and exemptions included in the New Revenue Standard, sales and transaction-based taxes are excluded from revenue. Also, we do not disclose the value of unsatisfied performance obligations for contacts with an original expected duration of one year or less. Additionally, we expense costs incurred to obtain contracts when incurred because the amortization period would have been one year or less. These costs are recorded in selling, general and administrative expenses.

Acquisition of Assets

12 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2020

Business Combinations [Abstract]

Acquisition of Assets

In February 2018 the Company completed the acquisition of intellectual property and certain other assets from Hydroscience Technologies, Inc. and Solid Seismic LLC (collectively “Hydroscience”). Hydroscience designed, manufactured and sold marine sensors and solid streamer technology products primarily for the hydrographic and seismic industries. In April 2017, Hydroscience filed for bankruptcy protection. Mitcham acquired the assets pursuant to an Asset Purchase Agreement and Sale Order (collectively the “Agreement”) that were approved by the bankruptcy court on January 31, 2018. Under the terms of the Agreement, Mitcham acquired certain specified intangible and tangible assets free and clear of all prior claims and encumbrances, and assumed no liabilities, contracts or prior warranty obligations. Details of the purchase price and the allocation of the purchase price to the assets acquired are as follows (in thousands):




Purchase Price:
Cash	$	3,000
Release of claims against Hydroscience	1,144
Transaction costs	312
Total purchase price	$	4,456

Allocation of purchase price:
Inventory	$	206
Tangible assets (mainly manufacturing equipment)	350
Intangible assets (including patents, designs & software)	3,900
Total purchase price	$	4,456

The cash portion of the purchase price and other related costs were financed with the sale of 174,046 shares of our 9% Series A Cumulative Preferred Stock to MHI for $4.0 million .

Supplemental Statements of Cash Flows Information

12 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2020

Supplemental Cash Flow Elements [Abstract]

Supplemental Statements of Cash Flows Information

Supplemental disclosures of cash flows information for the fiscal years ended January 31, 2020 , 2019 and 2018 were as follows (in thousands):



	Years Ended January 31,
	2020		2019		2018
Interest paid	$	63	$	8	$	86
Income taxes paid, net	498		622		494
Seismic equipment purchases included in accounts payable at year-end	812		—		53

Inventories

12 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2020

Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]

Inventories

Inventories consisted of the following (in thousands):



	As of January 31,
	2020			2019
Raw materials	$	7,388		$	5,446
Finished goods	4,557			5,229
Work in progress	2,720			1,322
Cost of inventories	14,665			11,997
Less allowance for obsolescence	(1,404		)	(1,223		)
Net inventories	$	13,261		$	10,774

Accounts Receivables

12 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2020

Receivables [Abstract]

Accounts Receivables

Accounts receivables consisted of the following (in thousands):



	As of January 31, 2020								As of January 31, 2019
	Current			Long-term		Total			Current			Long-term		Total
Accounts receivable	$	15,975		$	403	$	16,378		$	14,195		$	712	$	14,907
Less allowance for doubtful accounts	(4,054		)	—		(4,054		)	(2,113		)	—		(2,113		)
Accounts receivable net of allowance for doubtful accounts	$	11,921		$	403	$	12,324		$	12,082		$	712	$	12,794

As of January 31, 2020, the Company has structured payment agreements with two customers totaling $1.9 million and three customers totaling $3.0 million as of January 31, 2020 and 2019 , respectively. These structured payment agreements are collateralized by the equipment sold and allow the customer to pay monthly amounts for a time period less than one year. The balance of structured payment receivables bear interest at an average rate of 2.5% and 3.6% for January 31, 2020 and 2019 , respectively. The remaining repayment terms range from zero to eighteen months as of January 31, 2020 .

Seismic Equipment Lease Pool and Property and Equipment

12 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2020

Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]

Seismic Equipment Lease Pool and Property and Equipment

Seismic equipment lease pool and property and equipment consisted of the following (in thousands)



	As of January 31,
	2020			2019
Recording channels	$	80,378		$	84,207
Other peripheral equipment	64,756			63,312
Cost of seismic equipment lease pool	145,134			147,519
Land and buildings	4,274			4,041
Furniture and fixtures	10,530			9,897
Autos and trucks	561			571
Cost of property and equipment	15,365			14,509
Cost of seismic equipment lease pool and property and equipment	160,499			162,028
Less accumulated depreciation	(146,722		)	(147,873		)
Net book value of seismic equipment lease pool and property and equipment	$	13,777		$	14,155

As of January 31, 2020 and 2019 , the Company completed an annual review of long-lived assets by comparing undiscounted future cash flows to be generated by our lease pool assets to the carrying value of our lease pool assets noting that the undiscounted future cash flows exceeded the carrying value. Therefore, and no impairment has been recorded.

Location of seismic equipment lease pool and property and equipment (in thousands):



	As of January 31,
	2020		2019
United States	$	5,400	$	1,566
Europe	4,110		5,564
Canada	1,136		93
Latin America	1,170		1,365
Singapore	773		4,496
Malaysia	1,188		1,071
Net book value of seismic equipment lease pool and property and equipment	$	13,777	$	14,155

Leases

12 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2020

Leases [Abstract]

Leases

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) which was modified by subsequently issued ASUs 2018-01, 2018-10, 2018-11 and 2018-20 (collectively the “New Lease Standard”). The New Lease Standard requires organizations that lease assets (“lessees”) to recognize the assets and liabilities of the rights and obligations created by leases with terms of more than 12 months. The recognition, measurement and presentation of expenses and cash flows arising from a lease by a lessee remains dependent on its classification as a finance or operating lease. The New Lease Standard also requires additional disclosure of the amount, timing, and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases, including qualitative and quantitative requirements. The New Lease Standard was effective for financial statements issued for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years.

In July 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-11, Leases (Topic 842): Targeted Improvements (“ASU 2018-11”). ASU 2018-11 provided additional relief in the comparative reporting requirements for initial adoption of the New Lease Standard. Prior to ASU 2018-11, a modified retrospective transition was required for financing or operating leases existing at or entered after the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented in the financial statements. ASU 2018-11 provided an additional transition method allowing entities to initially apply the New Lease Standard at the adoption date and recognize a cumulative-effect adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings in the period of adoption without adjustment to the financial statements for periods prior to adoption.

The Company adopted the New Lease Standard effective February 1, 2019. We elected to apply the current period transition approach as introduced by ASU 2018-11 and we elected to apply the following practical expedients and accounting policy decisions.

We elected a package of transition expedients, which must be elected together, that allowed us to forgo reassessing certain conclusions reached under ASC 840. All expedients in this package were applied together for all leases that commenced before the effective date, February 1, 2019, of the adoption of the New Lease Standard. As a result, in transitioning to the New Lease Standard, for existing leases as of February 1, 2019, we continued to use judgments made under ASC 840 related to embedded leases, lease classification and accounting for initial direct costs. In addition, we have chosen, as an accounting policy election by class of underlying asset, not to separate non-lease components from the associated lease for all our leased asset classes, excluding for Real Estate related leases. As a result, for classes of Automobiles, Office Equipment and Manufacturing Equipment, we account for each separate lease component and the non-lease components associated with that lease as a single lease component.

The Company has certain non-cancelable operating lease agreements for office, production and warehouse space in Texas, Hungary, Singapore, Malaysia, Colombia, United Kingdom and Canada.

Adoption of the New Lease Standard did have a material impact on our consolidated balance sheet as we recorded right-of-use assets and the corresponding lease liabilities related to our operating leases of approximately $3.0 million , each. The Company determined to treat lease costs with an original maturity of less than one year as short-term lease costs and did not record a right-of-use asset or related lease liability for these leases. The new standard did not have a material impact on our consolidated statements of operations or our statements of cash flows.

Lease expense for the twelve months ended January 31, 2020 was approximately $1.2 million and was recorded as a component of operating loss. Included in these costs was short-term lease expense of approximately $30,000 for the twelve months ended January 31, 2020.

Supplemental balance sheet information related to leases as of January 31, 2020 was as follows (in thousands):



Lease	January 31, 2020		Impact of ASC 842 Transition
Assets
Operating lease assets	$	2,300	$	2,710

Liabilities
Operating lease liabilities	$	2,300	$	2,710

Classification of lease liabilities
Current liabilities	$	1,339
Non-current liabilities	961
Total Operating lease liabilities	$	2,300

Lease-term and discount rate details as of January 31, 2020 were as follows:



Lease term and discount rate	January 31, 2020
Weighted average remaining lease term (years)
Operating leases	1.76

Weighted average discount rate:
Operating leases	9.27	%

The incremental borrowing rate was calculated using the Company’s weighted average cost of capital.

Supplemental cash flow information related to leases was as follows (in thousands):



Lease	Twelve Months Ended January 31, 2020
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities:
Operating cash flows from operating leases	$	(1,182	)

Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for lease liabilities:
Operating leases	$	635

Maturities of lease liabilities at January 31, 2020 were as follows (in thousands):



	January 31, 2020
2021	$	1,338
2022	838
2023	222
2024	98
2025	52
Thereafter	21
Total payments under lease agreements	$	2,569

Less: imputed interest	(269		)
Total lease liabilities	$	2,300

The Company leases seismic equipment to customers under operating leases with non-cancelable terms of one year or less. These leases are generally renewable on a month-to-month basis. All taxes (other than income taxes) and assessments are the contractual responsibility of the lessee. To the extent that foreign taxes are not paid by the lessee, the relevant foreign taxing authorities might seek to collect such taxes from the Company. Under the terms of its lease agreements, any amounts paid by the Company to such foreign taxing authorities may be billed and collected from the lessee. The Company is not aware of any foreign tax obligations as of January 31, 2020 and 2019 that are not reflected in the accompanying consolidated financial statements.

The Company leases seismic equipment, as well as other equipment from others under operating leases. Lease expense incurred by the Company in connection with such leases amounted to approximately $2.5 million , $1.9 million and $774,000 for the fiscal years ended January 31, 2020 , 2019 and 2018 , respectively.

The Company leases its office and warehouse facilities in Canada, Texas, Singapore, United Kingdom, Hungary, Colombia and Malaysia under operating leases. Facility lease expense for the fiscal years ended January 31, 2020 , 2019 and 2018 was approximately $1.2 million , $1.3 million and $1.2 million , respectively.

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets

12 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2020

Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets



	Weighted Average Life at 1/31/20	January 31, 2020										January 31, 2019
	Weighted Average Life at 1/31/20	Gross Carrying Amount		Accumulated Amortization			Impairment			Net Carrying Amount		Gross Carrying Amount		Accumulated Amortization			Impairment			Net Carrying Amount
		(in thousands)										(in thousands)
Goodwill		$	7,060	$	—		$	(4,529	)	$	2,531	$	7,060	$	—		$	(4,529	)	$	2,531
Proprietary rights	7.0	$	9,293	$	(4,971	)	—			4,322		$	9,303	$	(4,292	)	—			5,011
Customer relationships	1.8	5,024		(3,831		)	—			1,193		5,024		(3,147		)	—			1,877
Patents	4.5	2,440		(1,277		)	—			1,163		2,441		(1,028		)	—			1,413
Trade name	6.3	894		(63		)	(760		)	71		894		(52		)	—			842
Developed technology	5.9	1,430		(584		)	—			846		1,430		(441		)	—			989
Other	4.3	653		(87		)	—			566		385		(22		)	—			363
Amortizable intangible assets		$	19,734	$	(10,813	)	$	(760	)	$	8,161	$	19,477	$	(8,982	)	$	—		$	10,495

As of January 31, 2020 , the Company completed its annual review of goodwill and indefinite lived intangible assets. Based on a review of qualitative factors it was determined it was more likely than not that the fair value of our Seamap reporting unit was greater than its carrying value. Based on a review of qualitative and quantitative factors it was determined it was more likely than not that the fair value of our Klein reporting unit was not greater than its carrying value. Accordingly, we recorded an impairment of approximately $760,000 related to indefinite lived intangible assets in the Klein reporting unit.

As of January 31, 2019 , the Company completed its annual review of goodwill and indefinite lived intangible assets. Based on a review of qualitative factors it was determined it was more likely than not that the fair value of our Seamap and Klein reporting units were greater than their carrying values.

On January 31, 2018 , the Company completed an annual review of goodwill. Based on a review of qualitative factors it was determined it was more likely than not that the fair value of our Seamap reporting unit was greater than its carrying value. Based on a review of qualitative and quantitative factors it was determined it was more likely than not that the fair value of our Klein reporting unit was not greater than its carrying value. Accordingly, we recorded an impairment of approximately $1.5 million related to goodwill in the Klein reporting unit.

Aggregate amortization expense was $1.8 million , $1.8 million and $1.5 million for the fiscal years ended January 31, 2020 , 2019 and 2018 , respectively. As of January 31, 2020 , future estimated amortization expense related to amortizable intangible assets is estimated to be (in thousands):



For fiscal years ending January 31:
2021	$	1,733
2022	1,256
2023	1,088
2024	976
2025	746
Thereafter	2,362
Total	$	8,161

Accrued Expenses and Other Current Liabilities

12 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2020

Payables and Accruals [Abstract]

Accrued Expenses and Other Current Liabilities

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities consisted of the following (in thousands):



	As of January 31,
	2020		2019
Contract settlement	$	228	$	219
Wages and benefits	373		596
Customer deposits	376		701
Accrued inventory	229		447
Other	2,246		1,775
Accrued Expenses and Other Liabilities	$	3,452	$	3,738

Shareholders' Equity	12 Months Ended
Shareholders' Equity	Jan. 31, 2020
Equity [Abstract]
Shareholders' Equity	Shareholders’ Equity The Company has 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock authorized. The preferred stock may be issued in multiple series with various terms, as authorized by the Company’s Board of Directors. As of January 31, 2020, 994,046 shares of the Series A Preferred Stock were outstanding, and 830,372 shares were outstanding as of January 31, 2019. Dividends on the Series A Preferred Stock are cumulative from the date of original issue and payable quarterly on or about the last day of January, April, July and October of each year when, as and if, declared by the Company’s board of directors. Dividends are payable out of amounts legally available therefor at a rate equal to 9.00% per annum per $25.00 of stated liquidation preference per share, or $2.25 per share of Series A Preferred Stock per year. The Company may not redeem the Series A Preferred Stock before June 8, 2021, except as described below. On or after June 8, 2021, the Company may redeem, at the Company’s option, the Series A Preferred Stock, in whole or in part, at a cash redemption price of $25.00 per share, plus all accrued and unpaid dividends to, but not including, the redemption date. If at any time a change of control occurs, the Company will have the option to redeem the Series A Preferred Stock, in whole or in part, within 120 days after the date on which the change of control occurred by paying $25.00 per share, plus any accrued and unpaid dividends to, but not including, the date of redemption. The Series A Preferred Stock has no stated maturity, is not subject to any sinking fund or other mandatory redemption and will remain outstanding indefinitely unless repurchased or redeemed by the Company or converted into our common stock in connection with a change of control. Holders of the Series A Preferred Stock generally have no voting rights except for limited voting rights if dividends payable on the outstanding Series A Preferred Stock are in arrears for six or more consecutive or non-consecutive quarterly dividend periods, or if the Company fails to maintain the listing of the Series A Preferred Stock on a national securities exchange for a period continuing for more than 180 days . The Company has 20,000,000 shares of common stock authorized, of which 14,097,000 and 14,049,000 were issued as of January 31, 2020 and 2019 , respectively. During the fiscal years ended January 31, 2020 , and 2019 there were no shares surrendered in exchange for payment of taxes due upon vesting of restricted shares. During fiscal year ended January 31, 2018 , approximately 359 shares were surrendered in exchange for payment of taxes due upon the vesting of restricted shares. The fiscal year ended January 31, 2018 shares had an average fair value of $4.79 .

Related Party Transaction	12 Months Ended
Related Party Transaction	Jan. 31, 2020
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]
Related Party Transaction	Related Party Transaction On October 7, 2016, the Company entered into an equity distribution agreement with Ladenburg Thalmann & Co. Inc. (the “Agent”). On December 18, 2019, the Company and Agent entered into an Amended and Restated equity distribution agreement (the “Equity Distribution Agreement”). Pursuant to the Equity Distribution Agreement, the Company may sell up to 500,000 shares of the Series A Preferred Stocked through the Agent through an at the market (“ATM”) offering program. Under the Equity Distribution Agreement, the Agent will be entitled to compensation of up to 2.0% of the gross proceeds from the sale of Series A Preferred Stock under the ATM program. For the twelve months ended January 31, 2020 , the Company issued 163,674 shares of Series A Preferred Stock under the ATM offering program. Gross proceeds from these sales were approximately $3.9 million and the Agent received compensation of approximately $78,935 , resulting in net proceeds to the Company of $3.9 million for the twelve months ended January 31, 2020 . For the three months ended January 31, 2020 , the Company issued 66,436 shares of Series A Preferred stock under the ATM offering program. Gross proceeds from these sales were approximately $1.6 million and the Agent received compensation of approximately $31,902 , resulting in net proceeds to the Company of $1.6 million for the three months ended January 31, 2020 . The Co-Chief Executive Officer and Co-President of Ladenburg Thalmann & Co. Inc is the Non-Executive Chairman of the Company’s board of directors. The Non-Executive Chairman of the Company received no portion of this compensation. At January 31, 2020 , the Company has an outstanding obligation payable to the beneficiary of the estate of our former CEO. The obligation, which bears interest at 4% per annum, totals approximately $1.2 million , of which approximately $967,000 is classified as long-term on the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheet as of January 31, 2020 .

Income Taxes

12 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2020

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Income Taxes



	Years Ended January 31,
	2020			2019			2018
	(in thousands)
(Loss) income before income taxes is attributable to the following jurisdictions:
Domestic	$	(12,808	)	$	(6,025	)	$	(12,246	)
Foreign	2,399			(13,563		)	(7,913		)
Total	$	(10,409	)	$	(19,588	)	$	(20,159	)
The components of income tax expense (benefit) were as follows:
Current:
Domestic	$	27		$	9		$	(225	)
Foreign	582			619			1,156
	609			628			931
Deferred:
Domestic	—			—			(36		)
Foreign	269			(376		)	15
	269			(376		)	(21		)
Income tax expense	$	878		$	252		$	910

The following is a reconciliation of expected to actual income tax expense:



	Years Ended January 31,
	2020			2019			2018
	(in thousands)
Federal income tax at 21%, 21%, 32.9%, respectively	$	(2,186	)	$	(4,113	)	$	(6,632	)
Changes in tax rates	631			—			7,257
Permanent differences	101			(148		)	3,356
Foreign effective tax rate differential	(197		)	60			1,163
Foreign withholding taxes, foreign branch taxes, including penalties and interest	403			431			716
Tax effect of book loss on disposition of subsidiaries	69			1,271			—
Valuation allowance on deferred tax assets	1,719			2,249			(5,765		)
Excess tax deficiency for share-based payments under ASU 2016-09	284			663			309
Other	54			(161		)	506
	$	878		$	252		$	910

The components of the Company’s deferred taxes consisted of the following:



	As of January 31,
	2020			2019
	(in thousands)
Deferred tax assets:
Net operating losses	$	17,978		$	16,696
Tax credit carry forwards	724			675
Stock option book expense	650			781
Allowance for doubtful accounts	776			329
Allowance for inventory obsolescence	570			480
Accruals not yet deductible for tax purposes	357			418
Fixed assets	851			1,255
Intangible assets	337			—
Other	954			876
Gross deferred tax assets	23,197			21,510
Valuation allowance	(23,197		)	(21,407		)
Deferred tax assets	—			103
Deferred tax liabilities:
Intangible assets	—			(35		)
Other	(200		)	—
Deferred tax liabilities	(200		)	(35		)
Unrecognized tax benefits	—			—
Total deferred tax (liabilities) assets, net	(200		)	$	68

On March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) was enacted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act, among other things, permits NOL carryovers and carrybacks to offset 100% of taxable income for taxable years beginning before 2021. In addition, the CARES Act allows NOLs incurred in 2018, 2019, and 2020 to be carried back to each of the five preceding taxable years to generate a refund of previously paid income taxes. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of the CARES Act and believes, based on preliminary analysis, that the legislation will not have a material impact on the Company’s future income tax expense or the related tax assets and liabilities.

On December 22, 2017, the United States enacted legislation commonly known as the TCJA. The TCJA contains (i) significant changes to corporate taxation, including reduction of the highest corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%, (ii) limitations on the deductibility of interest expense, business entertainment expenses, and executive compensation, and (iii) significant changes to U.S. international taxation, including a one-time repatriation tax on undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries, the exemption from U.S. tax of certain foreign earnings upon their distribution to U.S. corporate shareholders, and the addition of a base erosion and anti-abuse tax.

The Company’s effective federal income tax rate was 21%, 21% and 32.9% for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2020 , 2019 and 2018 , respectively. The reduction in the effective federal income tax rate is due to the TCJA reducing the corporate rate to 21%, effective January 1, 2018.

For fiscal 2018, the Company was required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles to re-value its deferred tax assets and liabilities as a result of the reduction of the corporate tax rate to 21%. The change is required to be reported as of the date of enactment, with resulting tax effects accounted for in the reporting period of enactment. The impact of revaluation was a decrease of approximately $7.0 million in value of the Company’s U.S. deferred tax assets. The decrease in value of the U.S. deferred tax assets was directly offset by a corresponding reduction in the valuation allowance related to deferred tax assets. Therefore, no tax expense was recorded for fiscal year 2018 as a result of the change in the corporate tax rate.

In fiscal 2018 the Company also recognized approximately $11.2 million of estimated U.S. taxable income due to the one-time repatriation of previously untaxed foreign earnings and profits imposed by the TCJA. The repatriated foreign earnings were reported as a permanent difference and were entirely offset by current year U.S. net operating losses. As a result, the one-time repatriation of foreign earnings did not result in a tax liability for the Company.

As of January 31, 2019 , the Company classified SAP, its Australian subsidiary, as held for sale. Included in the assets held for sale were deferred tax assets totaling $1.5 million . These deferred tax assets were offset by a full valuation allowance resulting in a net zero balance in deferred tax assets classified as held for sale.

The Company has determined that, due to fundamental shifts in its business strategy to emphasize its Marine Technology Products business and the potential requirement for additional investment and working capital to achieve its objectives, the undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries as of January 31, 2020 , should no longer be deemed indefinitely reinvested outside of the United States. Furthermore, the Company has concluded that any deferred taxes with respect to the undistributed foreign earnings would be immaterial, particularly in light of the one-time repatriation of foreign earnings imposed by the TCJA and recorded in fiscal 2018 . Therefore, the Company has not recorded a deferred tax liability associated with the undistributed foreign earnings as of January 31, 2020 .

Included in deferred tax assets is approximately $700,000 related to stock-based compensation, including non-qualified stock options. A significant number of stock options expired during fiscal 2020 because the market price of the Company’s common stock remained below the exercise price of these options. Recent market prices for the Company’s common stock remain below the exercise price of a number of options outstanding as of January 31, 2020 . Should the market price of the Company’s common stock remain below the exercise price of the options, these stock options will expire without exercise. In accordance with the provisions of ASC 718-740-10, a valuation allowance has not been computed based on the decline in stock price.

As of January 31, 2020 , the Company has recorded valuation allowances of approximately $23.2 million related to deferred tax assets. These deferred tax assets relate primarily to net operating loss carryforwards in the United States and other jurisdictions. The valuation allowances were determined based on management’s judgment as to the likelihood that the deferred tax assets would not be realized. The judgment was based on an evaluation of available evidence, both positive and negative.

At January 31, 2020 , the Company had tax credit carry forwards of approximately $724,000 , which amounts can be carried forward through at least 2021 .

As of January 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018 the company had no unrecognized tax benefits attributable to uncertain tax positions.

The Company recognizes interest and penalties related to income tax matters as a component of income tax expense.

The Company prospectively adopted the provisions of ASU 2016-09 beginning February 1, 2017. Accordingly, all excess tax benefits and deficiencies related to employee share-based payments are recognized as income tax benefits or expense in the accompanying Consolidated Statement of Operations and in the accompanying Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows as operating activities. For fiscal 2020 , the excess tax deficiency for share-based payments recognized as tax expense was approximately $284,000 .

The Company files U.S. federal income tax returns as well as separate returns for its foreign subsidiaries within their local jurisdictions. The Company’s U.S. federal tax returns are subject to examination by the IRS for fiscal years ended January 31, 2017 through 2020 . The Company’s tax returns may also be subject to examination by state and local revenue authorities for fiscal years ended January 31, 2015 through 2020 . The Company’s Canadian income tax returns are subject to examination by the Canadian tax authorities for fiscal years ended January 31, 2016 through 2020 . The Company’s tax returns in other foreign jurisdictions are generally subject to examination for the fiscal years ended January 31, 2015 through January 31, 2020 .

Commitments and Contingencies	12 Months Ended
Commitments and Contingencies	Jan. 31, 2020
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Commitments and Contingencies	Commitments and Contingencies Purchase Obligations —At January 31, 2020 , the Company had approximately $2.8 million in purchase orders outstanding. Customs and Performance Guarantees —As of January 31, 2020 , the Company had provided customs and performance guarantees totaling approximately $144,000 which, were secured by cash deposits to a banking institution.

Stock Option Plans

12 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2020

Share-based Payment Arrangement [Abstract]

Stock Option Plans

At January 31, 2020 , the Company had stock-based compensation plans as described in more detail below. The total compensation expense related to stock-based awards granted under these plans during the fiscal years ended January 31, 2020 , 2019 and 2018 was approximately $854,000 , $781,000 and $903,000 , respectively. The Company recognizes stock-based compensation costs net of a forfeiture rate for only those awards expected to vest over the requisite service period of the award. The Company estimates the forfeiture rate based on its historical experience regarding employee terminations and forfeitures.

The fair value of each option award is estimated as of the date of grant using a Black-Scholes-Merton option pricing formula. Expected volatility is based on historical volatility of the Company’s stock over a preceding period commensurate with the expected term of the option. The expected term is based upon historical exercise patterns. The risk-free rate for the expected term of the option is based on the U.S. Treasury yield curve in effect at the time of grant. Expected dividend yield was not considered in the option pricing formula since the Company does not pay dividends and has not paid any dividends since its incorporation. The weighted average grant-date fair value of options granted during the fiscal years ended January 31, 2020 , 2019 and 2018 were $1.77 , $1.80 and 2.02 respectively. The assumptions for the periods indicated are noted in the following table.

Weighted average Black-Scholes-Merton fair value assumptions



	Years Ending January 31,
	2020	2019	2018
Risk free interest rate	1.47 - 2.53%	2.51 - 2.75%	1.89 - 2.01%
Expected life	3.98 - 6.00 yrs	4.00 - 6.86 yrs	4.87 - 6.87 yrs
Expected volatility	49 - 51%	49 - 49%	42 - 47%
Expected dividend yield	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%

Cash flows resulting from tax benefits attributable to tax deductions in excess of the compensation expense recognized for those options (excess tax benefits) are classified as financing out-flows and operating in-flows. The Company had no excess tax benefits during the fiscal years ended January 31, 2020 , 2019 and 2018 .

The Company has share-based awards outstanding under five different plans: the 1994 Stock Option Plan (“1994 Plan”), the 1998 Amended and Restated Stock Awards Plan (“1998 Plan”), the 2000 Stock Option Plan (“2000 Plan”), the Mitcham Industries, Inc. Stock Awards Plan (“2006 Plan”) and the 1994 Non-Employee Director Plan (“Director Plan”), (collectively, the “Plans”). Stock options granted and outstanding under each of the plans generally vest evenly over three years (except for the Director Plan, under which options generally vest after one year ) and have a 10 -year contractual term. The exercise price of a stock option generally is equal to the fair market value of the Company’s common stock on the option grant date. All Plans except for the 2006 Plan have been closed for future grants. All shares available but not granted under the 1998 Plan and the 2000 Plan as of the date of the approval of the 2006 Plan were transferred to the 2006 Plan. As of January 31, 2020 , there were approximately 1,050,000 shares available for grant under the 2006 Plan. The 2006 Plan provides for awards of nonqualified stock options, incentive stock options, restricted stock awards, restricted stock units and phantom stock. New shares are issued for restricted stock and upon the exercise of options.

Stock Based Compensation Activity

The following table presents a summary of the Company’s stock option activity for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2020 :



	Number of Shares (in thousands)		Weighted Average Exercise Price		Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term (in years)	Aggregate Intrinsic Value (in thousands)
Outstanding, January 31, 2019	2,163		$	7.75	6.54	$	526
Granted	640		3.96
Exercised	(9	)	2.80
Forfeited	(88	)	3.73
Expired	(266	)	29.86
Outstanding, January 31, 2020	2,440		$	4.51	7.08	$	20
Exercisable at January 31, 2020	1,461		$	4.87	5.94	$	15
Vested and expected to vest at January 31, 2020	2,400		$	4.50	7.02	$	20

The aggregate intrinsic value in the table above represents the total pre-tax intrinsic value (the difference between the Company’s closing stock price on the last trading day of the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020 and the exercise price, multiplied by the number of in-the-money options) that would have been received by the option holders had all option holders exercised their options on January 31, 2020 . This amount changes based upon the market value of the Company’s common stock. There was no intrinsic value of the 9,000 options exercised during the fiscal year ended January 31, 2020 . No options were exercised during the fiscal years ended January 31, 2019 , and 2018 . The fair value of options that vested during the fiscal years ended January 31, 2020 , 2019 and 2018 was approximately $650,000 , $850,000 and $500,000 , respectively. For the fiscal year ended January 31, 2020 , approximately 335,000 options vested.

As of January 31, 2020 , there was approximately $1.0 million of total unrecognized compensation expense related to unvested stock options granted under the Company’s share-based compensation plans. That expense is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 1.6 years .

Restricted stock as of January 31, 2020 and changes during the fiscal year ended January 31, 2020 were as follows:



	Year Ended January 31, 2020
	Number of Shares (in thousands)		Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Unvested, beginning of period	—		$	—
Granted	43		3.98
Vested	(2	)	3.98
Canceled	(4	)	3.98
Unvested, end of period	37		$	3.98

As of January 31, 2020 , there was approximately no unrecognized stock-based compensation expense related to unvested restricted stock awards.

Segment Reporting

12 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2020

Segment Reporting [Abstract]

Segment Reporting

The Marine Technology Products segment is engaged in the design, manufacture and sale of state-of-the-art seismic and offshore telemetry systems. Manufacturing, support and sales facilities are maintained in the UK, Singapore, Malaysia and New Hampshire, and Huntsville, Texas.

The Equipment Leasing segment offers for lease or sale, new and “experienced” seismic equipment to seismic contractors in the oil and gas industry. The Equipment Leasing segment is headquartered in Huntsville, Texas, with sales and services offices in Calgary, Canada and Singapore.

Financial information by business segment is set forth below net of any allocations (in thousands):



	As of January 31, 2020						As of January 31, 2019						As of January 31, 2018
	Marine Technology Products		Equipment Leasing		Consolidated		Marine Technology Products		Equipment Leasing		Consolidated		Marine Technology Products		Equipment Leasing		Consolidated
Fixed assets, net	$	4,791	$	8,986	$	13,777	$	4,635	$	9,534	$	14,155	$	3,790	$	19,161	$	22,900
Intangible assets, net	8,048		113		8,161		10,417		78		10,495		8,015		—		8,015
Goodwill	2,531		—		2,531		2,531		—		2,531		2,531		—		2,531
Total Assets	47,211		11,017		58,228		44,832		20,469		65,301		35,879		37,850		73,679



	As of January 31, 2020											As of January 31, 2019												As of January 31, 2018
	Marine Technology Products			Equipment Leasing			Corporate expenses		Consolidated			Marine Technology Products			Equipment Leasing			Corporate expenses			Consolidated			Marine Technology Products			Equipment Leasing			Corporate expenses			Consolidated
Revenues	$	29,572		$	13,213		—		$	42,675		$	25,768		$	17,383		$	—		$	42,942		$	27,572		$	20,919		$	—		$	48,276
Interest expense, net	1			(47		)	—		(46		)	—			72			—			72			(18		)	65			—			47
Operating loss	(2,259		)	(4,667		)	(3,471	)	(10,375		)	(3,780		)	(5,872		)	(3,375		)	(13,020		)	(2,572		)	(13,930		)	(3,211		)	(19,708		)
Capital expenditures	894			3,097			—		3,991			583			1,948			—			2,531			268			1,048			—			1,316
Depreciation and amortization expense	2,649			5,141			—		7,768			2,418			9,402			—			11,814			1,991			14,652			—			16,637

Approximately $110,000 , $209,000 and $216,000 related to sales from Marine Technology Products to the Equipment Leasing segment is eliminated in the consolidated revenues for the fiscal years ended January 31, 2020 , 2019 and 2018 , respectively.

A reconciliation of operating income is as follows (in thousands):



	Years Ended January 31,
	2020			2019			2018
Marine Technology Products	$	(2,259	)	$	(3,780	)	$	(2,572	)
Equipment Leasing	(4,667		)	(5,872		)	(13,930		)
Corporate Expenses	(3,471		)	(3,375		)	(3,211		)
Reconciling items:
Elimination of loss from inter-company sales	22			7			5
Consolidated operating income	$	(10,375	)	$	(13,020	)	$	(19,708	)

Quarterly Financial Data (Unaudited)

12 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2020

Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]

Quarterly Financial Data (Unaudited)



	Quarters Ended
	Fiscal Year	April 30			July 31			October 31			January 31
Net revenues:	2020	$	9,857		$	8,898		$	10,663		$	13,257
	2019	$	7,613		$	8,350		$	14,651		$	12,328
Gross profit:	2020	$	3,741		$	2,882		$	4,051		$	5,947
	2019	$	1,245		$	1,860		$	5,224		$	3,411
Loss before income taxes:	2020	$	(2,360	)	$	(3,088	)	$	(1,968	)	$	(2,993	)
	2019	$	(5,468	)	$	(4,504	)	$	(5,440	)	$	(4,176	)
Incomes taxes (benefit):	2020	$	55		$	48		$	60		$	715
	2019	$	437		$	85		$	(249	)	$	(21	)
Net loss:	2020	$	(2,415	)	$	(3,136	)	$	(2,028	)	$	(3,708	)
	2019	$	(5,905	)	$	(4,589	)	$	(5,191	)	$	(4,155	)
Loss per common share – basic:	2020	$	(0.24	)	$	(0.30	)	$	(0.21	)	$	(0.35	)
	2019	$	(0.52	)	$	(0.41	)	$	(0.47	)	$	(0.38	)
Loss per common share – diluted:	2020	$	(0.24	)	$	(0.30	)	$	(0.21	)	$	(0.35	)
	2019	$	(0.52	)	$	(0.41	)	$	(0.47	)	$	(0.38	)

Concentrations	12 Months Ended
Concentrations	Jan. 31, 2020
Risks and Uncertainties [Abstract]
Concentrations	Concentrations Credit Risk —As of January 31, 2020 , no customers exceeded 10% of consolidated accounts receivable. During fiscal year ended 2019 , one customer amounted to an aggregate of approximately $2.2 million . The Company maintains deposits and certificates of deposit with banks which may exceed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) insured limit and money market accounts which are not FDIC insured. In addition, deposits aggregating approximately $2.3 million at January 31, 2020 are held in foreign banks. Management believes the risk of loss in connection with these accounts is minimal. Industry Concentration —The majority of the Company’s revenues are derived from seismic equipment leased and sold to companies providing seismic acquisition services. The seismic industry has historically been subject to cyclical activity and is dependent, in large part, on the expected future prices of oil and natural gas. Should the industry experience a decline in the price of oil and natural gas, the Company could be subject to significantly greater credit risk and declining demand for its products and services. Supplier Concentration —The Company purchases the majority of its seismic equipment for its lease pool from a small number of suppliers, each being an industry leader for its product. The Company believes that two of its suppliers manufacture most of the land-based seismic systems and equipment in use. The Company has satisfactory relationships with its suppliers. However, should those relationships deteriorate, the Company may have difficulty in obtaining new technology requested by its customers and maintaining the existing equipment in accordance with manufacturers’ specifications.

Sales and Major Customers

12 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2020

Segment Reporting [Abstract]

Sales and Major Customers

A summary of the Company’s revenues from customers by geographic region, outside the U.S., is as follows (in thousands):



	Years Ended January 31,
	2020		2019		2018
UK/Europe	$	20,366	$	15,200	$	11,835
Canada	3,731		2,049		807
Latin America	2,663		1,267		1,354
Asia/South Pacific	6,871		13,555		16,768
Eurasia	290		1,803		332
Other	1,942		2,723		5,834
Total	$	35,863	$	36,597	$	36,930

During the fiscal years ended January 31, 2020 and 2019 no individual customer exceeded 10% of total revenue. During fiscal year ended 2018 , two individual customers exceeded 10% of total revenues.

Sale of Subsidiaries	12 Months Ended
Sale of Subsidiaries	Jan. 31, 2020
Discontinued Operations and Disposal Groups [Abstract]
Sale of Subsidiaries	Sale of Subsidiaries In February 2019, the Company completed the sale of its wholly owned Australian subsidiary, Seismic Asia Pacific Pty Ltd. for total contractual proceeds of approximately $660,000 U.S. dollars of which the Company received approximately $240,000 in cash at closing and an unsecured, non-interest bearing two -year note receivable in the amount of $420,000 . The agreement also included a working capital adjustment of approximately $114,000 payable to the Company. We received payment of the working capital adjustment in August of 2019. The note receivable was recorded as other non-current assets as of January 31, 2020. In August 2018, the Company completed the sale of its wholly owned Russian subsidiary, MSE, to an unrelated third party (the “Buyer”) for total contractual proceeds of approximately $1.2 million U.S. dollars. Our agreement with the Buyer stipulated a series of eight ( 8 ) payments totaling the contractual proceeds, plus interest accruing at a rate of 9% per annum, with the final payment to be received on or before August 31, 2019. Through January 31, 2020, the Buyer has made payments totaling approximately $705,000 . Although we did not receive all the stipulated payments before August 31, 2019, we are working with the Buyer and expect the balance of contractual proceeds, together with applicable interest, to be paid in full. The amounts due from Buyer were recorded in accounts receivable at January 31, 2020. As a result of the sale of MSE, the Company recorded a loss of approximately $4.9 million , including recognition of approximately $5.4 million of cumulative translation losses which had been historically recorded in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss, a component of equity.

Schedule II - Valuation and Qualifying Accounts

12 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2020

SEC Schedule, 12-09, Valuation and Qualifying Accounts [Abstract]

Schedule II - Valuation and Qualifying Accounts

SCHEDULE II

MITCHAM INDUSTRIES, INC.

VALUATION AND QUALIFYING ACCOUNTS

(in thousands)



Col. A	Col. B		Col. C(1)	Col. C(2)			Col. D			Col. E
Description	Balance at Beginning of Period		Charged to Costs and Expenses	Charged to Other Accounts			Deductions Describe			Balance at End of Period
Allowance for doubtful accounts
January 31, 2020	$	2,113	2,000	—		(a)	(59	)	(b)	$	4,054
January 31, 2019	$	6,167	212	—		(a)	(4,266	)	(b)	$	2,113
January 31, 2018	$	5,904	1,027	(23	)	(a)	(741	)	(b)	$	6,167
Allowance for obsolete equipment and inventory
January 31, 2020	$	1,222	298	1		(a)	(117	)	(c)	$	1,404
January 31, 2019	$	1,675	132	(32	)	(a)	(553	)	(c)	$	1,222
January 31, 2018	$	952	989	20		(a)	(286	)	(c)	$	1,675


(a)	Represents translation differences.


(b)	Represents recoveries and uncollectible accounts written off.


(c)	Represents sale or scrap of inventory and obsolete equipment.

Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2020

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Organization

Revenue Recognition of Leasing Arrangements

Revenue Recognition of Equipment Sales

Revenue Recognition of Long-term Projects

Revenue Recognition of Service Agreements

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and Cash Equivalents —The Company considers all highly liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less at the date of purchase to be cash equivalents.

Short-term Investments

Short-term Investments— The Company considers all highly liquid investments with an original maturity greater than three months , but less than twelve months , to be short-term investments.

Inventories

Seismic Equipment Lease Pool

Property and Equipment

Intangible Assets

Impairment

Product Warranties

Income Taxes


•	projected taxable income in future years;


•	our history of taxable income within a particular jurisdiction;


•	any history of deferred tax assets expiring prior realization;


•	whether the carry forward period is so brief that it would limit realization of tax benefits;


•	other limitations on the utilization of tax benefits;


•	future sales and operating cost projections that will produce more than enough taxable income to realize the deferred tax asset based on existing sales prices and cost structures;


•	our earnings history exclusive of the loss that created the future deductible amount coupled with evidence indicating that the loss is an aberration rather than a continuing condition; and


•	tax planning strategies that will create additional taxable income.

Use of Estimates

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

Fair Value of Financial Instruments — The Company’s financial instruments consist of accounts and contracts receivable and accounts payable.


•	Level 1: Defined as observable inputs such as quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities as of the reporting date. Active markets are those in which transactions for the asset or liability occur in sufficient frequency and volume to provide pricing information on an ongoing basis.

•


•	Level 3: Defined as pricing inputs that are unobservable form objective sources. These inputs may be used with internally developed methodologies that result in management’s best estimate of fair value.

Foreign Currency Translation

Stock-Based Compensation

Earnings Per Share

Reclassifications

New Accounting Pronouncements

In June 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-07, Compensation – Stock Compensation (“Topic 718”): Improvements to Nonemployee Share-Based Payment Accounting, which expands the scope of Topic 718 to include share-based payment transactions for acquiring goods and services from nonemployees except for certain circumstances. Any transition impact will be a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of the beginning of the year of adoption. This ASU is effective for the annual period beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within that annual period and early adoption is permitted. The Company adopted this ASU as of February 1, 2019. The adoption of ASU No. 2018-07 did not have a material effect on the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements.

In January 2017, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2017-04, Intangibles-Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment, to simplify impairment testing of goodwill and other intangible assets by eliminating step two of the impairment test. The Company adopted the provisions of ASU 2017-04 as of January 31, 2018. The adoption of ASU 2017-04 did not have a material effect on the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements.

In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-18, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Restricted Cash, to require that amounts generally described as restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents be included with cash and cash equivalents when reconciling the beginning-of-period and end-of-period total amounts shown on the statement of cash flows. The Company adopted the provisions of ASU No. 2016-18 as of February 1, 2017. The adoption of ASU No. 2016-18 did not have a material effect on the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements.

In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments, to address how certain cash receipts and cash payments are presented and classified in the statement of cash flows. This update addresses eight specific cash flow issues with the objective of reducing the existing diversity in practice. The Company adopted the provisions of ASU No. 2016-15 as of February 1, 2018. The adoption of ASU No. 2016-15 did not have a material effect on the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-09, Compensation -Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting , to reduce complexity in accounting standards involving several aspects of the accounting for employee share-based payment transactions, including the income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, and classification on the statement of cash flows. The Company adopted this new standard as of February 1, 2017, utilizing the prospective transition method. As a result, the Company now recognizes all excess tax charges or benefits as income tax expense or benefit in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations and in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows as operating activities.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), which requires organizations that lease assets to recognize on the balance sheet the assets and liabilities for the rights and obligations created by those leases. Qualitative and quantitative disclosures are required, and optional practical expedients may be elected. This ASU is effective for the annual period beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within that annual period. Subsequent amendments to the initial guidance have been issued in January 2017, January 2018, and July 2018 within ASU No. 201703, ASU No. 2018-01, ASU No. 2018-10, and ASU No. 2018-11 regarding qualitative disclosures, optional practical expedients, codification improvements and an optional transition method to adopt with a cumulative-effect adjustment versus a modified retrospective approach. These updates do not change the core principle of the guidance under ASU No. 2016-02, but rather provide implementation guidance. The Company adopted the accounting standard as of February 1, 2019, using the cumulative-effect transition method, which applies the guidance at the beginning of the period of adoption. The Company elected the package of practical expedients permitted, which, among other things, allowed the Company to carry forward the historical lease classification. In addition, the Company made the accounting policy elections to not recognize lease assets and lease liabilities with an initial term of 12 months or less and to not separate lease and non-lease components. The impact of adoption on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet was the recognition of a ROU asset of $3.0 million and an operating lease liability of $3.0 million, primarily for office and shop space leases that are currently off-balance sheet. The adoption did not have a material impact on its results of operations nor any material impact on its cash flows.

In July 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-11, Inventory: (Topic 330) , to provide guidance on measurement of inventory. ASU 2015-11 requires that inventories utilizing the first-in, first-out (FIFO) method be measured at lower of cost or net realizable value. The Company has adopted the provisions of ASU 2015-11 as of February 1, 2017. The adoption of ASU 2015-11 did not have an impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements as the Company’s inventory is determined using the average cost and standard cost methods.

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) (“ASU 2014-09”), which supersedes the revenue recognition requirements in ASC 605, Revenue Recognition. ASU 2014-09 was later amended by ASU No. 2016-10 Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing, and ASU No. 2016-12, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Narrow-Scope Improvements and Practical Expedients. ASU 2014-09, as amended, (the “New Revenue Standard”) supersedes most industry specific guidance and intends to enhance comparability of revenue recognition practices across entities and industries by providing a principle-based, comprehensive framework for addressing revenue recognition issues. The Company adopted the New Revenue Standard as of February 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective method. The adoption of the New Revenue Standard did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2020

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Restricted Stock and Options Outstanding Used in Per Share Calculations

For the fiscal years ended January 31, 2020 , 2019 and 2018 , the following table sets forth the number of potentially dilutive shares that may be issued pursuant to options, restricted stock and warrants outstanding used in the per share calculations.



	Years Ended January 31,
	2020	2019	2018
	(in thousands)
Stock options	79	96	77
Restricted stock	3	11	32
Total dilutive shares	82	107	109

Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2020

Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]

Disaggregation of Revenue

The following table presents revenue from contracts with customers disaggregated by product line and timing of revenue recognition:



	Twelve Months Ended January 31,
	2020		2019
Revenue recognized at a point in time:	(in thousands)
Seamap	$	21,270	$	15,213
Klein	7,468		6,515
SAP	101		3,264
Total revenue recognized at a point in time	$	28,839	$	24,992
Revenue recognized over time:
Seamap	$	733	$	776
Klein	—		—
SAP	—		—
Total revenue recognized over time	733		776
Total revenue from contracts with customers	$	29,572	$	25,768

The following table presents revenue from contracts with customers disaggregated by geography, based on shipping location of our customers:



	Twelve Months Ended January 31,
	2020		2019
Revenue from contracts with customers:	(in thousands)
United States	$	3,920	$	2,690
Europe, Russia & CIS	15,262		11,858
Middle East & Africa	1,576		1,243
Asia-Pacific	5,030		8,900
Canada & Latin America	3,784		1,077
Total revenue from contracts with customers	$	29,572	$	25,768

Contract with Customer, Asset and Liability

As of January 31, 2020, contract assets and liabilities consisted of the following:



	January 31, 2020		January 31, 2019
Contract Assets:	(in thousands)
Unbilled revenue-current	$	13	$	340
Unbilled revenue - non-current	—		—
Total unbilled revenue	$	13	$	340
Contract Liabilities:
Deferred revenue & customer deposits - current	$	220	$	556
Deferred revenue & customer deposits - non-current	12		11
Total deferred revenue & customer deposits	$	232	$	567

Acquisition of Assets (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2020

Business Combinations [Abstract]

Schedule of Business Acquisitions, by Acquisition

Details of the purchase price and the allocation of the purchase price to the assets acquired are as follows (in thousands):




Purchase Price:
Cash	$	3,000
Release of claims against Hydroscience	1,144
Transaction costs	312
Total purchase price	$	4,456

Allocation of purchase price:
Inventory	$	206
Tangible assets (mainly manufacturing equipment)	350
Intangible assets (including patents, designs & software)	3,900
Total purchase price	$	4,456

Supplemental Statements of Cash Flows Information (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2020

Supplemental Cash Flow Elements [Abstract]

Supplemental Disclosures of Cash Flows Information

Supplemental disclosures of cash flows information for the fiscal years ended January 31, 2020 , 2019 and 2018 were as follows (in thousands):



	Years Ended January 31,
	2020		2019		2018
Interest paid	$	63	$	8	$	86
Income taxes paid, net	498		622		494
Seismic equipment purchases included in accounts payable at year-end	812		—		53

Inventories (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2020

Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]

Schedule of Inventories

Inventories consisted of the following (in thousands):



	As of January 31,
	2020			2019
Raw materials	$	7,388		$	5,446
Finished goods	4,557			5,229
Work in progress	2,720			1,322
Cost of inventories	14,665			11,997
Less allowance for obsolescence	(1,404		)	(1,223		)
Net inventories	$	13,261		$	10,774

- Definition

Tabular disclosure of the carrying amount as of the balance sheet date of merchandise, goods, commodities, or supplies held for future sale or to be used in manufacturing, servicing or production process.

+ References + Details

Accounts Receivables (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2020

Receivables [Abstract]

Accounts Receivable

Accounts receivables consisted of the following (in thousands):



	As of January 31, 2020								As of January 31, 2019
	Current			Long-term		Total			Current			Long-term		Total
Accounts receivable	$	15,975		$	403	$	16,378		$	14,195		$	712	$	14,907
Less allowance for doubtful accounts	(4,054		)	—		(4,054		)	(2,113		)	—		(2,113		)
Accounts receivable net of allowance for doubtful accounts	$	11,921		$	403	$	12,324		$	12,082		$	712	$	12,794

Seismic Equipment Lease Pool and Property and Equipment (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2020

Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]

Schedule of Seismic Equipment Lease Pool and Property and Equipment

Seismic equipment lease pool and property and equipment consisted of the following (in thousands)



	As of January 31,
	2020			2019
Recording channels	$	80,378		$	84,207
Other peripheral equipment	64,756			63,312
Cost of seismic equipment lease pool	145,134			147,519
Land and buildings	4,274			4,041
Furniture and fixtures	10,530			9,897
Autos and trucks	561			571
Cost of property and equipment	15,365			14,509
Cost of seismic equipment lease pool and property and equipment	160,499			162,028
Less accumulated depreciation	(146,722		)	(147,873		)
Net book value of seismic equipment lease pool and property and equipment	$	13,777		$	14,155

Location of Seismic Equipment Lease Pool and Property and Equipment

Location of seismic equipment lease pool and property and equipment (in thousands):



	As of January 31,
	2020		2019
United States	$	5,400	$	1,566
Europe	4,110		5,564
Canada	1,136		93
Latin America	1,170		1,365
Singapore	773		4,496
Malaysia	1,188		1,071
Net book value of seismic equipment lease pool and property and equipment	$	13,777	$	14,155

- Definition

Tabular disclosure of physical assets used in the normal conduct of business and not intended for resale. Includes, but is not limited to, balances by class of assets, depreciation and depletion expense and method used, including composite depreciation, and accumulated deprecation.

+ References + Details

Leases (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2020

Leases [Abstract]

Supplemental Balance Sheet Information

Supplemental balance sheet information related to leases as of January 31, 2020 was as follows (in thousands):



Lease	January 31, 2020		Impact of ASC 842 Transition
Assets
Operating lease assets	$	2,300	$	2,710

Liabilities
Operating lease liabilities	$	2,300	$	2,710

Classification of lease liabilities
Current liabilities	$	1,339
Non-current liabilities	961
Total Operating lease liabilities	$	2,300

Lease-term and discount rate details as of January 31, 2020 were as follows:



Lease term and discount rate	January 31, 2020
Weighted average remaining lease term (years)
Operating leases	1.76

Weighted average discount rate:
Operating leases	9.27	%

Supplemental Cash Flow Information

Supplemental cash flow information related to leases was as follows (in thousands):



Lease	Twelve Months Ended January 31, 2020
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities:
Operating cash flows from operating leases	$	(1,182	)

Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for lease liabilities:
Operating leases	$	635

Maturities of Lease Liabilities

Maturities of lease liabilities at January 31, 2020 were as follows (in thousands):



	January 31, 2020
2021	$	1,338
2022	838
2023	222
2024	98
2025	52
Thereafter	21
Total payments under lease agreements	$	2,569

Less: imputed interest	(269		)
Total lease liabilities	$	2,300

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2020

Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets



	Weighted Average Life at 1/31/20	January 31, 2020										January 31, 2019
	Weighted Average Life at 1/31/20	Gross Carrying Amount		Accumulated Amortization			Impairment			Net Carrying Amount		Gross Carrying Amount		Accumulated Amortization			Impairment			Net Carrying Amount
		(in thousands)										(in thousands)
Goodwill		$	7,060	$	—		$	(4,529	)	$	2,531	$	7,060	$	—		$	(4,529	)	$	2,531
Proprietary rights	7.0	$	9,293	$	(4,971	)	—			4,322		$	9,303	$	(4,292	)	—			5,011
Customer relationships	1.8	5,024		(3,831		)	—			1,193		5,024		(3,147		)	—			1,877
Patents	4.5	2,440		(1,277		)	—			1,163		2,441		(1,028		)	—			1,413
Trade name	6.3	894		(63		)	(760		)	71		894		(52		)	—			842
Developed technology	5.9	1,430		(584		)	—			846		1,430		(441		)	—			989
Other	4.3	653		(87		)	—			566		385		(22		)	—			363
Amortizable intangible assets		$	19,734	$	(10,813	)	$	(760	)	$	8,161	$	19,477	$	(8,982	)	$	—		$	10,495

Future Estimated Amortization Expense Related to Amortizable Intangible Assets

As of January 31, 2020 , future estimated amortization expense related to amortizable intangible assets is estimated to be (in thousands):



For fiscal years ending January 31:
2021	$	1,733
2022	1,256
2023	1,088
2024	976
2025	746
Thereafter	2,362
Total	$	8,161

Accrued Expenses and Other Current Liabilities (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2020

Payables and Accruals [Abstract]

Schedule of Accrued Expenses and Other Current Liabilities

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities consisted of the following (in thousands):



	As of January 31,
	2020		2019
Contract settlement	$	228	$	219
Wages and benefits	373		596
Customer deposits	376		701
Accrued inventory	229		447
Other	2,246		1,775
Accrued Expenses and Other Liabilities	$	3,452	$	3,738

Income Taxes (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2020

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Reconciliation of Income Taxes by Jurisdiction



	Years Ended January 31,
	2020			2019			2018
	(in thousands)
(Loss) income before income taxes is attributable to the following jurisdictions:
Domestic	$	(12,808	)	$	(6,025	)	$	(12,246	)
Foreign	2,399			(13,563		)	(7,913		)
Total	$	(10,409	)	$	(19,588	)	$	(20,159	)
The components of income tax expense (benefit) were as follows:
Current:
Domestic	$	27		$	9		$	(225	)
Foreign	582			619			1,156
	609			628			931
Deferred:
Domestic	—			—			(36		)
Foreign	269			(376		)	15
	269			(376		)	(21		)
Income tax expense	$	878		$	252		$	910

Reconciliation of Expected to Actual Income Tax Expense

The following is a reconciliation of expected to actual income tax expense:



	Years Ended January 31,
	2020			2019			2018
	(in thousands)
Federal income tax at 21%, 21%, 32.9%, respectively	$	(2,186	)	$	(4,113	)	$	(6,632	)
Changes in tax rates	631			—			7,257
Permanent differences	101			(148		)	3,356
Foreign effective tax rate differential	(197		)	60			1,163
Foreign withholding taxes, foreign branch taxes, including penalties and interest	403			431			716
Tax effect of book loss on disposition of subsidiaries	69			1,271			—
Valuation allowance on deferred tax assets	1,719			2,249			(5,765		)
Excess tax deficiency for share-based payments under ASU 2016-09	284			663			309
Other	54			(161		)	506
	$	878		$	252		$	910

Company's Deferred Taxes

The components of the Company’s deferred taxes consisted of the following:



	As of January 31,
	2020			2019
	(in thousands)
Deferred tax assets:
Net operating losses	$	17,978		$	16,696
Tax credit carry forwards	724			675
Stock option book expense	650			781
Allowance for doubtful accounts	776			329
Allowance for inventory obsolescence	570			480
Accruals not yet deductible for tax purposes	357			418
Fixed assets	851			1,255
Intangible assets	337			—
Other	954			876
Gross deferred tax assets	23,197			21,510
Valuation allowance	(23,197		)	(21,407		)
Deferred tax assets	—			103
Deferred tax liabilities:
Intangible assets	—			(35		)
Other	(200		)	—
Deferred tax liabilities	(200		)	(35		)
Unrecognized tax benefits	—			—
Total deferred tax (liabilities) assets, net	(200		)	$	68

Stock Option Plans (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2020

Share-based Payment Arrangement [Abstract]

Schedule of Fair Value Option Award

The assumptions for the periods indicated are noted in the following table.

Weighted average Black-Scholes-Merton fair value assumptions



	Years Ending January 31,
	2020	2019	2018
Risk free interest rate	1.47 - 2.53%	2.51 - 2.75%	1.89 - 2.01%
Expected life	3.98 - 6.00 yrs	4.00 - 6.86 yrs	4.87 - 6.87 yrs
Expected volatility	49 - 51%	49 - 49%	42 - 47%
Expected dividend yield	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%

Summary of Company's Stock Option Activity

The following table presents a summary of the Company’s stock option activity for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2020 :



	Number of Shares (in thousands)		Weighted Average Exercise Price		Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term (in years)	Aggregate Intrinsic Value (in thousands)
Outstanding, January 31, 2019	2,163		$	7.75	6.54	$	526
Granted	640		3.96
Exercised	(9	)	2.80
Forfeited	(88	)	3.73
Expired	(266	)	29.86
Outstanding, January 31, 2020	2,440		$	4.51	7.08	$	20
Exercisable at January 31, 2020	1,461		$	4.87	5.94	$	15
Vested and expected to vest at January 31, 2020	2,400		$	4.50	7.02	$	20

Restricted Stock and Changes During Period

Restricted stock as of January 31, 2020 and changes during the fiscal year ended January 31, 2020 were as follows:



	Year Ended January 31, 2020
	Number of Shares (in thousands)		Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Unvested, beginning of period	—		$	—
Granted	43		3.98
Vested	(2	)	3.98
Canceled	(4	)	3.98
Unvested, end of period	37		$	3.98

- Definition

Tabular disclosure for stock option plans. Includes, but is not limited to, outstanding awards at beginning and end of year, grants, exercises, forfeitures, and weighted-average grant date fair value.

+ References + Details

Segment Reporting (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2020

Segment Reporting [Abstract]

Reconciliation of Assets from Segment to Consolidated

Financial information by business segment is set forth below net of any allocations (in thousands):



	As of January 31, 2020						As of January 31, 2019						As of January 31, 2018
	Marine Technology Products		Equipment Leasing		Consolidated		Marine Technology Products		Equipment Leasing		Consolidated		Marine Technology Products		Equipment Leasing		Consolidated
Fixed assets, net	$	4,791	$	8,986	$	13,777	$	4,635	$	9,534	$	14,155	$	3,790	$	19,161	$	22,900
Intangible assets, net	8,048		113		8,161		10,417		78		10,495		8,015		—		8,015
Goodwill	2,531		—		2,531		2,531		—		2,531		2,531		—		2,531
Total Assets	47,211		11,017		58,228		44,832		20,469		65,301		35,879		37,850		73,679

Reconciliation of Revenue from Segments to Consolidated



	As of January 31, 2020											As of January 31, 2019												As of January 31, 2018
	Marine Technology Products			Equipment Leasing			Corporate expenses		Consolidated			Marine Technology Products			Equipment Leasing			Corporate expenses			Consolidated			Marine Technology Products			Equipment Leasing			Corporate expenses			Consolidated
Revenues	$	29,572		$	13,213		—		$	42,675		$	25,768		$	17,383		$	—		$	42,942		$	27,572		$	20,919		$	—		$	48,276
Interest expense, net	1			(47		)	—		(46		)	—			72			—			72			(18		)	65			—			47
Operating loss	(2,259		)	(4,667		)	(3,471	)	(10,375		)	(3,780		)	(5,872		)	(3,375		)	(13,020		)	(2,572		)	(13,930		)	(3,211		)	(19,708		)
Capital expenditures	894			3,097			—		3,991			583			1,948			—			2,531			268			1,048			—			1,316
Depreciation and amortization expense	2,649			5,141			—		7,768			2,418			9,402			—			11,814			1,991			14,652			—			16,637

Reconciliation of Operating Income (Loss)

A reconciliation of operating income is as follows (in thousands):



	Years Ended January 31,
	2020			2019			2018
Marine Technology Products	$	(2,259	)	$	(3,780	)	$	(2,572	)
Equipment Leasing	(4,667		)	(5,872		)	(13,930		)
Corporate Expenses	(3,471		)	(3,375		)	(3,211		)
Reconciling items:
Elimination of loss from inter-company sales	22			7			5
Consolidated operating income	$	(10,375	)	$	(13,020	)	$	(19,708	)

- Definition

Tabular disclosure of the reconciliation of profit (loss) from reportable segments to the consolidated income (loss) before income tax expense (benefit) and discontinued operations. Includes, but is not limited to, reconciliation after income tax if income tax is allocated to the reportable segment.

+ References + Details

- Definition

Tabular disclosure of all significant reconciling items in the reconciliation of total revenues from reportable segments to the entity's consolidated revenues.

+ References + Details

Quarterly Financial Data (Unaudited) (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2020

Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]

Schedule of Quarterly Financial Data (Unaudited)



	Quarters Ended
	Fiscal Year	April 30			July 31			October 31			January 31
Net revenues:	2020	$	9,857		$	8,898		$	10,663		$	13,257
	2019	$	7,613		$	8,350		$	14,651		$	12,328
Gross profit:	2020	$	3,741		$	2,882		$	4,051		$	5,947
	2019	$	1,245		$	1,860		$	5,224		$	3,411
Loss before income taxes:	2020	$	(2,360	)	$	(3,088	)	$	(1,968	)	$	(2,993	)
	2019	$	(5,468	)	$	(4,504	)	$	(5,440	)	$	(4,176	)
Incomes taxes (benefit):	2020	$	55		$	48		$	60		$	715
	2019	$	437		$	85		$	(249	)	$	(21	)
Net loss:	2020	$	(2,415	)	$	(3,136	)	$	(2,028	)	$	(3,708	)
	2019	$	(5,905	)	$	(4,589	)	$	(5,191	)	$	(4,155	)
Loss per common share – basic:	2020	$	(0.24	)	$	(0.30	)	$	(0.21	)	$	(0.35	)
	2019	$	(0.52	)	$	(0.41	)	$	(0.47	)	$	(0.38	)
Loss per common share – diluted:	2020	$	(0.24	)	$	(0.30	)	$	(0.21	)	$	(0.35	)
	2019	$	(0.52	)	$	(0.41	)	$	(0.47	)	$	(0.38	)

Sales and Major Customers (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2020

Segment Reporting [Abstract]

Summary of Company's Revenues from Customers by Geographic Region, Outside the U.S.

A summary of the Company’s revenues from customers by geographic region, outside the U.S., is as follows (in thousands):



	Years Ended January 31,
	2020		2019		2018
UK/Europe	$	20,366	$	15,200	$	11,835
Canada	3,731		2,049		807
Latin America	2,663		1,267		1,354
Asia/South Pacific	6,871		13,555		16,768
Eurasia	290		1,803		332
Other	1,942		2,723		5,834
Total	$	35,863	$	36,597	$	36,930

- Definition

Tabular disclosure of information concerning material long-lived assets (excluding financial instruments, customer relationships with financial institutions, mortgage and other servicing rights, deferred policy acquisition costs, and deferred taxes assets) located in identified geographic areas and/or the amount of revenue from external customers attributed to that country from which revenue is material. An entity may also provide subtotals of geographic information about groups of countries.

+ References + Details

Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2020	Jan. 31, 2019	Jan. 31, 2018
Partnership Organization And Basis Of Presentation [Line Items]
Services pursuant to contracts term	12 months
Support services term	12 months
Additional charges	$ 0
Salvage value assigned to property and equipment	$ 0
Customer relationships
Partnership Organization And Basis Of Presentation [Line Items]
Intangible assets amortization period	8 years
Building
Partnership Organization And Basis Of Presentation [Line Items]
Estimated useful lives	30 years
Property Improvements
Partnership Organization And Basis Of Presentation [Line Items]
Estimated useful lives	10 years
Maximum
Partnership Organization And Basis Of Presentation [Line Items]
Lease period	1 year	1 year	1 year
Liquid investments maturity period	3 months
Short-term investments maturity period	12 months
Estimated useful lives	7 years
Maximum \| Proprietary rights developed technology and amortizable trade names
Partnership Organization And Basis Of Presentation [Line Items]
Intangible assets amortization period	15 years
Maximum \| Patents
Partnership Organization And Basis Of Presentation [Line Items]
Intangible assets amortization period	9 years
Maximum \| Recording channels
Partnership Organization And Basis Of Presentation [Line Items]
Estimated useful lives	7 years
Maximum \| Other peripheral equipment
Partnership Organization And Basis Of Presentation [Line Items]
Estimated useful lives	10 years
Minimum
Partnership Organization And Basis Of Presentation [Line Items]
Short-term investments maturity period	3 months
Estimated useful lives	3 years
Minimum \| Proprietary rights developed technology and amortizable trade names
Partnership Organization And Basis Of Presentation [Line Items]
Intangible assets amortization period	10 years
Minimum \| Patents
Partnership Organization And Basis Of Presentation [Line Items]
Intangible assets amortization period	8 years
Minimum \| Recording channels
Partnership Organization And Basis Of Presentation [Line Items]
Estimated useful lives	5 years
Minimum \| Other peripheral equipment
Partnership Organization And Basis Of Presentation [Line Items]
Estimated useful lives	2 years
Seamap
Partnership Organization And Basis Of Presentation [Line Items]
Customers warranty against defects	3 months
Klein
Partnership Organization And Basis Of Presentation [Line Items]
Customers warranty against defects	12 months

Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Restricted Stock and Options Outstanding Used in Per Share Calculations (Detail) - shares shares in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2020	Jan. 31, 2019	Jan. 31, 2018
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Stock options (in shares)	79	96	77
Restricted stock (in shares)	3	11	32
Total dilutive shares	82	107	109

New Accounting Pronouncements New Accounting Pronouncements (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jan. 31, 2020	Apr. 30, 2019	Feb. 01, 2019
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Operating lease right-of-use assets	$ 2,300	$ 3,000	$ 2,710
Operating lease liability	$ 2,300	$ 3,000	2,710
ASU 2016-02
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Operating lease right-of-use assets			3,000
Operating lease liability			$ 3,000

Subsequent Events and Liquidity - Additional Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Apr. 22, 2020	Jan. 31, 2020
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Working capital		$ 22.2
Cash included in working capital		3.2
Backlog of orders		$ 8.9
Forecast \| Government sponsored loans \| Subsequent Event
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Government sponsored loans	$ 1.6

- Definition

Amount of currency on hand as well as demand deposits with banks or financial institutions. Includes other kinds of accounts that have the general characteristics of demand deposits. Excludes cash and cash equivalents within disposal group and discontinued operation.

+ References + Details

- Definition

Amount, after unamortized (discount) premium and debt issuance costs, of long-term debt. Includes, but not limited to, notes payable, bonds payable, debentures, mortgage loans and commercial paper. Excludes capital lease obligations.

+ References + Details

- Definition

Unbilled amounts due for services rendered or to be rendered, actions taken or to be taken, or a promise to refrain from taking certain actions in accordance with the terms of a legally binding agreement between the entity and, at a minimum, one other party. An example would be amounts associated with contracts or programs where the recognized revenue for performance thereunder exceeds the amounts billed under the terms thereof as of the date of the balance sheet.

+ References + Details

Revenue from Contracts with Customers - Revenue Disaggregation (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2020	Jan. 31, 2019
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total revenue from contracts with customers	$ 29,572	$ 25,768
Revenue recognized at a point in time
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total revenue from contracts with customers	28,839	24,992
Revenue recognized over time
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total revenue from contracts with customers	733	776
Seamap \| Revenue recognized at a point in time
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total revenue from contracts with customers	21,270	15,213
Seamap \| Revenue recognized over time
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total revenue from contracts with customers	733	776
Klein \| Revenue recognized at a point in time
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total revenue from contracts with customers	7,468	6,515
Klein \| Revenue recognized over time
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total revenue from contracts with customers	0	0
SAP \| Revenue recognized at a point in time
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total revenue from contracts with customers	101	3,264
SAP \| Revenue recognized over time
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total revenue from contracts with customers	$ 0	$ 0

- Definition

Amount, excluding tax collected from customer, of revenue from satisfaction of performance obligation by transferring promised good or service to customer. Tax collected from customer is tax assessed by governmental authority that is both imposed on and concurrent with specific revenue-producing transaction, including, but not limited to, sales, use, value added and excise.

+ References + Details

Revenue from Contracts with Customers - Revenue Disaggregated by Geography (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2020	Jan. 31, 2019
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total revenue from contracts with customers	$ 29,572	$ 25,768
United States
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total revenue from contracts with customers	3,920	2,690
Europe, Russia & CIS
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total revenue from contracts with customers	15,262	11,858
Middle East & Africa
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total revenue from contracts with customers	1,576	1,243
Asia-Pacific
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total revenue from contracts with customers	5,030	8,900
Canada & Latin America
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total revenue from contracts with customers	$ 3,784	$ 1,077

- Definition

+ References + Details

Revenue from Contracts with Customers - Contract Assets And Liabilities (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2020	Jan. 31, 2019
Contract Assets:
Unbilled revenue-current	$ 13	$ 340
Unbilled revenue - non-current	0	0
Total unbilled revenue	13	340
Contract Liabilities:
Deferred revenue & customer deposits - current	220	556
Deferred revenue & customer deposits - non-current	12	11
Total deferred revenue & customer deposits	$ 232	$ 567
Minimum
Contract With Customers [Line Items]
Contract with customers, turn over period	3 months
Maximum
Contract With Customers [Line Items]
Contract with customers, turn over period	6 months

Acquisition of Assets (Details) $ in Thousands	1 Months Ended
Acquisition of Assets (Details) $ in Thousands	Feb. 28, 2018 USD ($) shares
Preferred Stock
Allocation of purchase price:
Stock issued during period (in shares) \| shares	174,046
Preferred stock dividend rate	9.00%
Value of shares issued	$ 4,000
Hydroscience
Purchase Price:
Cash	3,000
Release of claims against Hydroscience	1,144
Transaction costs	312
Total purchase price	4,456
Allocation of purchase price:
Inventory	206
Tangible assets (mainly manufacturing equipment)	350
Intangible assets (including patents, designs & software)	3,900
Total purchase price	$ 4,456

Supplemental Statements of Cash Flows Information - Supplemental Disclosures of Cash Flows Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2020	Jan. 31, 2019	Jan. 31, 2018
Supplemental Cash Flow Elements [Abstract]
Interest paid	$ 63	$ 8	$ 86
Income taxes paid, net	498	622	494
Seismic equipment purchases included in accounts payable at year-end	$ 812	$ 0	$ 53

- Definition

Amount of cash paid for interest, excluding capitalized interest, classified as operating activity. Includes, but is not limited to, payment to settle zero-coupon bond for accreted interest of debt discount and debt instrument with insignificant coupon interest rate in relation to effective interest rate of borrowing attributable to accreted interest of debt discount.

+ References + Details

Inventories - Schedule of Inventories (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jan. 31, 2020	Jan. 31, 2019
Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]
Raw materials	$ 7,388	$ 5,446
Finished goods	4,557	5,229
Work in progress	2,720	1,322
Cost of inventories	14,665	11,997
Less allowance for obsolescence	(1,404)	(1,223)
Net inventories	$ 13,261	$ 10,774

- Definition

Amount after valuation and LIFO reserves of inventory expected to be sold, or consumed within one year or operating cycle, if longer.

+ References + Details

- Definition

Amount of valuation reserve for inventory.

+ References + Details

Accounts Receivables - Schedule of Accounts Receivable (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jan. 31, 2020	Jan. 31, 2019
Receivables [Abstract]
Current accounts receivable	$ 15,975	$ 14,195
Long-term accounts receivable	403	712
Accounts receivable	16,378	14,907
Less current portion of allowance for doubtful accounts	(4,054)	(2,113)
Less long-term portion of allowance for doubtful accounts	0	0
Less total allowance for doubtful accounts	(4,054)	(2,113)
Current accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts	11,921	12,082
Long-term accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts	403	712
Total accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts	$ 12,324	$ 12,794

Accounts Receivables - Additional Information (Detail) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2020 USD ($) Customer	Jan. 31, 2019 USD ($) Customer
Certain Loans Acquired in Transfer Not Accounted for as Debt Securities Acquired During Period [Line Items]
Number of customers due \| Customer	2	3
Contracts receivable \| $	$ 1.9	$ 3.0
Contracts receivable, interest rate	2.50%	3.60%
Minimum
Certain Loans Acquired in Transfer Not Accounted for as Debt Securities Acquired During Period [Line Items]
Contracts receivable repayment term	0 months
Maximum
Certain Loans Acquired in Transfer Not Accounted for as Debt Securities Acquired During Period [Line Items]
Contracts receivable repayment term	18 months

Seismic Equipment Lease Pool and Property and Equipment - Schedule of Seismic Equipment Lease Pool and Property and Equipment (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jan. 31, 2020	Jan. 31, 2019	Jan. 31, 2018
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Cost of property and equipment	$ 15,365	$ 14,509
Cost of seismic equipment lease pool and property and equipment	160,499	162,028
Less accumulated depreciation	(146,722)	(147,873)
Net book value of seismic equipment lease pool and property and equipment	13,777	14,155	$ 22,900
Recording channels
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Cost of property and equipment	80,378	84,207
Other peripheral equipment
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Cost of property and equipment	64,756	63,312
Cost of seismic equipment lease pool
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Cost of property and equipment	145,134	147,519
Land and buildings
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Cost of property and equipment	4,274	4,041
Furniture and fixtures
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Cost of property and equipment	10,530	9,897
Autos and trucks
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Cost of property and equipment	$ 561	$ 571

Seismic Equipment Lease Pool and Property and Equipment - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2020	Jan. 31, 2019
Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]
Impairment charges related to long-lived assets	$ 0	$ 0

- Definition

The aggregate amount of write-downs for impairments recognized during the period for long lived assets held for use (including those held for disposal by means other than sale).

+ References + Details

Seismic Equipment Lease Pool and Property and Equipment - Location of Seismic Equipment Lease Pool and Property and Equipment (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jan. 31, 2020	Jan. 31, 2019	Jan. 31, 2018
Geographic Information For Property Plant And Equipment [Line Items]
Net book value of seismic equipment lease pool and property and equipment	$ 13,777	$ 14,155	$ 22,900
United States
Geographic Information For Property Plant And Equipment [Line Items]
Net book value of seismic equipment lease pool and property and equipment	5,400	1,566
Europe
Geographic Information For Property Plant And Equipment [Line Items]
Net book value of seismic equipment lease pool and property and equipment	4,110	5,564
Canada
Geographic Information For Property Plant And Equipment [Line Items]
Net book value of seismic equipment lease pool and property and equipment	1,136	93
Latin America
Geographic Information For Property Plant And Equipment [Line Items]
Net book value of seismic equipment lease pool and property and equipment	1,170	1,365
Singapore
Geographic Information For Property Plant And Equipment [Line Items]
Net book value of seismic equipment lease pool and property and equipment	773	4,496
Malaysia
Geographic Information For Property Plant And Equipment [Line Items]
Net book value of seismic equipment lease pool and property and equipment	$ 1,188	$ 1,071

- Definition

Amount after accumulated depreciation, depletion and amortization of physical assets used in the normal conduct of business to produce goods and services and not intended for resale. Examples include, but are not limited to, land, buildings, machinery and equipment, office equipment, and furniture and fixtures.

+ References + Details

Leases - Narrative (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
Leases - Narrative (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jan. 31, 2020	Jan. 31, 2019	Jan. 31, 2018	Apr. 30, 2019	Feb. 01, 2019
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Operating lease right-of-use assets	$ 2,300			$ 3,000	$ 2,710
Total operating lease liabilities	2,300			$ 3,000	$ 2,710
Lease expense	1,200
Short-term lease expense	30
Seismic equipment lease pool
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Lease expense incurred by the Company	2,500	$ 1,900	$ 774
Office
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Lease expense incurred by the Company	$ 1,200	$ 1,300	$ 1,200
Maximum
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Operating leases, non-cancelable term (in years)	1 year

Leases - Supplemental Balance Sheet Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jan. 31, 2020	Apr. 30, 2019	Feb. 01, 2019
Assets
Operating lease right-of-use assets	$ 2,300	$ 3,000	$ 2,710
Liabilities
Total operating lease liabilities	2,300	3,000	2,710
Current liabilities	1,339
Non-current liabilities	961
Total Operating lease liabilities	$ 2,300	$ 3,000	$ 2,710
Weighted average remaining lease term (years)
Operating leases	1 year 9 months 5 days
Weighted average discount rate:
Operating leases	9.27%

Leases - Supplemental Cash Flow Information (Details) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2020 USD ($)
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities:
Operating cash flows from operating leases	$ (1,182)
Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for lease liabilities:
Operating leases	$ 635

Leases - Maturities of Lease Liabilities (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jan. 31, 2020	Apr. 30, 2019	Feb. 01, 2019
Leases [Abstract]
2021	$ 1,338
2022	838
2023	222
2024	98
2025	52
Thereafter	21
Total payments under lease agreements	2,569
Less: imputed interest	(269)
Total operating lease liabilities	$ 2,300	$ 3,000	$ 2,710

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets - Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2020	Jan. 31, 2019	Jan. 31, 2018
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Goodwill, Gross Carrying Amount	$ 7,060	$ 7,060
Goodwill Impairment	(4,529)	(4,529)
Goodwill, Net Carrying Amount	2,531	2,531	$ 2,531
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Gross Carrying Amount	19,734	19,477
Accumulated Amortization	(10,813)	(8,982)
Impairment	(760)
Net Carrying Amount	$ 8,161	10,495	$ 8,015
Proprietary rights
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Weighted Average Life (in years)	7 years
Gross Carrying Amount	$ 9,293	9,303
Accumulated Amortization	(4,971)	(4,292)
Net Carrying Amount	$ 4,322	5,011
Customer relationships
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Weighted Average Life (in years)	1 year 9 months 16 days
Gross Carrying Amount	$ 5,024	5,024
Accumulated Amortization	(3,831)	(3,147)
Net Carrying Amount	$ 1,193	1,877
Patents
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Weighted Average Life (in years)	4 years 6 months
Gross Carrying Amount	$ 2,440	2,441
Accumulated Amortization	(1,277)	(1,028)
Net Carrying Amount	$ 1,163	1,413
Trade name
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Weighted Average Life (in years)	6 years 3 months 16 days
Gross Carrying Amount	$ 894	894
Accumulated Amortization	(63)	(52)
Impairment	(760)
Net Carrying Amount	$ 71	842
Developed technology
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Weighted Average Life (in years)	5 years 10 months 16 days
Gross Carrying Amount	$ 1,430	1,430
Accumulated Amortization	(584)	(441)
Net Carrying Amount	$ 846	989
Other
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Weighted Average Life (in years)	4 years 4 months
Gross Carrying Amount	$ 653	385
Accumulated Amortization	(87)	(22)
Net Carrying Amount	$ 566	$ 363

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2020	Jan. 31, 2019	Jan. 31, 2018
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Aggregate amortization expense	$ 1,800	$ 1,800	$ 1,500
Klein Associates Inc.
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Impairment of indefinite lived intangible assets	$ 760
Goodwill, impairment			$ 1,500

- Definition

The aggregate expense charged against earnings to allocate the cost of intangible assets (nonphysical assets not used in production) in a systematic and rational manner to the periods expected to benefit from such assets. As a noncash expense, this element is added back to net income when calculating cash provided by or used in operations using the indirect method.

+ References + Details

- Definition

Amount of loss from the write-down of an asset representing the future economic benefits arising from other assets acquired in a business combination that are not individually identified and separately recognized.

+ References + Details

- Definition

Amount of impairment loss resulting from write-down of assets, excluding financial assets and goodwill, lacking physical substance and having a projected indefinite period of benefit to fair value.

+ References + Details

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets - Future Estimated Amortization Expense Related to Amortizable Intangible Assets (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jan. 31, 2020	Jan. 31, 2019	Jan. 31, 2018
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
2021	$ 1,733
2022	1,256
2023	1,088
2024	976
2025	746
Thereafter	2,362
Net Carrying Amount	$ 8,161	$ 10,495	$ 8,015

Accrued Expenses and Other Current Liabilities - Schedule of Accrued Expenses and Other Current Liabilities (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jan. 31, 2020	Jan. 31, 2019
Payables and Accruals [Abstract]
Contract settlement	$ 228	$ 219
Wages and benefits	373	596
Customer deposits	376	701
Accrued inventory	229	447
Other	2,246	1,775
Accrued Expenses and Other Liabilities	$ 3,452	$ 3,738

- Definition

Amount of expenses incurred but not yet paid classified as other, due within one year or the normal operating cycle, if longer.

+ References + Details

Shareholders' Equity - Additional Information (Detail)	12 Months Ended
Shareholders' Equity - Additional Information (Detail)	Jan. 31, 2020 quarter $ / shares shares	Jan. 31, 2019 shares	Jan. 31, 2018 $ / shares shares
Statement Of Shareholders Equity [Line Items]
Preferred stock, shares authorized (in shares)	1,000,000	1,000,000
Preferred stock, shares outstanding (in shares)	994,000	830,000
Number of quarterly periods to obtain voting rights \| quarter	6
Common stock, shares authorized (in shares)	20,000,000	20,000,000
Common stock, shares issued (in shares)	14,097,000	14,049,000
Shares surrendered in exchange for payment of taxes	0	0	359
Average fair value of shares (in usd per share) \| $ / shares			$ 4.79
Series A Preferred Stock
Statement Of Shareholders Equity [Line Items]
Preferred stock, shares outstanding (in shares)	994,000	830,000
Preferred stock, dividend rate	9.00%
Preferred stock, liquidation preference per share (in usd per share) \| $ / shares	$ 25.00
Preferred stock, dividend rate (in usd per share) \| $ / shares	2.25
Preferred stock, redemption price (in usd per share) \| $ / shares	$ 25.00
Preferred stock, redemption period	120 days
Period of time for listing	180 days

Related Party Transaction - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)		3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Oct. 07, 2016	Jan. 31, 2020	Jan. 31, 2020	Jan. 31, 2019
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Maximum number of preferred stock to be issued (in shares)		1,000,000	1,000,000	1,000,000
Former CEO
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Interest rate on obligation payable to related party			4.00%
Outstanding obligation payable to related party		$ 1,200,000	$ 1,200,000
Outstanding obligation payable to related party, long-term		$ 967,000	$ 967,000
Series A Preferred Stock \| Ladenburg Thalmann & Co. Inc.
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Maximum number of preferred stock to be issued (in shares)	500,000
Percentage of compensation fees to be paid	2.00%
Stock issued during period (in shares)		66,436	163,674
Gross proceeds from preferred stock		$ 1,600,000	$ 3,900,000
Equity distribution compensation expenses		31,902	78,935
Net proceeds from preferred stock		1,600,000	$ 3,900,000
Series A Preferred Stock \| Non-Executive Chairman
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Equity distribution compensation expenses		$ 0

Income Taxes - Reconciliation of Income Taxes by Jurisdiction (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2020	Oct. 31, 2019	Jul. 31, 2019	Apr. 30, 2019	Jan. 31, 2019	Oct. 31, 2018	Jul. 31, 2018	Apr. 30, 2018	Jan. 31, 2020	Jan. 31, 2019	Jan. 31, 2018
(Loss) income before income taxes is attributable to the following jurisdictions:
Domestic									$ (12,808)	$ (6,025)	$ (12,246)
Foreign									2,399	(13,563)	(7,913)
Loss before income taxes	$ (2,993)	$ (1,968)	$ (3,088)	$ (2,360)	$ (4,176)	$ (5,440)	$ (4,504)	$ (5,468)	(10,409)	(19,588)	(20,159)
Current:
Domestic									27	9	(225)
Foreign									582	619	1,156
Total									609	628	931
Deferred:
Domestic									0	0	(36)
Foreign									269	(376)	15
Total									269	(376)	(21)
Income tax expense	$ 715	$ 60	$ 48	$ 55	$ (21)	$ (249)	$ 85	$ 437	$ 878	$ 252	$ 910

Income Taxes - Reconciliation of Expected to Actual Income Tax Expense (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2020	Oct. 31, 2019	Jul. 31, 2019	Apr. 30, 2019	Jan. 31, 2019	Oct. 31, 2018	Jul. 31, 2018	Apr. 30, 2018	Jan. 31, 2020	Jan. 31, 2019	Jan. 31, 2018
Reconciliation of expected to actual income tax expense
Federal income tax at 21%, 21%, 32.9%, respectively									$ (2,186)	$ (4,113)	$ (6,632)
Federal income tax rate (as a percent)									21.00%	21.00%	32.90%
Changes in tax rates									$ 631	$ 0	$ 7,257
Permanent differences									101	(148)	3,356
Foreign effective tax rate differential									(197)	60	1,163
Foreign withholding taxes, foreign branch taxes, including penalties and interest									403	431	716
Tax effect of book loss on disposition of subsidiaries									69	1,271	0
Valuation allowance on deferred tax assets									1,719	2,249	(5,765)
Excess tax deficiency for share-based payments under ASU 2016-09									284	663	309
Other									54	(161)	506
Income tax expense	$ 715	$ 60	$ 48	$ 55	$ (21)	$ (249)	$ 85	$ 437	$ 878	$ 252	$ 910

Income Taxes - Company's Deferred Taxes (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jan. 31, 2020	Jan. 31, 2019
Deferred tax assets:
Net operating losses	$ 17,978	$ 16,696
Tax credit carry forwards	724	675
Stock option book expense	650	781
Allowance for doubtful accounts	776	329
Allowance for inventory obsolescence	570	480
Accruals not yet deductible for tax purposes	357	418
Fixed assets	851	1,255
Intangible assets	337	0
Other	954	876
Gross deferred tax assets	23,197	21,510
Valuation allowance	(23,197)	(21,407)
Deferred tax assets	0	103
Deferred tax liabilities:
Intangible assets	0	(35)
Other	(200)	0
Deferred tax liabilities	(200)	(35)
Unrecognized tax benefits	0	0
Total deferred tax liabilities, net	$ (200)
Total deferred tax assets, net		$ 68

Income Taxes - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2020	Jan. 31, 2019	Jan. 31, 2018
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Decrease in deferred income tax assets		$ 7,000,000
Repatriation of foreign earnings		11,200,000
Deferred tax assets, assets held for sale	$ 1,500,000
Deferred tax assets, stock based compensation	650,000	781,000
Valuation allowance, deferred tax assets	23,197,000	21,407,000
Tax credit carry forwards	$ 724,000
Tax credit carry forwards expiration year	2021
Unrecognized tax benefits	$ 0	0	$ 0
Excess tax deficiency for share-based payments under ASU 2016-09	$ 284,000	$ 663,000	$ 309,000

Commitments and Contingencies - Additional Information (Detail) $ in Thousands	Jan. 31, 2020 USD ($)
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Purchase orders outstanding	$ 2,800
Customs and performance guarantees	$ 144

Stock Option Plans - Additional Information (Detail)	12 Months Ended
Stock Option Plans - Additional Information (Detail)	Jan. 31, 2020 USD ($) plan $ / shares shares	Jan. 31, 2019 USD ($) $ / shares shares	Jan. 31, 2018 USD ($) $ / shares shares
Stock Based Compensation [Line Items]
Compensation expense related to stock-based awards granted	$ 854,000	$ 781,000	$ 903,000
Weighted average grant-date fair value of options granted \| $ / shares	$ 1.77	$ 1.80	$ 2.02
Excess tax benefit from share-based compensation	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0
Number of plans with share-based awards outstanding \| plan	5
Intrinsic value of options exercised	$ 0
Number of options exercised \| shares	9,000	0	0
Fair value of options vested	$ 650,000	$ 850,000	$ 500,000
Options vested \| shares	335,000
Total unrecognized compensation expense related to unvested stock options	$ 1,000,000
Expense expected to be recognized over weighted average period	1 year 7 months 6 days
Restricted Stock
Stock Based Compensation [Line Items]
Total unrecognized compensation expense related to unvested restricted stock awards	$ 0
2006 Plan
Stock Based Compensation [Line Items]
Vesting period of stock options granted and outstanding	3 years
Contractual term of stock options granted and outstanding	10 years
Shares available for grant \| shares	1,050,000
1994 Plan
Stock Based Compensation [Line Items]
Vesting period of stock options granted and outstanding	3 years
Contractual term of stock options granted and outstanding	10 years
1998 Plan
Stock Based Compensation [Line Items]
Vesting period of stock options granted and outstanding	3 years
Contractual term of stock options granted and outstanding	10 years
2000 Plan
Stock Based Compensation [Line Items]
Vesting period of stock options granted and outstanding	3 years
Contractual term of stock options granted and outstanding	10 years
Director Plan
Stock Based Compensation [Line Items]
Vesting period of stock options granted and outstanding	1 year
Contractual term of stock options granted and outstanding	10 years

Stock Option Plans - Schedule of Fair Value Option Award (Detail)	12 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2020	Jan. 31, 2019	Jan. 31, 2018
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Risk free interest rate, minimum	1.47%	2.51%	1.89%
Risk free interest rate, maximum	2.53%	2.75%	2.01%
Expected volatility, minimum	49.00%	49.00%	42.00%
Expected volatility, maximum	51.00%	49.00%	47.00%
Expected dividend yield	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Minimum
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Expected life	3 years 11 months 22 days	4 years	4 years 10 months 13 days
Maximum
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Expected life	6 years	6 years 10 months 10 days	6 years 10 months 13 days

- Definition

Expected term of award under share-based payment arrangement, in 'PnYnMnDTnHnMnS' format, for example, 'P1Y5M13D' represents reported fact of one year, five months, and thirteen days.

+ References + Details

Stock Option Plans - Summary of Company's Stock Option Activity (Detail) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2020	Jan. 31, 2019	Jan. 31, 2018
Number of Shares (in thousands)
Outstanding, beginning (in shares)	2,163,000
Granted (in shares)	640,000
Exercised (in shares)	(9,000)	0	0
Forfeited (in shares)	(88,000)
Expired (in shares)	(266,000)
Outstanding, ending (in shares)	2,440,000	2,163,000
Exercisable (in shares)	1,461,000
Vested and expected to vest (in shares)	2,400,000
Weighted Average Exercise Price
Outstanding beginning (in usd per share)	$ 7.75
Granted (in usd per share)	3.96
Exercised (in usd per share)	2.80
Forfeited (in usd per share)	3.73
Expired (in usd per share)	29.86
Outstanding ending (in usd per share)	4.51	$ 7.75
Exercisable (in usd per share)	4.87
Vested and expected to vest (in usd per share)	$ 4.50
Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term, outstanding (in years)	7 years 29 days	6 years 6 months 15 days
Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term, exercisable (in years)	5 years 11 months 9 days
Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term, Vested and expected to vest (in years)	7 years 7 days
Aggregate Intrinsic Value, Outstanding	$ 20	$ 526
Aggregate Intrinsic Value, Exercisable	15
Aggregate Intrinsic Value, Vested and expected to vest	$ 20

Stock Option Plans - Restricted Stock and Changes During Period (Detail) - Restricted Stock shares in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2020 $ / shares shares
Number of Shares (in thousands)
Unvested, beginning of period (in shares) \| shares	0
Granted (in shares) \| shares	43
Vested (in shares) \| shares	(2)
Canceled (in shares) \| shares	(4)
Unvested, end of period (in shares) \| shares	37
Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Unvested, beginning of period (in usd per share) \| $ / shares	$ 0.00
Granted (in usd per share) \| $ / shares	3.98
Vested (in usd per share) \| $ / shares	3.98
Canceled (in usd per share) \| $ / shares	3.98
Unvested, end of period (in usd per share) \| $ / shares	$ 3.98

Segment Reporting - Financial Information by Business Segment (Assets) (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jan. 31, 2020	Jan. 31, 2019	Jan. 31, 2018
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Fixed assets, net	$ 13,777	$ 14,155	$ 22,900
Intangible assets, net	8,161	10,495	8,015
Goodwill	2,531	2,531	2,531
Total Assets	58,228	65,301	73,679
Marine Technology Products
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Fixed assets, net	4,791	4,635	3,790
Intangible assets, net	8,048	10,417	8,015
Goodwill	2,531	2,531	2,531
Total Assets	47,211	44,832	35,879
Equipment Leasing
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Fixed assets, net	8,986	9,534	19,161
Intangible assets, net	113	78	0
Goodwill	0	0	0
Total Assets	$ 11,017	$ 20,469	$ 37,850

- Definition

Sum of the carrying amounts as of the balance sheet date of all assets that are recognized. Assets are probable future economic benefits obtained or controlled by an entity as a result of past transactions or events.

+ References + Details

- Definition

+ References + Details

Segment Reporting - Financial Information by Business Segment (Revenues) (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2020	Oct. 31, 2019	Jul. 31, 2019	Apr. 30, 2019	Jan. 31, 2019	Oct. 31, 2018	Jul. 31, 2018	Apr. 30, 2018	Jan. 31, 2020	Jan. 31, 2019	Jan. 31, 2018
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues	$ 13,257	$ 10,663	$ 8,898	$ 9,857	$ 12,328	$ 14,651	$ 8,350	$ 7,613	$ 42,675	$ 42,942	$ 48,276
Interest expense, net									(46)	72	47
Operating loss									(10,375)	(13,020)	(19,708)
Capital expenditures									3,991	2,531	1,316
Depreciation and amortization expense									7,768	11,814	16,637
Corporate expenses
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues									0	0	0
Interest expense, net									0	0	0
Operating loss									(3,471)	(3,375)	(3,211)
Capital expenditures									0	0	0
Depreciation and amortization expense									0	0	0
Marine Technology Products \| Operating segments
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues									29,572	25,768	27,572
Interest expense, net									1	0	(18)
Operating loss									(2,259)	(3,780)	(2,572)
Capital expenditures									894	583	268
Depreciation and amortization expense									2,649	2,418	1,991
Equipment Leasing \| Operating segments
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues									13,213	17,383	20,919
Interest expense, net									(47)	72	65
Operating loss									(4,667)	(5,872)	(13,930)
Capital expenditures									3,097	1,948	1,048
Depreciation and amortization expense									$ 5,141	$ 9,402	$ 14,652

Segment Reporting - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2020	Oct. 31, 2019	Jul. 31, 2019	Apr. 30, 2019	Jan. 31, 2019	Oct. 31, 2018	Jul. 31, 2018	Apr. 30, 2018	Jan. 31, 2020	Jan. 31, 2019	Jan. 31, 2018
Schedule Of Sales Revenue By Business Segment [Line Items]
Revenues	$ 13,257	$ 10,663	$ 8,898	$ 9,857	$ 12,328	$ 14,651	$ 8,350	$ 7,613	$ 42,675	$ 42,942	$ 48,276
Eliminations
Schedule Of Sales Revenue By Business Segment [Line Items]
Revenues									$ 110	$ 209	$ 216

- Definition

Amount of revenue recognized from goods sold, services rendered, insurance premiums, or other activities that constitute an earning process. Includes, but is not limited to, investment and interest income before deduction of interest expense when recognized as a component of revenue, and sales and trading gain (loss).

+ References + Details

Segment Reporting - Reconciliation of Operating Income (Loss) (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2020	Jan. 31, 2019	Jan. 31, 2018
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Consolidated operating income	$ (10,375)	$ (13,020)	$ (19,708)
Operating segments \| Marine Technology Products
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Consolidated operating income	(2,259)	(3,780)	(2,572)
Operating segments \| Equipment Leasing
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Consolidated operating income	(4,667)	(5,872)	(13,930)
Corporate expenses
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Consolidated operating income	(3,471)	(3,375)	(3,211)
Eliminations
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Consolidated operating income	$ 22	$ 7	$ 5

Quarterly Financial Data (Unaudited) - Schedule of Quarterly Financial Data (Unaudited) (Detail) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2020	Oct. 31, 2019	Jul. 31, 2019	Apr. 30, 2019	Jan. 31, 2019	Oct. 31, 2018	Jul. 31, 2018	Apr. 30, 2018	Jan. 31, 2020	Jan. 31, 2019	Jan. 31, 2018
Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]
Net revenues:	$ 13,257	$ 10,663	$ 8,898	$ 9,857	$ 12,328	$ 14,651	$ 8,350	$ 7,613	$ 42,675	$ 42,942	$ 48,276
Gross profit:	5,947	4,051	2,882	3,741	3,411	5,224	1,860	1,245	16,621	11,740	6,084
Loss before income taxes:	(2,993)	(1,968)	(3,088)	(2,360)	(4,176)	(5,440)	(4,504)	(5,468)	(10,409)	(19,588)	(20,159)
Incomes taxes (benefit):	715	60	48	55	(21)	(249)	85	437	878	252	910
Net loss:	$ (3,708)	$ (2,028)	$ (3,136)	$ (2,415)	$ (4,155)	$ (5,191)	$ (4,589)	$ (5,905)	$ (11,287)	$ (19,840)	$ (21,069)
Loss per common share – basic (in usd per share)	$ (0.35)	$ (0.21)	$ (0.30)	$ (0.24)	$ (0.38)	$ (0.47)	$ (0.41)	$ (0.52)	$ (1.10)	$ (1.78)	$ (1.82)
Loss per common share – diluted (in usd per share)	$ (0.35)	$ (0.21)	$ (0.30)	$ (0.24)	$ (0.38)	$ (0.47)	$ (0.41)	$ (0.52)	$ (1.10)	$ (1.78)	$ (1.82)

- Definition

The amount of net income (loss) for the period per each share of common stock or unit outstanding during the reporting period.

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The amount of net income (loss) for the period available to each share of common stock or common unit outstanding during the reporting period and to each share or unit that would have been outstanding assuming the issuance of common shares or units for all dilutive potential common shares or units outstanding during the reporting period.

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Amount of income (loss) from continuing operations, including income (loss) from equity method investments, before deduction of income tax expense (benefit), and income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interest.

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Amount of current income tax expense (benefit) and deferred income tax expense (benefit) pertaining to continuing operations.

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The portion of profit or loss for the period, net of income taxes, which is attributable to the parent.

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Concentrations - Additional Information (Detail) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2020 USD ($) Customer Supplier	Jan. 31, 2019 USD ($) Customer
Risks Inherent in Servicing Assets and Servicing Liabilities [Line Items]
Minimum rate of consolidated accounts receivable (as a percent)	10.00%
Foreign bank deposits	$ 2.3
Number of suppliers manufacture land based seismic systems and equipment in use \| Supplier	2
Credit Risk
Risks Inherent in Servicing Assets and Servicing Liabilities [Line Items]
Concentration risk number of customer \| Customer	0	1
Aggregate amount of accounts receivable from customers		$ 2.2

Sales and Major Customers - Summary of Company's Revenues from Customers by Geographic Region, Outside the U.S. (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2020	Jan. 31, 2019	Jan. 31, 2018
Revenue, Major Customer [Line Items]
Total revenues from customers	$ 35,863	$ 36,597	$ 36,930
UK/Europe
Revenue, Major Customer [Line Items]
Total revenues from customers	20,366	15,200	11,835
Canada
Revenue, Major Customer [Line Items]
Total revenues from customers	3,731	2,049	807
Latin America
Revenue, Major Customer [Line Items]
Total revenues from customers	2,663	1,267	1,354
Asia/South Pacific
Revenue, Major Customer [Line Items]
Total revenues from customers	6,871	13,555	16,768
Eurasia
Revenue, Major Customer [Line Items]
Total revenues from customers	290	1,803	332
Other
Revenue, Major Customer [Line Items]
Total revenues from customers	$ 1,942	$ 2,723	$ 5,834

Sales and Major Customers - Additional Information (Detail) - person	12 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2020	Jan. 31, 2019	Jan. 31, 2018
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Number of customers with revenue exceeding 10% of total Company revenue	0	0	2
Percentage change in total revenues by one customer (as a percent)	10.00%	10.00%	10.00%

Sale of Subsidiaries (Details) $ in Thousands	1 Months Ended		12 Months Ended			15 Months Ended
Sale of Subsidiaries (Details) $ in Thousands	Feb. 28, 2019 USD ($)	Aug. 31, 2018 USD ($) payment	Jan. 31, 2020 USD ($)	Jan. 31, 2019 USD ($)	Jan. 31, 2018 USD ($)	Oct. 31, 2019 USD ($)
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Loss on sale of subsidiary			$ 0	$ 5,405	$ 0
Cumulative translation loss			$ 0	$ 5,355	$ 0
Seismic Asia Pacific Pty Ltd \| Disposal Group, Disposed of by Sale, Not Discontinued Operations
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Proceeds from sale of subsidiaries	$ 660
Proceeds in cash from sale of subsidiary	$ 240
Note receivable term (in years)	2 years
Proceeds in note receivable from sale of subsidiary	$ 420
Working capital adjustment	$ 114
Mitcham Seismic Eurasia LLC \| Disposal Group, Disposed of by Sale, Not Discontinued Operations
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Proceeds from sale of subsidiaries		$ 1,200
Proceeds in cash from sale of subsidiary						$ 705
Number of payments \| payment		8
Interest rate on payments due from sale of subsidiary		9.00%
Loss on sale of subsidiary		$ 4,900
Cumulative translation loss		$ 5,400

Schedule II - Valuation and Qualifying Accounts (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2020	Jan. 31, 2019	Jan. 31, 2018
Allowance for doubtful accounts
Allowance for Doubtful Accounts and Allowance for Obsolete Equipment and Inventory [Roll Forward]
Balance at Beginning of Period	$ 2,113	$ 6,167	$ 5,904
Charged to Costs and Expenses	2,000	212	1,027
Charged to Other Accounts	0	0	(23)
Deductions Describe	(59)	(4,266)	(741)
Balance at End of Period	4,054	2,113	6,167
Allowance for obsolete equipment and inventory
Allowance for Doubtful Accounts and Allowance for Obsolete Equipment and Inventory [Roll Forward]
Balance at Beginning of Period	1,222	1,675	952
Charged to Costs and Expenses	298	132	989
Charged to Other Accounts	1	(32)	20
Deductions Describe	(117)	(553)	(286)
Balance at End of Period	$ 1,404	$ 1,222	$ 1,675