The WOCE data management structure was an internationally distributed system which utilized the expertise of scientists to attain the highest possible data quality and documentation. Each measurement technique produced a different data "stream", and the WOCE data management system brought these streams together to form a single data resource. The data stream consisted of several elements with the flow being from Principal Investigator to Data Assembly Center (DAC) to Special Analysis Center (SAC) to users and then to an Archive as follows:

The Data Assembly Centers (DACs) were managed by scientists to handle, assemble and quality control the data sets, and often generate data products.

The Special Analysis Centers (SACs) performed data analysis and synthesis functions, including the generation of derived data sets.

The WOCE Archive is distributed through these CD ROMs and across the centers of the World Data Center System.

The WOCE Data Information Unit (WDIU) acted as a central online source of information on the status of WOCE, tracking all data collection, processing and archiving activities, and providing the primary interface between the WOCE data system and all users.

WOCE developed a data sharing policy which balanced the requirements of the experiment as a whole and the intellectual rights of the individuals who contributed to the program. The trade-off between these different interests resulted in a policy which expected data to be made publicly available within 2 years of the data set being complete. Investigators were thus allowed a reasonable period to complete their own analysis and publications, while ensuring the global dataset was accumulated and made accessible for wider examination. Data was not released by the data centers without the consent of the originator. WOCE encouraged investigators to share data with others and to authorise general release as soon as possible.