A cruise or a station season of data is gathered into related groups called a study with study types and study forms. Each study is summarized in the catalog by a study form, a map, participant list, a cruise table, and an eventlog. While the cruise table gives an overview summary of cruise activities, the eventlog is a sequential list by time of all activities performed on board ship.

A dataset may include one or many data files. Each dataset type is summarized in the catalog by study by a dataset form or dataset form dictionary. Information about measurement techniques or procedures is presented both the protocol tables and documents and the references to published protocols. Specific modifications to existing procedures are noted in individual data set documentation.

DataZoo is a data repository and publishing system currently in use by multiple oceanographic projects. DataZoo provides a web-based interface to a database storing multidisciplinary data, metadata, and study information. This interface allows users to query the database and access data on a project, cruise, or dataset basis (see the DataZoo documentation for more information).

Cruises are event-based with an 'event log' as one of the datasets. The event log provides a listing of all the over-the-side activities for the cruise. Each activity is given an event number. Instruments may or may not be described by a suite of event numbers, ie 'deploy', 'at depth', and 'on deck'. The event number ties together, for instance, the CTD bottle file dataset with the associated cast.

Measurements or parameter values are referred to as data columns in a matrix of rows and columns as distinct from the use of column in the term 'water column'.