In partnership with the Department of Industry and Technology (Government of Western Australia) and the Bureau of Meteorology (Commonwealth of Australia), the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO established a new regional office in Perth, Western Australia. The IOC Perth Regional Programme Office coordinates the full range of IOC activities but its primary role is to facilitate the development and enhancement of the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) in the region.

WAGOOS is one of the many GOOS Regional Alliances (GRA's) around the world. It has taken responsibility for that region lying off western and northern Australia and seeks to develop useful products and applications related to marine environmental information. It is a part of the "global" GOOS and can make various global products and applications available to those requiring it in the region. WAGOOS will also seek to implement ocean and coastal observing systems, data management systems and modeling to support GOOS in general and regional requirements specifically