The goal of the programme is to create a standard system for the data, which can then be used by image editing and indexing software to organise and classify individual photos based on criteria such as location, date and subject. The metadata system is of special importance to professional photographers whose photo archives will often include thousands of images. However, as family photo albums continue to go digital, metadata will also become increasingly important to the home consumer market.

The first specifications offer guidelines to companies on how to store and read metadata, as well as methods for dealing with overlapping standards.