Metadata Working Group

The Metadata Working Group ( MWG) is a consortium in which various influential software and hardware manufacturers in the digital media industry have come together to unify the diverse and sometimes contradictory use of metadata in image files. The initiative was launched by Microsoft in 2006, appeared in 2007, Adobe, Apple, Canon and Nokia in 2008 was followed by Sony.

The aim is not to replace existing standards such as IPTC -NAA standard Exif or XMP, but hedge their meaningful use by an overarching framework.

Specification

On 24 September 2008, the MWG 1.0 specification was introduced to the public at a press conference at the Photokina in Cologne.

This new specification is to define according to both professional and amateur requirements and have to be stored and exchanged as metadata or how they are to handle. Thus enabling the MWG manufacturers and users significantly improved compatibility in the use of the metadata.

Example

So far, different information can be stored on the same subject at the same time both in the containers for Exif, IPTC and XMP as well as in a digital image file, for example, in JPG format. It is undefined, which information is valid.

With the MWG specification JPG file for the example clearly established that the Exif information takes precedence over IPTC and XMP, provided that they have here.