There are many reasons to create metadata.  Metadata servers numerous important purposes such as data browsing, data transfer, and data documentation.  Here are some additional benefits to think about:

• Metadata helps users answer questions about the data.
• Metadata helps publicize and support the data you or your organization have produced.
• Metadata supports the creation of a data inventory. Documenting data and its availability provides agencies with the means to measure production.
• Metadata that conform to the FGDC standard are the basic product of the National Geospatial Data Clearinghouse, a distributed online catalog of digital spatial data. This clearinghouse will allow people to understand diverse data products by describing them in a way that emphasizes aspects that are common among them.
• Metadata may be considered insurance. Having metadata available insures that potential data users can make an informed decision about the appropriate use of a data set.
• Metadata is a key component of data lineage. It provides basic information about the source and derivation of a data set.

The state of Idaho has realized the importance of geospatial metadata by the creation of the following standards and guidelines:

Category: S4220 – Geospatial Metadata

Category: G320 – Geographic Metadata Guideline