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User Guide
421 words
Jun 28, 2026

Full Embedded Metadata

AtoM Heratio captures the complete technical metadata embedded in your photographs and images — every EXIF, IPTC, XMP, MakerNotes, ICC profile, GPS and File/System tag that the file carries — not just a handful of common fields. This guide explains where to find it, how it is captured, and how location data is protected.

What is captured

When you upload an image (or run the backfill on existing images), AtoM Heratio runs ExifTool across all metadata groups and stores the full result on the master digital object. Typical groups you will see include:

  • EXIF / IFD0 / ExifIFD — camera make/model, exposure, aperture, ISO, lens, dates
  • MakerNotes — manufacturer-specific camera and lens detail
  • IPTC — caption, keywords, creator, copyright, location names
  • XMP-* — Adobe/standards metadata (rights, descriptions, hierarchical keywords)
  • ICC_Profile — colour profile information
  • GPS — capture coordinates (see Location data below)
  • Composite / File / System — derived values, dimensions, file size, format

The curated highlights (title, creator, date, keywords, GPS) continue to populate the description fields as before — the full set is captured in addition to those.

Where to find it

  1. Open a photographic asset in the Digital Asset Management (DAM) view.
  2. Scroll to the Full embedded metadata panel beneath the metadata form.
  3. The panel shows every captured tag, grouped by ExifTool group, with a tag count.
  4. Use the Filter tags… box to search across all groups instantly (e.g. type lens, ISO, or copyright).

The full set is also available to integrators through:

  • the REST API digital-object endpoint (?include_embedded_metadata=1 → embedded_metadata.full), and
  • the IIIF manifest (the complete set appears as grouped metadata entries).

Location data (GPS) protection

Many cameras and phones embed the exact coordinates where a photo was taken. To protect sensitive locations:

  • Administrators see the complete set, including GPS, on the DAM page.
  • Non-administrators and public/API/IIIF consumers have all GPS and location-shaped tags removed from the displayed/served set. A notice indicates that location data is present but hidden.

The raw set (including GPS) is always retained internally for administrators and preservation; only the public-facing presentation is gated.

Backfilling existing images

Images uploaded before this feature was enabled can be processed in bulk by an administrator from the server command line:

# Preview what would be captured (no changes)
php bin/atom metadata:backfill-embedded --dry-run

# Capture full metadata for all image masters missing it
php bin/atom metadata:backfill-embedded

# Re-capture everything (refresh after an ExifTool upgrade)
php bin/atom metadata:backfill-embedded --force

# A single digital object, or cap the batch size
php bin/atom metadata:backfill-embedded --id=1234
php bin/atom metadata:backfill-embedded --limit=500

New uploads are captured automatically — no backfill needed for them.

Notes

  • Capture is best-effort: a damaged or unusual file never blocks an upload; ExifTool still records whatever tags it can read (any read error is itself recorded as a tag).
  • Binary blobs (thumbnails, colour tables) are summarised by ExifTool, so the stored metadata stays compact.
  • This feature applies to image digital objects; non-image types are skipped.