Identifying and tracking digital images with customized metadata

A digital camera system comprising:

• an image capture device;
• at least one processing device;
• and
• at least one memory device, the at least one memory device storing program instructions, which when executed by the at least one processing device cause the at least one processing device to:
• capture an image of a person using the image capture device;
• receive non-GPS information in a first format, the information identifying the person in the image and including a subject identification code;
• transform the information from the first format into a GPS format processable by the digital camera;
• store the image in an image file in the at least one memory device, wherein the image file is a single digital data file encoded in the memory device according to a standard digital image file format;
• and
• store the information in at least one GPS data field of the image file, the information identifying the person as metadata in the image file at the digital camera system to associate the information identifying the person with the image.

A method of associating an image with organizational information, the method comprising:

• reading a barcode encoding non-GPS information identifying a human subject to be photographed, the information including a subject identification code;
• generating digital data from the read barcode in a first format, the digital data representing the information identifying the subject;
• transforming the digital data from the first format into a GPS format processable by a digital camera;
• and
• providing the digital data to the digital camera to store the information in at least one GPS data field of metadata in an image file containing a photograph of the subject captured by the digital camera, wherein the image file is a single digital data file encoded in the memory device according to a standard digital image file format.

A system comprising:

• a processing device;
• and
• at least one memory device storing program instructions, which when executed by the processing device cause the processing device to:
• read a barcode encoding non-GPS information identifying a human subject to be photographed, the information having a first format and including a subject identification code;
• generate digital data from the read barcode in the first format, the digital data representing the information identifying the subject, the digital data having a second format different from the first format;
• transform the digital data from the second format into a GPS data format processable by a digital camera;
• and
• provide the digital data in the GPS data format to the digital camera to store the information as metadata in at least one GPS data field of an image file containing a photograph of the subject captured by the digital camera, wherein the image file is a single digital data file encoded in the memory device according to a standard digital image file format.