In short, you and I would not feel very safe traveling from place to place. The same is true of metadata. Without metadata standards, problems are sure to arise. With standards, there is no confusion about what is being communicated by a particular term. From one metadata record to the next, the terminology is the same.
Standards allow for quick location of a certain element.
If a standard is used, finding a specific piece of information in a metadata record will be much easier than if no standard is used. Standards enable automated searches. When standards are used, computers can be programmed to search and find useful data sets. This function of standards will become more important as more electronic data clearinghouses are built. Standards are federally mandated.