Why is the image direction information so complicated in EXIF data on iPhone images?

I have an Olympus camera with in-built GPS. When I view the EXIF data of its photos, the information is presented in degrees, so I know just by looking at the EXIF what direction the camera was pointing. (That is not strictly true, because it is presented as a fraction, ie, the camera pointing east would be 9000/100 = 90 degrees.) However, I have just taken a photo with my iPhone pointing east and the EXIF data shows 506699/5682. That is 89 degrees, but I have to use a calculator. Why is this? Why can't the data be presented simply as degrees, or even, more simply, as the compass point?