Thirteenth International Conference on The Inclusive Museum

Abstract

Developed from the concept of ‘Smart City’, the research project ‘Intelligent Museums’ is proposed with the aim to elevate museum management efficiency and to improve visitors’ experiences in museums with the assistance of smart computing technologies. This paper presents the working progress of the research project with examples from two museums and a library. We examine how the implementation of smart computing technologies has changed the mechanism of the public service offered by museums and libraries. For example, National Museum of Marine Science and Technology adopts ‘visitor flow analysis’ from retail industry into museum setting, with the assistance of latest technology, museums are able to not only understand how their visitors interact with the exhibitions but also to improve the interactivity by knowing visitors’ travel paths, dwell times and spots that are actively avoided. NMST takes a step further and applies the analysis outdoor prior to their visitors arrive. By doing this, it does not only give the museum enough time and information to be prepared for any size or age of the visiting groups but also allows the museum to extend their visitor’s museum experience by offering associated ‘location based service’, such as available parking spaces, local weather forecast, nearby restaurants, first aid stations, other local attractions and so on. This paper concludes with the attempt of defining ‘Intelligent Museums’ by discussing the usage of smart computing technologies in museums and aims to shed light on how the technology influences the role of museum in contemporary society.