University of Groningen helps to create museum of the future

Imagine offering every museum visitor their own personal collection; this is the challenge that the Drents Museum has set itself. To help achieve this aim, the museum has engaged the help of the University of Groningen and together they have launched the ‘Museumplus’ project. Their joint ambition is to develop a new way of providing information, suitable for wide-scale use in the heritage sector. A conference about Museumplus will be held in the Drents Museum on 23 April.

Analysis of visitors’ spatial behaviour

Visitors to the Drents Museum can compile their own collection by means of a museum card fitted with an RFID chip. Kiosks have been placed around the museum, allowing visitors to collect extra objects using their chip card.

The chip will also monitor the spatial behaviour of visitors. Analyzing the behaviour of visitors while they wander around the museum will generate useful information. University of Groningen researchers will use this information to develop intelligent software which will provide visitors with real-time and interactive choices. Every visitor will build up a personal collection on the basis of previous choices, records of his/her physical position and search terms he/she entered.

23 April: Conference ‘Offer every visitor a personal collection’

The Trovato Foundation, the Drents Museum and the University of Groningen have organized a conference on 23 April 2013 to discuss the Museumplus public information system. The conference is entitled ‘Offer every visitor a personal collection’. Organizers will present the basic idea behind Museumplus, and explain how it evolved and how they see its future development.

Registration

The conference fee will be €39 per person. You can register via the web shop of the Drents Museum.

More information

Contact: Ruud van de Bilt, project manager