A Holistic Approach for Enhancing Museum Performance and Visitor Experience.

Area of Science:

• Information Science
• Computer Science
• Museum Studies

Background:

• Museums face challenges managing content and visitor data for optimal experience and performance.
• Existing research often addresses aspects like metadata or visitor tracking in isolation, lacking holistic solutions.
• A comprehensive strategy is needed to integrate diverse data streams for enhanced museum operations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose an integrated conceptualization for improving museum visitor experience and overall performance.
• To present a holistic technological framework addressing key museum management challenges.
• To demonstrate the feasibility of a unified approach for cultural heritage organizations.

Main Methods:

• Adoption and parameterization of four ontologies for digital exhibit documentation, spatial management, and evaluation.
• Development of a tool for near real-time visitor movement tracking (anonymous and eponymous).
• Implementation of a mobile application for personalized content delivery and an administrative platform for data analysis.

Main Results:

• Preliminary results from a pilot implementation (MELTOPENLAB project) indicate feasibility.
• The integrated approach is cost-efficient and fully functional.
• Achieving an optimal trade-off between technical performance and cost efficiency is possible.

Conclusions:

• A holistic, integrated approach significantly enhances museum visitor experience and performance.
• The proposed technological framework offers a viable, cost-effective solution for museums.
• This unfragmented strategy adds value to cultural heritage organizations through data-driven insights.