Digital Cultural Heritage Data & AI : a museum perspective
1. TIME MACHINE CONFERENCE 2018
EPFL / Swiss Tech Convention Center – 31/10/2018
Saskia Scheltjens
Head Research Services
slideshare.net/saschel
@saschel
DIGITAL
CULTURAL
HERITAGE
DATA & AI
A museum perspective
MaskbyLeshaLemonov,inspiredbyPortretvaneenmeisjeinhetblauwby
JohannesCornelisz.Verspronck,1641-WinnerRijksmuseuAward2017*
3. Cultural heritage can be an asset for AI
if you understand the dynamics of
cultural heritage institutions
because it is complicated
but it also enriches & enables
innovation
TAKE AWAY
4. The National Museum of Art
and History of The Netherlands
Dutch Golden Age and beyond
+1.200.000 artworks
+2.000.000 visitors each year
State funded since 1800
Partial privatization in 1995
26 % government subsidy in 2017
FACTS & FIGURES
5. COMPLEX MISSION
We
• collect,
• keep,
• manage,
• conserve,
• restore,
• research,
• prepare,
• present,
• publish, and
• share
data and information about
art and historical objects
7. 2003-2011
Discussions with curators about opening up collections
online
Curated parts of the collection on the website (ARIA)
First open collection data freely available is the metadata
of the Rijksmuseum Research Library (in 2004)
Co-operation with universities in projects re early
semantic heritage data research (VU, CWI)
http://schatkamer.nai.nl/system/pictures/170/original/Rijks_t2299.jpg?1308227959
OPEN DATA : WHEN
8. OPEN DATA : WHY
Long renovation/restoration
Closed between 2003-2012
Re-opening of the museum in 2013
12. 2012
First PID server for open collection data (handle system)
Open Cultuur Data hackathon
Release of 111.000 images with a CC-BY licence
Launch of a new website, a new collection discovery
interface Rijksstudio and an OAI-PMH API (build by Q42
and Fabrique)
Development of first ever digital strategy, linked to the
website but also linked to mission & values of the museum
http://schatkamer.nai.nl/system/pictures/170/original/Rijks_t2299.jpg?1308227959
OPEN DATA : WHEN
13. We connect people, art and history
Our collection belongs to everyone
• Simple
• Personal
• Authentic
• Qualitative
• Innovative
Open and Connected are central to what we do
http://schatkamer.nai.nl/system/pictures/170/original/Rijks_t2299.jpg?1308227959
MISSION & CORE VALUES
14. First ever digital strategy in the museum:
• Public first, technology second
• Mobile first
• Focus on the visual
• Content needs to be shared
• Everyone is a maker
Link to mission & core values
Closely connected to website redesign
http://schatkamer.nai.nl/system/pictures/170/original/Rijks_t2299.jpg?1308227959
DIGITAL STRATEGY (2012)
15. 632.953 art works – 411.745 Rijksstudios (25/5/2018)
OPEN DATA : HOW
22. Datasource for
all kinds of different
academic research
OPEN DATA : RESULTS
Chris Dijkshoorn, Lora Aroyo, …
http://www.accurator.nl/#Intro
*Thomas Mensink and Jan van Gemert,
https://staff.fnwi.uva.nl/t.e.j.mensink/uva12/rijks
*Floor Koeneman - http://visualizingvisions.com
*
24. 2013
Release of all public collection data & images under a
CC0 license
2016
Launch of a live API (JSON), instigated by a request from
Google Arts & Culture (GA&C)
2018
Launch of an innovative new Rijksmuseum app, including
way-finding, and a SnapGuide
http://schatkamer.nai.nl/system/pictures/170/original/Rijks_t2299.jpg?1308227959
OPEN DATA : WHEN
29. • Fragmented responsabilities
• Collection data silos
• Complex collection data delivery
• Stability & scalability of data services
• Lack of versioning
• Seamless is fiction
http://schatkamer.nai.nl/system/pictures/170/original/Rijks_t2299.jpg?1308227959
PAINPOINTS of past situation
30. • Dare to be open
• Change what doesn’t work
• Holistic data approach
• Agile development museum wide
• Metadata about metadata
• Take responsability
http://schatkamer.nai.nl/system/pictures/170/original/Rijks_t2299.jpg?1308227959
LESSONS LEARNED
31. NEW Department of
Research Services
Alignment of
all collection
information ánd data
to support
innovative
research services
RESULT: REORGANISATON
32. COMPLEX ORGANISATION
Departments involved in
opening up collection data:
1. Research Services
open data services, data
management & - archiving
2. IT -> systems, security
3. Communication & Marketing
digital marketing, website &
collection discovery interfaces
4. Collections Management
metadata creation & digitization
5. Curatorial departments
metadata creation
34. • Rise of technical art history (NICAS institute)
• New collaborations in Digital (Art) History
• Rising interest in computational image
processing & visualization > AI
• Growing consensus re heritage data modeling
• Generational shift
http://schatkamer.nai.nl/system/pictures/170/original/Rijks_t2299.jpg?1308227959
LOCAL OPPORTUNITIES
35. • Do more with more data
• Networking (national, international)
• Scaling up
• Take societal responsibility
• Remain OPEN
http://schatkamer.nai.nl/system/pictures/170/original/Rijks_t2299.jpg?1308227959
FUTURE PLANS
36. AI can be an asset for cultural heritage
if we understand the dynamics of
artificial intelligence research
because it is complicated
but it also enriches & enables
innovation
TAKE AWAY 2
37. THANK YOU *
Parts of this presentation are based upon work of and talks with
Taco Dibbits
Robert Erdmann
Chris Dijkshoorn
Maarten Heerlien
Lora Aroyo
Merete Sanderhoff
Ruben Verborgh
Lizzy Jongma
Peter Gorgels
This presentation uses images & fonts with an open license, except otherwise indicated by an *