This section will cover the environmental scan conducted for the DIA Reframing Collection project.
There are a range of smartphone apps for museum goers. The Cleveland Museum of Art uses an app called ArtLens App, which allows users to see the Museum’s holdings and to create customized tours. A Reddit user, u/Immobilesteelrims, has created an app that allows users to envision different versions of ancient statues at museums.
Several apps use AR and/or AI to generate additional information about items in collections. Museumfy allows museumgoers to take pictures of items with their smart phones and provides information about the items. ARway.ai allows museumgoers to take pictures of items with their smart phones and provides interactive dots and links for users to seek further information about items.
Axiell’s CultureConnect provides interacting digital labels on items via touchpads and kiosks, as well as audio tours and mobile games.
Existing museum apps seem to take advantage of AI to generate additional information about holdings, and Reframing Holdings would do so through human intelligence alone. Furthermore, mapping technologies do not seem to be used to reframe the categorization of museums’ holdings, only to trace the holdings’ physical locations in museums for guided tours, which effectively reinforces the items’ places in existing classification systems.
After taking pictures of museum objects, ARway.ai generates additional information about the objects.