May marked an important milestone for META-MUSEUM: the delivery of document D3.1 – Data Collection and Sensors Selection, produced within Work Package 3, which focuses on developing the digital infrastructure that will support the entire data collection and analysis network. This deliverable defines the technical foundations of the central database and establishes the criteria for selecting the sensors to be used in the pilot studies.
Central database architecture
Deliverable D3.1 proposes a hybrid, multi-layered architecture that combines multiple database technologies to meet diverse operational requirements:
- Structural data: questionnaire responses, access logs, cultural content information;
- Unstructured data: EEG signals, GSR, postural movements, multimedia;
- Geospatial data: visit routes, real-time positioning of participants.
- The proposed architecture includes:
- A robust real-time and asynchronous data integration system with automatic validation, filtering, and tagging;
- Performance optimization tools that prioritize time-sensitive tasks (e.g., EEG data streaming during the visit);
- An advanced access control system that differentiates user rights based on role (researchers, curators, visitors).
Sensor selection and configuration
To record the audience’s emotional and behavioral responses, the research teams evaluated and selected a wide range of neurophysiological and positioning sensors, including:
- EEG Mindtooth – wireless device with dry electrodes for real-time monitoring of brain activity (interest, stress, cognitive effort);
- GSR Shimmer 3+ – sensor for electrodermal activity, correlated with states of arousal and emotional reactions;
- Pozyx UWB – high-precision positioning system (±10 cm), used to map visitors’ routes in the museum space;
- Force plate – force plate for posture analysis and detection of unconscious responses to visual or auditory stimuli;
- Pre- and post-experience questionnaires, digital and paper-based, synchronized with the rest of the system for combined analysis.
All devices are integrated into a synchronized collection network with rigorous calibration, validation, and maintenance protocols. The system enables real-time multisensory collection, creating a unique database for applied research in the field of digital heritage and cognitive sciences.
What’s next?
In the coming period, sensor networks will be implemented in pilot sites in museums, hospitals, and public spaces. BEIA will continue to play an active role in developing and testing the software component and integrating the monitoring system into the central database.
META-MUSEUM opens up a new way of understanding how people connect emotionally and cognitively with heritage, and deliverable D3.1 lays the solid foundations for this complex and innovative infrastructure.