Eldheimar Museum: BLE Beacon Museum Guide with Real-Time User Location

• Sensors - Acoustic Sensors
• Sensors - GPS

• Equipment & Machinery
• Retail

• Real-Time Location System (RTLS)
• Retail Store Automation

Eldheimar museum, located at the UNESCO World Heritage site Surtsey volcanic area in Westmann Islands, Iceland, faced a significant challenge in enhancing the visitor experience. The museum, which is spread over an 1100m2 two-story building, focuses on the 1973 volcanic eruption in Vestmannaeyjar, providing a glimpse into people’s lives on Heimaey, prior to the eruption that would change their lives forever. The museum's layout, centered around a house buried in the volcanic eruption, includes many interactive screens and exhibits. The challenge was to provide an 'automatic audio guide' that would allow guests to explore these exhibits in their own language without having to manually control the audio. The solution needed to be intuitive and seamless, enhancing the visitor experience without distracting from the exhibits themselves.

Eldheimar museum is a significant cultural institution located at the UNESCO World Heritage site Surtsey volcanic area on Westmann Islands, Iceland. The museum's exhibition focuses on the 1973 volcanic eruption in Vestmannaeyjar, providing a unique insight into people’s lives on Heimaey, prior to the eruption that would change their lives forever. The museum is housed in an 1100m2 two-story building, with a large open space centered around a house that was buried in the volcanic eruption. The museum offers numerous interactive screens and exhibits, aiming to provide an immersive and educational experience for its visitors.

The solution involved the deployment of an 80 piece BLE beacon infrastructure throughout the museum, along with 100 Android devices with headphones for visitors. The beacons were positioned strategically, considering the movement of guests through the exhibition. The app on the Android devices could connect with 2 or 3 beacons at any one time, using a trilateration algorithm, to show the visitors' location with +/- 1.5m accuracy at all times. This allowed the app to automatically play audio content relative to where the visitors were in the museum. The app used the Automatic Museum Guide template to deliver location-based audio narration, with visitors able to select their chosen language from the app's home page. The client provided branding assets such as app icon, loading image, banner logo, and chose the theme colors. The app is only available on location via android audio guide devices.

• The implementation of the BLE beacon infrastructure and the Android devices significantly enhanced the visitor experience at the Eldheimar museum. The automatic audio guide allowed visitors to explore the museum at their own pace, with audio content automatically playing based on their location. This provided a seamless and intuitive experience, allowing visitors to focus on the exhibits without having to manually control the audio. The ability to select their chosen language from the app's home page further personalized the experience for visitors. The solution was also easy to manage for the museum staff, with a quick setup, thoughtfully chosen templates, and an easy-to-use content management system.

• The solution involved the deployment of an 80 piece BLE beacon infrastructure
• 100 Android devices with headphones were provided for visitors
• The app could connect with 2 or 3 beacons at any one time