Personalization in Digital Ecomuseums: The Case of Pros-Eleusis

Abstract

In comparison with a traditional museum, an “ecomuseum” is radically different: It is not housed in a building and does not have a collection of physical objects or artifacts. It aims to help visitors discover the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of a region through the identification of important points of interest (POIs), while offering a variety of activities and direct engagement with the region’s cultural identity. The diversity and amount of information that may be available through digital means highlight the need for supporting the visitor in selecting which POIs to visit by offering personalized content. In this paper, we present our approach for a recommendation system for an ecomuseum, through its application in the city of Eleusis, Greece. We present the approach from needs to implementation, as well as the results of a preliminary evaluation, showing promising results for its application as an engaging visitor experience for an ecomuseum. We conclude the paper with a wider discussion about personalization in this context and in a cultural heritage context in general.