Last week, the Rijksmuseum has launched Collection Online, a new platform that makes the Rijksmuseum’s collection more accessible. Using Linked Open Data and AI technology, anyone can easily search, collect, download and share images and information about the collection. The platform provides access to high-resolution images of 800,000 works of art, 500,000 books and 800 meters of documentation.
All data in one place
To connect everything about the collection, the Rijksmuseum has developed a special infrastructure that combines different data systems. It uses Linked Open Data, a universal method for making structured data available to the public. In the future, new data will be continuously added to Collection Online, such as archival documents and research results from Operation Night Watch. In the future, it will also be possible to link to collections from other museums.
Create your own Gallery of Honor
A search bar and hundreds of pre-curated theme pages provide the starting point from which users can browse endlessly. Anyone can assemble a personal collection from 800,000 online images, compare objects, and create their own interactive video clip. In a virtual 360-degree view of the Gallery of Honor, one can display a personal selection of masterpieces. The Kunstverkenner (art explorer) provides another accessible way to explore the collection. This AI-powered tool asks visitors thought-provoking questions. The answers provide unexpected suggestions from the collection.
Online innovations
In the museum world, this way of presenting integrated data through a visually accessible interface and an AI-powered search function has never been applied on this scale. Collection Online is a follow-up to Rijksstudio, which in 2012 made the Rijksmuseum the first museum in the world to make a record number of high-resolution images (125,000) available for free.