Towards a Smart Museum using BIM, IoT, Blockchain and Advanced Digital Technologies

Abstract

Nowadays, the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry moves to the digital era, improving the collaboration among its partners using Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) tools. In this context, Building Information Modeling (BIM) provides to smart buildings novel mechanisms to embed Internet of Things (IoT) architectures, as well as to perform end-to-end communication, data exchange and information sharing between project actors. However, this openness and high decentralization of BIM and IoT services of smart buildings leads to several security issues that the use of Blockchain has been proved to provide an effective layer of data protection. This paper examines the interconnection and interoperability of BIM, IoT, Blockchain and advanced digital technologies in the demanding environment of a museum, where efficient and secure monitoring and management are critical factors that should be satisfied. It focuses on the application of the aforementioned technologies in the context of a building that has to deal with multiple administrative requirements, the management and protection of the exhibition areas and the objects exposed in them, the security and the convenience of the visitors, the financial management of the tickets and the profits from museum shops, the workshops, the laboratories and the storage areas, which usually contain numerous invaluable artifacts.