Operational excellence innovation with data analytics: three federal case studies

Towards improved visitorship, experience and efficiency, big data analytics is an important innovation for museum excellence, drawing a holistic view of visitor experience and museum performance to inform strategic planning and operations management.

This interactive, fireside style forum draws upon the specialist experience of a panel of experts, each leading strategic initiatives in big data analytics for large federal cultural institutions, including two new build museums. The panel will share their experience in using data insight for operational excellence across the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center and the U.S. Army Center of Military History, including the National Museum of of the U.S. Army (under construction), debating various approaches and answering questions from the audience.

Discussion will include drivers for enhanced insight from operational big data analytics and how to build the business case for change in data driven practices across various museum departments, working collaboratively across departments and seniority. The panel will cover various instrumentation technologies for visitor experience in the museum including integration architecture, technology strategies and practical limitations. Special approaches for portfolio management amongst museum groups, capacity, scheduling and wait time management will be discussed for solving visitor pressures in large institutions. Research applications for artificial intelligence using machine learning for predictive analytics will also be covered.
Lastly, the panel will look at managing security, sovereignty and privacy requirements in a federal environment.

Bibliography:
Big Data and Analytics: What We’ve Learned So Far
Robert Stein. American Alliance of Museums, USA, Micah Walter, Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum USA, Melissa Firth, Te Papa Tongarewa
https://mw17.mwconf.org/proposal/big-data-and-analytics-what-weve-learned-so-far/

Seeing the Forest and the Trees: How Engagement Analytics can Help Museums Connect to Audiences at Scale
Robert Stein, American Alliance of Museums, USA, Bruce Wyman, USD Design | MACH Consulting, USA
April 2014
http://mw2014.museumsandtheweb.com/paper/seeing-the-forest-and-the-trees-how-engagement-analytics-can-help-museums-connect-to-audiences-at-scale/

The Data Won’t Save Us
Micah Walter, Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum
November 2015
https://uncategorized.micahwalter.com/the-data-won-t-save-us-4f57dbd5a3ec#.ncqcjwuug

Data Warehousing and Building Analytics at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Micah Walter, Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum
April 2016