Preserving the national art collections with IoT

Art may seem timeless, but its preservation is anything but static. Thanks to IoT technologies, the Swiss Federal Office of Culture (BAK) is improving how we monitor the masterpieces that represent Swiss heritage.

The BAK's mission is to protect Switzerland's cultural diversity, ensuring that historical artifacts and artwork are preserved for future generations. The BAK oversees various museums and collections, and when not exposed to the public, these art pieces need to be stored and monitored properly. By collaborating with akenza, BAK introduced IoT technologies to ensure stable environmental conditions for cultural artifacts, helping them withstand the test of time.

IoT sensor measuring temperature and humidity

Monitoring art in Swiss museums

In this project, we introduced sensors in various museums, including the Kunstsammlungen des Bundes (BKS), to help preserve cultural treasures (paintings, sculptures, photographic work, and more).

By installing wireless, low-power sensors, environmental conditions like temperature, humidity, and CO2 levels are monitored closely. The same type of devices are installed in different rooms, monitoring a wide range of different art pieces. These factors are key to keeping art in good shape and preventing problems like mold. 

Analog device to log temperature and humidity manually

Until now, museums used analog devices to log temperature and humidity manually (see picture). Now, with IoT sensors, it is possible to monitor these values in real-time from one central location, enabling new data processing avenues. Moreover, it removes the need for manual inspections and allows for the creation of alerts and notifications in case of issues. In some cases, the sensor data is compared with the reading given by the building management system (BMS) to cross-check measurement accuracy.

IoT sensor wall-mounted in a room storing photographs

The sensor data is transmitted via LoRa and stored on akenza. Our integrations with various LoRaWAN network providers make it easy to connect a sensor to our platform. Each museum has its own custom dashboard, which helps curators keep an eye on environmental data and ensure everything stays within the right limits. The Rule Engine of akenza is configured to automatically send alerts via email or SMS to the appropriate personnel whenever an issue is detected.

Combining a cultural mission with smart technology shows that preserving the past means using the best tools we have today. As BAK and akenza keep working together, the goal is to protect Swiss cultural treasures for future generations, with technology quietly supporting in the background.