A "smart" multimedia guide for indoor contextual navigation in cultural heritage applications

In this paper, we present an ongoing project developed within DATABENC, a high technology district for Cultural Heritage management. In particular, the project aims at exploiting several location-based services and technologies to realize a smart multimedia guide system able to detect user position and make objects of a museum exhibition able to "talk" during tourists' visit and capable of automatically telling their story using multimedia facilities. Moreover, we have deployed in the museum rooms a particular Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) that, using Bluetooth technology, is able to sense the surrounding area for detecting user devices' presence. Once a device has been detected, the related MAC address is retrieved and multimedia contents of the closest museum artworks are delivered to user using proper multimedia delivery techniques to facilitate and make more stimulating the visit. As case of study, we show an example of "talking" museum as a smart multimedia guide of sculptures' art exhibition within the Maschio Angioino castle, in Naples (Italy).