All planned activities have been carried out according to the work plan, that was slightly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. All milestones have been achieved.
The work of the CollectionCare project started in WP1 with the definition of a baseline of needs and a common language, which allowed the development of a common understanding of the objectives and starting points. Then, work began in parallel on the preventive conservation models (WP2), the big data cloud computing platform (WP3) and the wireless monitoring system (WP4).
In WP2, predictive models were implemented to predict the degree of degradation of the four classes of cultural objects selected for the project: canvas paintings, wooden objects, paper objects and metal objects. Based on existing literature, these models have been extended, adapted, and translated to mathematical algorithms, considering the specific nature of the object and the degradation agent considered.
In parallel, in WP3, the cloud computing architecture and storage structure for storing and analysing the data of the CollectionCare system was developed. Also, a graphical user interface (GUI) of the CollectionCare system was designed, where users will finally be able to access all data such as historical and real-time environmental monitoring data of the cultural objects, the resulting risks obtained from the degradation model.
Within WP 4, a low-cost wireless sensor node was designed and developed to monitor environmental parameters such as T, RH, L, UV, AP and V during exhibition, storage, handling and transport of cultural objects.
All the work developed in the previous WPs was integrated, validated and evaluated in WP5 to identify potential problems at an early stage.
Then, demonstration of the CollectionCare (WP6) system was carried out in the 6 different partner museums of the project, covering different types of objects, different types of buildings and spaces, including exhibition, storage, and transport. The staff of these institutions had a very satisfactory experience with the system.
Concerning dissemination, the CollectionCare project was presented through multiple channels to give visibility to the idea of the CollectionCare system and its potential for professionals and scientists in the cultural community. Addressing the research community, CollectionCare was promoted in several conferences in the scientific and conservation community and presented various scientific publications in open access journals. The importance of preventive conservation for society in general has also been one of the priority activities of the project, with the preparation of training materials and the organisation of thematic days for citizens in the consortium's museums.
