Case Study on Visit Characteristics of Open-air Museum Information Service Users

The purpose of this research was to gather knowledge on the behavior characteristics of visitors when they use information services, to clarify kinds of effective information services for fostering understanding of and relationships with open-air museums, and to contribute to sustainable museum management. Here, "open-air museum" does not just refer to traditional museums where items are preserved and displayed by a specialist such as a curator. It also refers to new formats, such as the ecomuseums created in France where the region's residents actively participate in maintenance and management. The scope of this research encompasses a consideration of various configurations of open-air museums (local preservation, relocating collection, restorative construction). Three cultural institutions/regions of Japan (the Hiraizumi World Heritage Site, Kitakami City?s park for traditional houses, and an open-air art museum in Iwate) were chosen. These facilities were already using a guide system for smartphones developed using the results of our previous research. In order to analyze the behavior characteristics of the visitors, we gathered quantitative data, with the cooperation of the facility managers, from the aforementioned guide system's GPS excursion logs and information browsing logs, then attempted analysis visualization using our own original GIS-based tools. By combining this quantitative method with qualitative ones, such as field observations and interviews, we were able to acquire knowledge on behavior characteristics specific to visitors of open-air museums, which unlike mere tourist facilities have a multifaceted role in cultural dissemination, tourism promotion, and regional development. Hereafter, we will implement information service design for other open-air museums in urgent need of development (facilities to preserve/pass on relics of the Great East Japan Earthquake etc.), i.e. we will apply and verify knowledge through action research while systematizing the methodology of information service design.