Kiwi data firm strikes big with UK National Gallery

Justin Kearney, chief operations officer of Dexibit and Angie Judge, chief executive of Dexibit. Photo / Supplied

Auckland-based data firm Dexibit is working with the National Gallery in London to predict the trends and behaviour of visitors.

Dexibit will use machine learning and historic data to provide data to the National Gallery, which features works from Van Gogh and Monet, in order to assist them in making curation decisions.

Chief executive Angie Judge said the ramifications of an error in choosing exhibits was financially significant and Dexibit could help with big decisions by modelling and predicting how they will pan out.

"Big data brings crucial innovation to the cultural sector at a time when the ground is shifting underneath museums and galleries," Judge said.

"The National Gallery's digital vision leads the way for the cultural sector - as museum analytics transition from retrospectively reporting the institution's own history, to using artificial intelligence in predicting our cultural future," she said.

The data firm, which works exclusively in the cultural sector, also provides insights to Te Papa and museums around Australia, the US and the UK.

The company can predict how external elements, such as weather, tourism and other cultural events, will impact audience attendance in galleries and museums.

Chris Michaels, digital director of the National Gallery, said big data and analytics was at the core of the institution's digital strategy.

"We are delighted to be working with Dexibit to explore the potential of predictive analytics for better understanding on how we can service our audiences," Michaels said.

"Machine learning and artificial intelligence have huge potential value for helping museums build better insight and develop new kinds of financial sustainability," he said.

"We believe these new models can help us create better value for our visitors, and that the learnings we generate can help not only us but the wider sector."