The Ravenspoint Centre Museum on the Isle of Lewis – home to the Angus Macleod Archive – is harnessing Internet of Things (IoT) technology in a bid to safeguard the cultural legacy of its exhibits and enhance visitor experience.

The volunteer-run attraction has partnered with CENSIS – Scotland’s innovation centre for sensing, imaging, and IoT technologies – and connectivity consultancy FarrPoint to expand its IoT system to include a LoRaWAN network which monitors the humidity and temperature levels, as well as visitor numbers, at its exhibit areas. The network adds to previous infrastructure covering the museum’s storage facility.

Monitoring and controlling humidity levels – which can cause damage or deterioration – is critical to the protection of historic items. Access to real-time data from the new system will also enable the museum to track visitor numbers and identify if there has been any damage to the building, ensuring the environmental conditions are within the required thresholds to protect its artefacts.

The system will automate data collection, a task previously performed manually by volunteers. Having a clear record of this information is a requirement for the museum to retain its accreditation from Museums Galleries Scotland, which provides access to funding, advice, and training.

The initiative formed part of CENSIS’s IoT Evolve programme, which was funded by the Scottish Government and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) to support organisations in the region with the development and application of IoT technologies.

Opened 15 years ago, Ravenspoint Museum and the Angus Macleod Archive provide a unique perspective of Scottish history, chronicling one man’s experience of life in the Gaelic-speaking village of Calbost through documents, videos, and voice recordings.

While some of the collection has been digitised, a substantial amount is only available in hard copy, and researchers interested in island life, crofting, and Hebridean history rely on physically inspecting the archive’s items for their work.

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Donnie Morrison, chairman of the Pairc Historical Society, which runs the museum, said: “The Ravenspoint Centre Museum and the Angus Macleod Archive are testament to our community’s commitment to preserving its heritage. With the technology we have installed, we can better protect the artifacts and ensure they are kept in the best shape possible for generations to learn from and enjoy.

“The Angus Macleod Archive provides a unique perspective on Scottish history and consistently attracts a lot of visitors and researchers. But, from this summer we are expecting a surge of tourists due to the new deep water port in Stornoway which is attracting more cruise ships.

“The people-counting technology will be a valuable asset to have during this time, supporting our continued accreditation and giving us a more accurate gauge of the museum’s popularity.”