Open-source cultural artifact mapper: Ex Situ
A project mapping global museum collections back to their origins.
1Digital map of cultural heritage
Ex Situ is an open-source project that maps museum artifacts worldwide according to their origins. It visualizes items in Western institutions categorized as Islamic art, Asian/African art, etc. Started as a 2022 MA thesis, it now indexes over 100,000 artifacts across major collections like the Met and V&A.
2Technical infrastructure
Built with Next.js and Deck.gl frontend, Strapi backend, and Python ETL pipelines. Pulls data from museum open-access APIs. AGPL-3.0 licensed, it even stores images as source URLs. The flat data model intentionally avoids problematic taxonomies while directing researchers to original institutions.
3Research tool
The system acts as connective tissue between disconnected archives. Users can download provenance data for filtered artifacts. By routing to source institutions rather than duplicating data, it maintains institutional accountability. Currently covers significant collections including SMB Berlin alongside Met and V&A.
4Design-focused approach
The designer-developer found the prototype-to-production journey rewarding. The origin-first UI concept emphasizes relationships between current locations and source sites. Data visualization and UX were central to the design process, creating an intuitive interface for cultural heritage exploration.
5Seeking community involvement
Facing scaling challenges as a solo developer, the creator welcomes performance optimizations, missing API pipelines, and general feedback. Open-source contributions on GitHub can help grow the project. Code improvements and data source expansions are particularly needed to enhance coverage.
6Future of cultural heritage
Ex Situ has potential to set new standards in digital cultural heritage tracking. Transparent origin tracing could become vital for museology and academic research. Its open-source nature encourages institutional participation, possibly leading to more comprehensive global artifact mapping.
Original article: Hacker News: Front Page — Açık kaynaklı kültürel eser haritası: Ex Situ