Museums and Google

Back in April, I wondered why there wasn’t some efforts by Google to work with museums. They had put some ultra-high definition photos from the Prado Museum into Google Earth in January, but that seemed to be an exercise in photographic technologies and some much needed publicity for one of Google’s products.

I mean, can you think of any link between art and mapping? Of all the visualisations available on Google Earth, 14 images places upon a single geolocation in Spain seems a little odd. I mean, what’s the purpose?

It was announced recently that Google are going to put the collections of the Iraq Museum online.

What are they up to? Of all things, a digitisation project? 14,000 photos of the 5,000 remaining objects in the museum.

Does anyone else think this feels like a story from about 8-9 years ago?

I hope, no, I wish this will be something more than just interesting PR for Google. They can be game-changes to almost anything they get involved in, and it seems like they will photograph collections! And put them online! There are museums up and down the UK photographing stuff. Most of them are using volunteers.

Another websites with more searchable images. Joy. I have to agree to Nick Poole.

Unless they can do something amazing with it. Unless this is a test for some greater plan that will blast inferior collection management software out of the water and begin some decent level of connectivity between museums. I suppose we will have to wait for “early 2010″ to see the results.