Cultural Heritage Information System with Heritage Museum

Figure Ilustration AI

FORMOSA NEWS - Medan - Smart Museum Management: How Indonesian Researchers Digitalized Karo Cultural Heritage with Multi-Role Security. Digital transformation is reshaping how cultural heritage is preserved, managed, and shared with the global public. Addressing the growing need to protect historical assets from fading away, a research team from Universitas Katolik Santo Thomas Medan consisting of Jepta Sembiring, Sorang Pakpahan, Tonni Limbong, and Lamhot Sitorus successfully designed and developed a web-based information system for the Karo Heritage Museum. Published in 2026 within the Formosa Journal of Computer and Information Science (FJCIS), this study introduces a robust digital framework that streamlines museum data management while implementing a multi-layered verification mechanism to safeguard historical authenticity.

Context and Background

North Sumatra, particularly Karo Regency, boasts rich cultural traditions ranging from the traditional house architecture of Siwaluh Jabu and traditional dances like Guro-guro Aron to ancient musical instruments and philosophical ceremonies. Historically, this cultural knowledge relied heavily on the memories of traditional elders and fragile physical records, limiting access primarily to visitors who could physically travel to the museum. Without systematic digital documentation, important information risks being lost as older generations pass away. While various digital asset systems exist, most traditional museum platforms rely on a centralized single-administrator model that lacks structured internal verification steps. Recognizing that professional museum operations require meticulous stages of origin research, classification, and official endorsement, the researchers set out to build a more accountable and transparent web platform.

Simple Methodology and Multi-Role Framework
The research team adopted the structured Waterfall software development model, moving sequentially from requirements analysis and UML system design to PHP-based coding, MySQL database implementation, and black-box functional testing. To mirror real-world museum operations, the platform implements the segregation-of-duties principle by dividing internal workflows into five hierarchical staff roles. The system's operational architecture involves distinct responsibilities across roles:

• Admin: Manages staff accounts, security credentials, system settings, and activity audit logs.
  
• Registrar: Inputs initial collection data and physical condition documentation as a working draft.
  
• Curator: Conducts historical research, categorizes objects, and assigns preliminary collection identifiers.
  
• Leader: Reviews curatorial recommendations, issues formal authorizations, and monitors administrative dashboards.
  
• Educator: Transforms verified data into engaging public educational narratives and manages multimedia galleries.
  

Additionally, general visitors can seamlessly access the public-facing catalog without requiring mandatory account registrations.

Key Findings and Performance Results
The study's comprehensive black-box testing evaluated 41 distinct functional scenarios across seven system modules, achieving a 100% success rate with zero invalid errors. Key achievements of the system include:

• Successfully organizing cultural artifacts into primary categories such as traditional houses, dances, musical instruments, clothing, and weapons.
  
• Enforcing strict data accountability and traceability through automated activity logs and multi-level approvals.
  
• Providing visitors with frictionless search, category filtering, and multimedia exploration tools.
  

Real-World Impact and Future Outlook
By bridging traditional heritage preservation with modern web technology, the Karo Cultural Heritage Information System expands the educational reach of museums beyond physical geographical boundaries. According to the researchers from Universitas Katolik Santo Thomas Medan, structuring digital workflows protects historical integrity while encouraging younger generations and tourists to interactively explore cultural history. For future developments, the authors recommend expanding the platform to include multilingual support (Indonesian, Karo, and English), integrating immersive 360-degree virtual tours, and transitioning toward mobile-friendly architectures to maximize global cultural outreach.

Author Profile
Jepta Sembiring. Researcher and academic faculty member. Universitas Katolik Santo Thomas Medan. Field of Expertise: Information Systems and Computer Science

Source
Cultural Heritage Information System with Heritage Museum. Formosa Journal of Computer and Information Science (FJCIS), Vol. 5, No. 2, hal. 457–470
DOI: https://doi.org/10.55927/fjcis.v5i2.17335
URL: https://journal.formosapublisher.org/index.php/fjcis: