Subscription

The cost of subscription per case per year can be obtained by contacting us here.

Why is there a subscription cost?

To provide the unique functions such as remote management and analytics, your installed case system regularly makes contact with your cloud based VirtualCase.net Control Centre. This is a software service, and requires upkeep. 

What do I get for my subscription?

Today, you get the following unique and exciting features:

• Access to the VirtualCase.net Control Centre where you can monitor visitor engagement, and keep track of case environments for conservation. See here for more details.
• The VirtualCase.net Control Centre will always be accessible from any computer with a suitable browser. We make sure we stay ahead of any changes to browsers or web technology.
• Weekday technical support between 8am and 6pm GMT.
• Access to the tutorials for using analytics, and any new features we add.
• Data transfer in two directions - from case to Control Centre and vice-versa. This covers system updates, and environmental and visitor engagement data.
• Updates to software components are delivered free and you don’t have to do a thing.
• 1Gb of secure cloud storage per case. Your data is safe in the cloud, helping with your disaster prevention planning.
• You can add a maximum of 4 collaborators to your account.

Your subscription means that you will always have the latest updates on the VirtualCase.net Control Centre. We are already working on a pipeline of innovative new features that we will add when testing is complete.

If you are a subscriber, you get our full attention, we will support you in any way we can. Our aim is to provide a very personal support service - we will always keep you running.

Conservation Sensor Options

• Two families of sensor are available. This section describes the conservation or environmental sensors. Please go to the Audience Engagement Sensor Options below on this page to find out about sensors to detect audience engagement.
• The prices for sensors are obtainable by contacting us here.
• Please note that to receive environment sensor data, a wired or wireless internet connection must be available in the gallery.

Temperature and Residual Humidity

ColliderCase and iotaCase systems can be fitted with standard or conservation grade temperature and residual humidity sensors. Continuous data from the sensors is sent to the VirtualCase.net Control Centre, where realtime and historic data can be viewed securely from any internet-connected computer in the world. 

Light

A light meter (luxmeter) can be fitted to ColliderCase and iotaCase systems. Continuous data from the sensor is sent to the VirtualCase.net Control Centre, where realtime and historic data can be viewed securely from any internet-connected computer in the world. The data can show lux levels as current readings or cumulative values. In combination with intelligent lighting control (more here), this will open up new possibilities for the display of light sensitive objects. For example, objects can be illuminated only when someone is viewing the object, reducing the cumulative exposure, and potentially enabling a raised Lux level during viewing.

Sensors (General)

• Sensors can be fitted in any location within the case.
• Multiple sensors can be fitted.
• No extra power supply or connectivity is required - everything connects to the ColliderCase or IotaCase processing unit.

Suitable Cases or Display Types

iotaCase can be fitted to any showcase or display.

Audience Engagement Sensor Options

• Two families of sensor are available. This section describes sensors for measuring audience engagement. Please see the Conservation Sensor Options section, above on this page to find out about sensors for conservation and environmental monitoring.
• Prices for Presence Detection and Face Detection Sensors can be obtained by contacting us here.
• Please note that to receive audience engagement sensor data, a wired or wireless internet connection must be available in the gallery.

Presence Detection

ColliderCase and iotaCase systems can be fitted with sensors that can detect the presence of a visitor at the case. Continuous data from the sensors is sent to the VirtualCase.net Control Centre, where realtime and historic data can be viewed securely from any internet-connected computer in the world. Sophisticated audience engagement intelligence can easily be gleaned from the recorded data. How well is your display doing? Is it engaging with visitors in the way you had hoped? Click here to see how the powerful audience analytics can help you to prove or improve your displays.

Face Detection

Face Detection is not Facial Recognition. Face Detection technology uses a tiny camera to measure the face looking at your display. By comparing facial features and measurements to a large database, it is possible to work out how old your viewer is, and what gender they are with a staggering degree of accuracy. Face Detection is a completely anonymous service that does not record or keep any information. Face Detection makes no effort to try and work out who your visitor actually is, and therefore respects their privacy and security. ColliderCase and iotaCase systems can be fitted with a Face Detection camera.

The camera is hidden inside the case, and sends visit data to the VirtualCase.net Control Centre. Extremely sophisticated audience engagement intelligence can easily be gleaned from the recorded data. Which age groups are not engaging with your display? Does engagement with your display have a gender bias? Click here to see how the powerful audience analytics can help you to prove or improve your displays.

Object Security

The iotaCase system does not effect the integrity of the showcase, and will not effect the manufacturer’s warranty. The safety and security of your displayed collection is not affected by the iotaCase installation.

Reporting

One of the greatest strengths of ColliderCase and iotaCase is the ability to analyse visitor engagement. A simple yet powerful suite of analytical tools are available to you through the VirtualCase.net Control Centre. Follow this link to see how to evaluate your engagement with visitors yourself or via automated reporting. 

The Virtual Case Systems team are available to create custom reports on your engagement, delivering face to face and written reports, highlighting the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities of engagement for you. This kind of executive summary and action plan can be incredibly helpful for busy museums. Prices for bespoke reporting are obtainable here.

Operating and Ongoing Costs

Aside from the subscription, the operating costs of iotaCase systems are incurred in three ways:

1. Power consumption.
2. Maintaining a WiFi network.
3. Hardware maintenance contract (if required).

Power Consumption

iotaCase is designed with very low power consumption characteristics. For power consumption data for for you application, which is dependent upon the choice of sensors, please contact us.

WiFi Network

iotaCase systems rely on a wired or wireless network accessible from the gallery. Power consumption of network systems differ, so we advise consulting your IT systems provider. We can provide an inexpensive network if your gallery doesn't have one. Please get in touch to discuss. Cellular networking is also possible. 

Hardware Maintenance Contract

Each iotaCase system comes with a 12 month guarantee as standard. Please contact us for information about a hardware maintenance contract. For an affordable annual fee, we can ensure that your hardware is permanently maintained and uptime is maximised.

Comparative Cost

A sensible cost comparison is with exit surveys. Your organisation is likely to have commissioned exit surveys, so will be able to access your records to determine the cost. Remember that an exit survey is a single snapshot, one moment in time, and not continuous like iotaCase. Also bear in mind that exit surveys cannot record the level of detail that iotaCase systems are capable of. How many exit surveys would you need to commission per year to give ongoing data?