Digital Heritage · Polder Knowledge
Digital heritage platforms that connect collections, knowledge and stories.
Heritage lives in collections, stories and the people who pass it on. We help museums and heritage organisations connect these worlds digitally and make them accessible. Through intuitive public platforms, smart integrations and interactive experiences, we bring heritage closer to people.
to experience.
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SourcesObjects, stories, archives and living traditions
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StructureMetadata, collection management, taxonomy and validation
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EnrichmentContext, integrations, Linked Open Data and NDE principles
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PlatformWebsites, maps, trails and interactive applications
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ExperienceDiscover, understand, experience and share
Projects in practice
Connecting heritage. Bringing it to life.
From museum collections and local stories to public platforms, interactive trails and AI museum guides. A selection of our work.
Collection access & API integrations
Museum Vlaardingen
For Museum Vlaardingen, we are developing a digital environment that connects objects from the physical museum collection with stories. An integration with the Atlantis collection management system retrieves object data and enables dedicated pages for individual objects. Our technical approach takes NDE principles and Linked Open Data into account.
Discuss collection access
Public platform & NDE
Stichting Wijkcollectie
Stichting Wijkcollectie preserves Rotterdam neighbourhood stories as intangible cultural heritage. We developed the CMS and website where visitors explore these stories on an interactive map. The platform was built in line with NDE principles.
View the platform
Interactive storytelling
ROSE Stories, Huis van Verhalen
For ROSE Stories, we are developing a playful world of stories in which visitors explore objects from cellar to attic, each with its own story. We are creating an imaginative, exploratory user experience in collaboration with the designers at ROSE Stories.
Discuss interactive storytelling
Interactive routes
Het Weeshuis van de Kunst
For Het Weeshuis van de Kunst, we are developing a platform that lets visitors create their own walking or cycling routes past art, places and stories. It includes an interactive map, an adjustable stop order and GPX downloads.
Discuss a route platform
Registration & validation
Netwerk Levend Erfgoed
A registration and validation application for living heritage initiatives. Its user experience and technical design support recording, structuring and sharing heritage information.
Explore the network
AI & historical sources
Vincent. Eén en al oor.
A conversation with Vincent van Gogh grounded in his letters. The digital conversational companion can reference original letters and show artworks. The experience has been tested at the Van Gogh Village Museum and Museum Dordrecht.
Meet Vincent
AI & museum experiences
Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza
A chatbot proof of concept centred on Giovanna degli Albizzi Tornabuoni. Visitors describe how they feel and receive a suggested museum route featuring artworks that match that emotion.
Discuss an AI museum guide
Digital heritage stories
Brabant Herinnert
Brabant Herinnert shares 75 personal, life-changing wartime stories from Brabant in a creative and compelling way. Its digital storytelling environment brings history closer to the public.
Explore Brabant HerinnertFrom fragmentation to connection
Connecting heritage takes more than digitisation.
A collection management system, a digital archive, a website full of stories: each often contains just one part of the bigger picture. But how do you connect objects, people and places? How do you make information accessible to visitors and researchers, even beyond your own organisation?
This calls for intuitive design, smart integrations and a future-proof technical foundation. Systems that work together, open standards and room for new ways to explore.
This is where our creative and technical expertise comes together.
Our solutions
From technical infrastructure to public engagement.
We can help with the entire challenge or tackle one specific technical issue.
Digital public platforms
From collections to discovery. We design and build websites and platforms where visitors explore heritage through objects, themes, interactive maps and stories. From concept and UX design to development and ongoing improvement.
Explore applicationsCollection access & API integrations
We connect collection management systems, metadata and external sources through custom API integrations. This makes information useful for websites, search experiences and other digital services instead of leaving it locked in separate systems.
Discuss an integrationNDE & Linked Open Data
Making heritage findable, connected and reusable in line with the principles of the Dutch Digital Heritage Network (NDE). We advise on and implement information models, persistent identifiers, controlled vocabularies, JSON-LD and Linked Open Data.
Explore NDE compatibilityAI & interactive storytelling
New ways to experience heritage, from conversations with historical figures to discovering stories on location. Always with attention to sources, factual reliability and user experience. We use AI where it genuinely adds value.
Discover VincentOur approach
From collection management and living heritage to public experiences.
For museums, digitisation is about more than objects and metadata. It is also about the stories behind them and, in living heritage, the people and communities who pass on traditions and knowledge. Together with collection managers, heritage professionals and volunteers, we explore the sources, systems and audiences. Only then do we choose a suitable digital approach.
Understanding collections and stories
Together with collection managers, heritage practitioners and other stakeholders, we investigate sources, metadata, existing systems and the needs of visitors and researchers.
Discovering and experiencing
We design ways for people to discover objects, places, practices and stories. Where useful, we test a prototype with the people the platform is meant for.
Opening up and developing
We build the public platform and connect existing collection and registration systems wherever possible. We consider accessibility, NDE principles and Linked Open Data where relevant.
Maintaining and evolving
We make sure editors and heritage organisations can continue to add and manage content and that the digital experience remains useful in the long term.
Why Polder Knowledge?
Technically strong. Creative in our solutions. Personal in our approach.
We combine experience in complex software and integrations with expertise in digital heritage and open standards. You work directly with senior specialists who challenge assumptions, respond quickly and genuinely care about the work. No more technology than necessary, but a solution that can grow.
Knowledge & insights
More on connected heritage.
Open standards and semantic data exchange are not ends in themselves. They make information more useful, now and in the future.
Working in line with NDE principles
How can you make collection information part of the national digital heritage infrastructure? From standards and identifiers to practical implementation steps.
Explore NDELinked Open Data
How can you make heritage information machine-readable and connect it to other knowledge sources? An introduction to JSON-LD, semantic relationships and choosing a publishing strategy.
Explore Linked Open DataFrequently asked questions
Practical questions. Clear answers.
Do we need to replace our collection management system?
Usually not. We first examine what the system can already do, what information is available and how it can be made accessible through APIs or standardised exports. Sometimes an integration or an additional public platform is enough.
Can you help us specifically with NDE or Linked Open Data?
Yes. Alongside complete public platforms, we provide advice, architecture and technical implementation around NDE principles, metadata, identifiers, controlled vocabularies and Linked Open Data.
Can we start with a focused exploration or prototype?
Absolutely. A focused technical exploration or proof of concept helps test assumptions, identify risks and make an informed decision about further development.
Can you bring together collection data from multiple systems?
Yes. We examine which data sources are available and how they can be accessed through existing APIs, exports or custom integrations. We also look at metadata quality, identifiers and how objects, people, places and stories relate to one another.
Let's connect
What could you make possible with your heritage?
Make a collection easier to access, connect systems or create a new digital visitor experience? We would be glad to explore the possibilities with you, from initial discovery to technical development and ongoing improvement.