Visitors flow management at Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy

We present a data-driven solution to manage visitors’ access at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy. The goal is to avoid the long lines outside the Museum, improving not only visitors’ experience, but also decency and security in the urban area. The solution implements a queue management system based on two data analytics models, one predictive and one prescriptive, which determine the entry time of each visitor. The system, which requires a minimal hardware and software infrastructure, was on the field from October 2018 to January 2020 during the most crowded visiting days, namely the free access days. First we report on the whole design and implementation process, then we show the solutions effectiveness and discuss the lesson learned.