Canadian museum discovery layer
Long-time lurker on this sub, first-time poster.
Over the past number of weeks I’ve been experimenting with a national discovery platform for Canadian museums, galleries, historic sites, and cultural institutions. I've build a platform using node.js with a Supabase/Vercel backend using a good deal of AI promting and publically available information. Its at the point where I have a model I'm happy with.
The idea is simple: a free public-facing directory where institutions can manage practical visitor information (hours, admission, seasonal updates, initiatives like the Canada Strong Pass, etc.) in one place, with a focus on discoverability and helping people find museums nearby. The site would rely on QR codes and geolocation to direct users to find museums nearby (sorted first by city, and then showing museums by location to other museums).
It’s currently in live beta with ~1,100 institutions indexed using publicly available information and museum-submitted updates.
What’s surprised and impressed me was how quickly it came together using modern AI-assisted development tools. But I'm also worried that the neatness of the technology creates its own blind spots - just because something is technically possible and visually coherent doesn’t necessarily mean it’s genuinely useful.
Writing to ask to hear people’s thoughts — positive, skeptical, practical, strategic, technical, whatever. Does something like this feel useful? Redundant? Impossible to maintain? Helpful for small museums? Just terrible idea? Another museum directory?
Not sure if I'm allowed to post the link here. If anyone wants to see it, feel free to DM me and I’ll send the link along.