New Tactile Maps Available Online
New Tactile Maps Available Online
You folks need to know about this new tactile map web service that Josh Miele is making. He has sent me some examples of my own neighborhood, and I’m absolutely
blown away. So easy and so excellent. Blind people need never be without a tactile street map again.
John I wanted to let the list know about a project currently under way here at The Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute to provide tactile street maps
over the web. The system uses a server-based geographic information system (GIS), and will be able to produce tactile graphics files properly prepared
for standard Braille embossers, swell paper, ViewPlus Tiger embossers, or other tactile output devices. Ultimately, The software will be available as an
on-line service that allows anyone to request a tactile street map of any location at any scale, download the files and emboss or render the tactile map
immediately. The street maps are automatically produced with appropriate information density, Braille labels, and simple line figures, to optimize their
use by a blind map reader. The user will have a high degree of flexibility over how an individual map appears, the kinds of features represented, labeling
style, and map key information.
Currently the GIS that we are using (TIGER Line Maps from the US Census Bureau) includes only USA data, but in the future, it will be possible to use richer
data sources that include street information on a more global basis.
We will be presenting an update and demo of this project at the up-coming CSUN conference on Technology and Persons with Disabilities in LA on March 17th.
If you are interested in learning more about this project or the presentation, or would like to become a beta tester of the service, please visit
http://www.ski.org/tmap
If you have specific questions about the project please feel free to contact me at this e-mail address.
JAM
Joshua A. Miele, Ph.D., Post Doctoral Fellow
The Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute
2318 Fillmore St.
San Francisco, CA 94115
E-mail:
jam@ski.org
Voice: 415/345-2113
Fax: 415/202-0780
http://www.ski.org
John A. Gardner
Professor and Director, Science Access Project
Department of Physics
Oregon State University
Corvallis, OR 97331
tel: (541) 737 3278
FAX: (541) 737 1683
SAP URL:
http://dots.physics.orst.edu/
