Internet-based mapping for the blind and people with visual impairment

Abstract

The Internet provides increasing opportunities for accessing information and on-line services. The government of Canada is restructuring its services to take advantage of this medium. While web-based mapping has been a reality for several years, production of maps for people with special needs poses new challenges, as additional accessibility requirements have to be met. This chapter focuses on web-based tactile and audio-tactile maps for blind and visually impaired users developed within the Mapping for the Visually Impaired project carried out at the Mapping Services Branch in collaboration with other government departments, such as Industry Canada and Transport Canada, conducted within the Canadian Government On-Line initiative (GOL). The GOL — Persons with Disabilities Online — portal involves partnerships among several departments to implement websites specifically tailored to provide information and services for people with special needs, their families, caregivers and service providers. The Mapping for the Visually Impaired (MVI) website is an integral part of this broader initiative providing tactile maps for education, mobility training, transportation and tourism. Moreover, the Web-4-All project carried out by Industry Canada in cooperation with the University of Toronto will further facilitate the development of new interfaces and innovative ways of sharing spatial information, to facilitate learning and improve mobility for blind and visually impaired people. This chapter will discuss users’ needs, present types of maps, which have been incorporated into the Mapping for the Visually Impaired website, and elaborate on theoretical and technical issues when producing and distributing tactile and audio-tactile maps on the Internet.