Accessible Interactive Maps for Visually Impaired Users
Julie Ducasse (UT3, IRIT-ELIPSE, CNRS), Anke Brock (Potioc, LaBRI),, Christophe Jouffrais (IRIT-ELIPSE, CNRS)

TL;DR
This paper reviews various interactive map prototypes designed for visually impaired users, comparing their technologies, limitations, and effectiveness in supporting spatial learning, and discusses future technological improvements.
Contribution
It provides an exhaustive classification and comparison of digital and hybrid interactive maps, highlighting their strengths, limitations, and potential for improving accessibility.
Findings
Interactive maps support spatial learning for visually impaired users
Digital and hybrid maps differ in cost and technological limitations
Future technologies could further enhance map accessibility
Abstract
Tactile maps are commonly used to give visually impaired users access to geographical representations. Although those relief maps are efficient tools for acquisition of spatial knowledge, they present several limitations and issues such as the need to read braille. Several research projects have been led during the past three decades in order to improve access to maps using interactive technologies. In this chapter, we present an exhaustive review of interactive map prototypes. We classified existing interactive maps into two categories: Digital Interactive Maps (DIMs) that are displayed on a flat surface such as a screen; and Hybrid Interactive Maps (HIMs) that include both a digital and a physical representation. In each family, we identified several subcategories depending on the technology being used. We compared the categories and subcategories according to cost, availability and…
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