Tactile Mapping: Cartography for People with Visual Impairments

by Vincent van Altena (Editor), Jakub Wabinski (Editor)

Overview

Few of us ponder the mechanisms behind our eyes. We simply expect them to capture the world around us. But for many people, injuries, illnesses, aging, and other health issues can hinder their ability to see and navigate their world. When it comes to maps, assistive technology can only do so much, often lacking the subtle nuances of a landscape, changes in elevation, or the presence of nearby bodies of water. This lack of a geographical overview impedes not only exploration of unfamiliar neighborhoods but also a more general geospatial understanding of local, regional, and international phenomena.

Tactile maps can be life-changing for people with visual impairments, offering them greater independence and inclusion. Yet much of the research done in the field of education for the blind has remained inaccessible to a broader audience. Tactile Mapping: Cartography for People with Visual Impairments aims to bridge this gap by exploring the subject from a multidisciplinary perspective, illustrating cartographic theory with real-life case studies and user stories.

A collaboration by skilled professionals, domain experts, and people with visual impairments, Tactile Mapping offers fresh insights from three perspectives: user experience, scientific research, and practical implementation. Through this collection of expert-written chapters, case studies, and user stories, cartographers and other geographic practitioners can gain new insights into the foundations and methods of presenting geographic information for greater accessibility.

Topics include:

• The role of maps in shaping our perception of the world

• Best practices in tactile map design, including an understanding of tactile perception

• Complex geographic data and the importance of abstraction, generalization, and content selection
• The need for map design processes to be user centered
  
• Different output media for tangible maps and geographic models
  

Cartography not only helps us better understand the world but also helps us convey that knowledge to others. Tactile Mapping: Cartography for People with Visual Impairments explains and demonstrates how mapmakers can and are being intentional and inclusive with their designs.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781589488359
Publisher:	Esri Press
Publication date:	08/12/2025
Pages:	274
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.00(d)

About the Author

Dr. Vincent van Altena, Senior Researcher at Kadaster (the Netherlands), is a geospatial expert with a background in theology and GIS. He leads the Dutch initiative on tactile mapping and is co-chair of the International Cartographic Association (ICA) Working Group on Inclusive Cartography. In his free time, Vincent enjoys music and cooking.

Dr. Jakub Wabiński, Assistant Professor at the Military University of Technology in Warsaw, Poland, is a co-chair of the International Cartography Association (ICA) Working Group on Inclusive Cartography. Jakub, whose research focuses on tactile map design, has a background in geospatial engineering and a passion for novel geovisualization methods. In his free time, Jakub enjoys board games and exploring the outdoors.

Table of Contents

FOREWORD (Jack Dangermond)

FOREWORD (Marek Kalbarczyk)

PART 1: INTRODUCTION

Living without sight (Ellen Zieleman)

Chapter 1: From visual to tactile: Societal attitudes and accessible information (Vincent van Altena)

PART 2: MAPS AND PERCEPTION

Defying darkness (Ran Nitka)

Chapter 2: The relevance of maps in understanding our world (Georg Gartner)

Chapter 3: Understanding through touch (Astrid Kappers)

The development of tactile mapping in Norway (Carl William Lund and Henrik Gulliksen Schüller)

Dreams become a goal (Ashna Abdulrahman Kareem Zada)

PART 3: DESIGNING TACTILE MAPS

A journey beyond knowledge (Petr Novák)

Chapter 4: Map symbol design: Visual and haptic variables (Amy L. Griffin)

Chapter 5: Map design and cognition (Jakub Wabiński and Simon Ungar)

Chapter 6: Generalization for tactile maps (Guillaume Touya)

Tactile maps of historic gardens (Jakub Wabiński)

Making the invisible visible (Shirly Goldner)

PART 4: USERS AND EDUCATION

Completely lost without maps (Leydiane Cristina Santana)

Chapter 7: User-centered and inclusive cartographic design (Robert Roth, Merve Keskin, and Zdeněk Stachoň)

Chapter 8: Learning geography when you’re blind (Carla Cristina Reinaldo Gimenes de Sena and Waldirene Ribeiro do Carmo)

Chapter 9: Training in orientation and mobility (Petr Červenka)

A collaborative approach to tactile mapping in the Netherlands (Jolijn Jansen)

Tactile world thematic map (Young-Hoon Kim)

PART 5: RELIABLE OUTPUT

We drop things at the same rate (Dorothy Atieno Lensa)

Chapter 10: Accessible media (Radek Barvíř, Alena Vondráková, and Jan Brus)

Chapter 11: Methodical reflections (Albina Mościcka)

3D printed cartography in East Africa (Samuel Foulkes and Quentin Roa)

Optimized route planning for blind pedestrians (Sagi Dalyot and Achituv Cohen)

Maps aren’t just a fun gimmick (Parham Doustdar)

CONCLUSION (Vincent van Altena and Jakub Wabiński)

I finally belong (Ellen Zieleman)

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS