Hybrid tactile maps

aaraszkiewiczByT-rep admin

In accessible cartography, we aim to transform the visual world into one that can be “spoken” through other modalities, making it accessible to people with visual impairments. Traditionally, users had to choose between a visual map and a tactile one. Today, the focus is shifting toward hybrid tactile maps and graphics—materials that combine both tactile and visual content on a single sheet. These are designed to be inclusive, serving everyone from blind individuals and people with residual vision to sighted educators and guides.

Blindness is a spectrum; many individuals categorized as legally blind retain some degree of residual vision. For them, high-contrast colors and large-print labels are essential elements of tactile graphics. At the same time, sighted guides or teachers can use the visual layer to help users with visual impairments interpret the tactile graphic. Ultimately, this approach is a perfect example of applying universal design principles in practice: generating products accessible to the widest possible audience.

Unfortunately, many tactile graphics, maps, and models are still produced with only tactile perception in mind. Many include only Braille labels, which, in the face of decreasing Braille literacy worldwide, limits their utility to those who are confident in their haptic perception. This is why making tactile graphics accessible via multiple senses is so vital.

Different approaches can be applied to generate hybrid tactile maps and graphics, many of which have become possible thanks to the rapid development of production techniques:

  • Transparent Overlays: A colored base map is printed on paper or another substrate using traditional methods. A transparent tactile overlay is then placed on top. Such overlays can now be produced quite affordably using SLA 3D printing with transparent resin (compared to the traditional thermoforming method), ensuring the visual information underneath remains legible.
  • Full-color volumetric designs: Some contemporary techniques, such as UV printing or PolyJet 3D printing, allow for the production of volumetric designs in full color. Here, photopolymers are sprayed onto a substrate surface and immediately cured with UV light.
  • Swell Paper: Microcapsule paper can also be adapted for hybrid use. While darker inks create the raised tactile surface due to their heat-absorbing properties, lighter colors can be used for labels that remain flat, providing visual information without adding tactile clutter.

We believe that the rapid development of generative AI will further facilitate the production of tactile materials. There have already been initial attempts to automatically transcribe visual materials into legible tactile graphics, including the automatic generation of Braille labels.

Designing for two senses at once requires a careful balance. It is not always possible to overlay visual and graphic content; for example, placing Braille labels directly over large text inscriptions might reduce the legibility of the latter. Furthermore, because symbols and labels on tactile graphics require more space than on traditional visual materials, it is sometimes difficult to avoid clutter.

To mitigate these effects, many tactile materials now use QR codes or NFC tags to provide users with additional content, such as audio descriptions. This approach allows for the inclusion of necessary context without negatively impacting the legibility of the physical sheet.

Case Study: Tactile maps of historic gardens in Poland

A good example of the hybrid mapping approach is a recent project developing tactile maps for historic gardens in Poland. While tourists with visual impairments frequently visit parks and other green areas, they often lack the materials needed to appreciate their unique artistic compositions.

The project developed five pilot sets for locations such as the Baroque Garden in Wilanów and the Terrace Gardens in Książ. Using UV printing, the team created thematic tactile maps at multiple scales to illustrate different garden design styles and facilitate orientation and navigation for people with visual impairments. These maps contain both tactile and visual content, supported by audio descriptions. All these solutions were evaluated in a series of user testing sessions applying an inclusive-participatory approach.

References

  • Hobson, David G., and M. Komeili. “A Step towards Automated and Generalizable Tactile Map Generation using Generative Adversarial Networks.” arXiv preprint arXiv:2412.07191 (2024).
  • Touya, Guillaume. “Generalization for Tactile Maps.” In Tactile Mapping: Cartography for People with Visual Impairments, edited by Vincent van Altena and Jakub Wabiński, 105–16. Redlands, CA: Esri Press, 2025.
  • Van Altena, Vincent, and Jakub Wabiński, eds. Tactile Mapping: Cartography for People with Visual Impairments. Redlands, CA: Esri Press, 2025.
  • Wabiński, Jakub. “Tactile Maps of Historic Gardens.” In Tactile Mapping: Cartography for People with Visual Impairments, edited by Vincent van Altena and Jakub Wabiński, 117–20. Redlands, CA: Esri Press, 2025.
  • Wabiński, Jakub, Guillaume Touya, and Albina Mościcka. “Semi-automatic Development of Thematic Tactile Maps.” Cartography and Geographic Information Science 49, no. 6 (2022): 545–65. https://doi.org/10.1080/15230406.2022.2105747

 

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