Haptic Maps

The elements contained in Tactile maps are greatly simplified compared to the standard version for clarity. For easier tactile perception, similar elements were visually merged by generalization.

Tactile maps are available in 3 scales:

• Large (1:1200): City details are displayed in detail. Maps at this scale include information on street names or, for example, on public transport stops
• Medium (1:37000): Shows settlements, bodies of water, and linear elements between them (railways, highways, and first- to third-class roads)
• Small (1:300000): Displays the network of major cities, first-class roads, and railway lines

We offer tactile maps not only in the Czech Republic but also throughout Europe.

Unlike regular maps available online, tactile maps are displayed on individual predefined sheets. The reason is that they are presented to users in printed (tactile) form. Individual sheets in A4 format show an area approximately 235×330 m in an approximate scale of 1:1200. The chosen scale best suits the depiction of urban environments with an emphasis on the street network. Smaller scale map sheets are also in A4 format and show areas approximately 7.5×10.5 km in scale 1:37000 and approximately 60×85 km in scale 1:300000.

The map description is designed in two ways to allow collaboration between a blind user and a sighted user. In the large scale map, streets are marked with three-letter abbreviations derived from the street’s name, written in Braille along the street’s axis. Squares use four-letter abbreviations. Abbreviations are generated to avoid repetition in the displayed area. These labels are supplemented with full street names in light green that does not react to heat treatment, thus remaining only in a visual form. In smaller scale maps, settlements’ names are marked similarly with two-letter Braille abbreviations and full names in light green.

Individual sheets are labeled within a unified system with a column signature (e.g., j4481), placed at the top edge, and a row signature (e.g., u3065), placed at the bottom edge. When generating, users can choose whether to place identifiers on the left, right, or center (depending on how specifically the sheet label impacts the map drawing). Columns are labeled “a–r” and rows “s–x.” The territory of the Czech Republic is located in the rectangle marked “j” and “u.” Thanks to this labeling, you can easily connect and supplement already printed maps with additional adjacent sheets.