TactileMaps.net: A Web Interface for Generating Customized 3D-Printable Tactile Maps

Tactile maps are useful, but not commonly available, tools for providing visually impaired individuals with knowledge about their environment. We have developed a web tool to allow visually impaired users to specify locations and customize 3D map models for production with 3D printers. Our tool uses available online map data and encodes features such as roads and waterways into 3D-printable tactile features. We present a preliminary overview of our web interface and tactile map-generating software with a focus on the design choices that were informed by our pilot studies. We will also discuss additional findings from our focus group interviews and future plans for this work.