Blind Friendly Maps: Tactile Maps for the Blind as a Part of the Public Map Portal (Mapy.cz)

International audienceBlind people can now use maps located at Mapy.cz, thanks to the long-standing joint efforts of the ELSA Center at the Czech Technical University in Prague, the Teiresias Center at Masaryk University, and the company Seznam.cz. Conventional map underlays are automatically adjusted so that they could be read through touch after being printed on microcapsule paper, which opens a whole new perspective in the use of tactile maps. Users may select an area of their choice in the Czech Republic (only within its boundaries, for the time being) and also the production of tactile maps, including the preparation of the map underlays, takes no more than several minutes. Keywords: Tactile Map·Tactile Perception· Blind People· Web Maps Accessibility· Automated Geodata Processin