End-to-end solution for accessible chemical diagrams
End-to-end solution for accessible chemical diagrams
复制标题
易于理解的化学图表的端到端解决方案
DOI：
10.1145/2745555.2746667
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发表时间：
2015
期刊：
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
Sandy Wilkinson
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
V. Sorge;Mark G. Lee;Sandy Wilkinson
化学图表是向学生（早在中学阶段就开始）传递化学和生物科学信息的重要手段。但是，即使在电子教材中，图表通常也以位图形式呈现，这使得视力受损的学习者无法获取其中的信息。我们提出了一种使这些图表在网络上可访问的端到端解决方案，即通过采用图像分析解决方案来识别和对图表进行语义分析，并以一种使其能被辅助技术所处理的格式重新生成图表。我们提供了软件工具，允许读者通过逐步探索不同层面与图表进行交互，实现图表及其各个组成部分的音频呈现，同时还具备突出显示和放大功能，以帮助视力不佳或有学习困难的读者。我们的技术基于开放标准，支持多种计算平台、浏览器和屏幕阅读器，并且可扩展到其他STEM学科的图表。
Chemical diagrams are an important means of conveying information in chemistry and biosciences to students, starting as early as secondary school. But even in electronic teaching material, diagrams are commonly given as bitmap graphics leaving them inaccessible for visually impaired learners. We present an end-to-end solution to making these diagrams Web accessible, by employing image analysis solutions to recognise and semantically analyse diagrams, and by regenerating them in a format that makes them amenable to assistive technology. We provide software tools that allow readers to interactively engage with diagrams by exploring them step-wise and on different layers, enabling aural rendering of diagrams and their individual components together with highlighting and magnification to assist readers with low vision or learning difficulties. Our technology builds on open standards, supporting a number of computing platforms, browsers, and screen readers, and is extensible to diagrams in other STEM subjects.