Tactile Mapping Software for Blind and Visually Impaired Navigation and Science Education

本项目旨在为盲人和视障地图用户提供/开发一个环境和专题特征感知模型。该项目还将提供免费、易于访问和易于使用的触觉地图软件，可从俄勒冈大学地理系网站下载。该软件将为教师提供工具，为盲人和视障人士的定向和行动教育创建导航地图，并创建触觉社会经济地图，用作科学和社会科学教育的教学材料。该项目的研究目标是：1.确定盲人和视障人士在导航、定向和行动过程中使用的最重要的环境物体2。确定盲人和视障地图用户如何感知、分类和使用这些环境对象3。根据目标1和目标2的调查结果，创建并评估有效代表环境对象的符号库4。评估社会经济数据在触觉专题地图上表示/符号化的阈值5。创建免费、易于访问的触觉导航和社会经济绘图软件，该软件整合了目标1、2、3和4的研究成果。研究目标1-4将通过设计涉及人类受试者志愿者的经验性实验来进行。研究人员和实践者仍然不完全了解盲人和视障地图读者如何感知环境特征，以及如何最好地将这些特征符号化用于地图使用。虽然一些研究人员已经开始研究触觉地图的设计，但关于触觉导航地图的使用和环境感知的报道很少。此外，关于触觉专题地图(无论是设计还是使用)几乎没有结果的报道。这项研究的结果将建立在有限的知识库的基础上，并开始开发一个理解环境特征(对触觉导航地图很重要)和主题价值差异(重要的触觉社会经济地图)的模型。此外，目前教师还没有自动化的手段来制作导航和数学社会经济触觉地图，供盲人和视觉学生教育。将在该拟议项目中编写的触觉导航和社会经济地图将为教师和家长提供为特定地点(如学校、家庭、教堂、社区或操场)创建高度定制的导航和方向地图的能力。此外，拟议的软件将允许地图制作者插入对地图阅读器有意义的地标。但是，拟议中的软件最大的优势之一是可以额外创建数百张美国社会经济触觉地图，这些产品是以任何现实的方式都无法获得的(不需要从触觉制作公司定制昂贵的订单)。《残疾人教育法》保障这一群体将获得他们免费接受适当教育所需的材料。但是，他们没有他们需要的社会经济地图来了解保障他们减排权的国家。这一拟议的项目将为代表不足的盲人和视障社会成员带来潜在的巨大好处。拟议的项目不仅将提供理论模型，解决理解地图使用和环境感知的问题，还将提供软件，这是一个切实的产品，将加强研究和教育的基础设施。

Project SummaryThis project aims at providing/developing a model of environmental and thematic featureperception by blind and visually impaired map users. The project will also provide free, easilyaccessible, and easy to use tactile mapping software, downloadable from the Department ofGeography at University of Oregon website. The software will supply teachers with the tools tocreate navigation maps for blind and visually impaired orientation and mobility education as wellas create tactile socio-economic maps to be used as instructional materials in science and socialscience education. The Research Goals of the project are to:1. identify the most important environmental objects that are used during navigation,orientation and mobility by the blind and visually impaired2. identify how blind and visually impaired map users perceive, categorize and use theseenvironmental objects3. based on the findings from goals 1 and 2, create and evaluate a library of symbols thateffectively represent the environmental objects4. evaluate the threshold of socio-economic data representation/symbolization on tactilethematic maps5. create free, easily accessible Tactile Navigation and Socio-economic Mapping softwarethat incorporates research findings from goals 1, 2, 3,and 4Intellectual Merit. Research Goals 1-4 will be investigated through the design of empiricalexperiments involving human subject volunteers. Researchers and practitioners still do notunderstand completely how blind and visually impaired map readers perceive environmentalfeatures and then how those features are best symbolized for map use. While some researchershave begun to investigate tactile map design, very little has been reported on tactile navigationmap use and environmental perception. Moreover, little to no results has been reported on tactilethematic maps (neither design nor use). The results from the proposed research will build on thelimited knowledge base and begin to develop a model of understanding of both the environmentalfeatures (important for tactile navigation maps) and thematic value differences (important fortactile socio-economic maps).In addition, currently teachers have no automated means to produce navigation and thematicsocio-economic tactile maps for the education of blind and visually students. The TactileNavigation and Socio-economic Mapping that will be authored in this proposed project will offerthe ability for teachers and parents to create highly customized navigation and orientation mapsfor specific locations such as school, home, church, neighborhood, or playground. Moreover, theproposed software will allow the mapmakers to insert landmarks that are meaningful to the mapreader. But, one of the most substantial advantages of the proposed software is the additionalability to create hundreds of US socio-economic tactile maps, products that are flatly unavailablein any realistic way (without expensive custom-ordering from a tactile production company).Broader Impacts. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Law guarantees that this groupwill receive the materials they need for a free appropriate education. But, they don't have thesocio-economic maps they need to achieve an understanding of the country that guaranteed theireducational rights. The benefits this proposed project will bring to the underrepresented blindand visually impaired members of society are potentially monumental. The proposed project willdeliver not only theoretical models addressing the understanding map use and environmentalperception, but also the software, a tangible product that will enhance the infrastructure of bothresearch and education.