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

项目概要本项目旨在为盲人和视障地图使用者提供/开发一个环境和主题特征感知模型。该项目还将提供免费的、易于访问的、易于使用的触觉地图软件，可从俄勒冈州大学地理系网站下载。该软件将为教师提供工具，为盲人和视力受损的定向和行动教育创建导航地图，以及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。本项目的研究目标是：1。确定盲人和视障者在导航、定向和移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2的结果，创建并评估一个有效代表环境对象的符号库4。评估社会经济数据在专题地图上的表示/符号化的门槛5。创建免费的、易于访问的触觉导航和社会经济地图软件，该软件结合了目标1、2、3和4的研究成果。研究目标1-4将通过涉及人类受试者志愿者的药物实验设计进行研究。研究人员和从业者仍然不完全理解盲人和视障地图阅读者如何感知环境特征，以及如何将这些特征最好地符号化以供地图使用。虽然一些研究人员已经开始研究触觉地图设计，但很少有关于触觉导航地图使用和环境感知的报道。此外，关于专题地图的成果报告很少或没有（无论是设计还是使用）。拟议研究的结果将建立在有限的知识基础上，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（对触觉社会经济地图很重要）的模型。此外，目前教师还没有自动化的手段来制作用于盲人和视觉学生教育的导航和主题社会经济触觉地图。触觉导航和社会经济地图，将在这个拟议的项目中创作将提供教师和家长创建高度定制的导航和定位地图的能力，如学校，家庭，教堂，社区或操场的特定位置。此外，拟议中的软件将允许地图制作者插入对地图制作者有意义的地标。但是，所提出的软件的最实质性的优势之一是额外的能力，以创建数百个美国社会经济触觉地图，产品是断然unavailablein任何现实的方式（没有昂贵的定制订购从触觉生产公司）。《残疾人教育法》保障这一群体获得免费接受适当教育所需的材料。但是，他们没有社会经济地图，他们需要了解这个国家，保证他们的教育权利。这个拟议的项目将给社会中代表性不足的盲人和视障人士带来的好处可能是巨大的。拟议的项目不仅将提供解决理解地图使用和环境感知的理论模型，而且还将提供软件，这是一种有形的产品，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.