TMAP – On Demand Tactile Street Map

adaptations.org

19 points·walterbell··4 comments

Interesting. Does it use OSM data? I fail to see a mention in the article. If it does, what other data do they use? Send someone to survey the neighborhood?

https://lighthouse-sf.org/tmap/faq/#on-map

> Our automated mapping system uses an algorithm to determine which streets are labeled and how ... A street may not be labeled due to space constraints, lack of street name or lack of data from OpenStreetMap (where TMAP data originates) ... We recommend customizing maps to meet your or your student’s needs ... You can open or import SVG or PDF files into a variety of design programs (Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Reader, Inkscape, TactileView), and add or omit elements.

That's really cool, but the price is steep! It makes sense to buy one for one's immediate neighbourhood and the places one intends to go to often, but it becomes expensive really quick if used for trips to anywhere else.

Is there any kind of consumer braille/raised print printer on the market (one that can do not just dots but the lines as well)?

Embossers can run to several thousand USD, but there's a DIY project based on a few hundred USD of parts, https://www.instructables.com/OpenBraille-a-DIY-Braille-Embo...

PixBlaster for braille and tactile graphics costs $4300, https://www.aph.org/product/pixblaster/ & https://www.aph.org/making-graphics-for-pixblaster-and-pageb...

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