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Accessible Tactile Indoor Maps

ATIM is a set of tactile symbols developed to be embossed either on swell paper (high resolution) or with 20DPI embossers. The method used to develop the symbol set is described in detail in the paper: The Accessible Tactile Indoor Maps (ATIM) Symbol Set: A Common Symbol Set for Diferent Printing Methods; Melfi et al.; ICCHP 2022

A full version of "The ATIM (Accessible Tactile Indoor Map) symbol set - criteria for creating tactile indoor maps" can be found here (German only)

Technical information on how to use AccessibleMaps symbols in a vectorial editor

This section will provide some information on how to use AccessibleMaps symbols in a vector editor. The information here refers to the Inkscape editor but should also be used in other editors with the appropriate adaptations.

The ideal starting point for making a tactile map is a vectorial plan. If this is not available, you can use a raster image to import it into a background layer and use it as a guideline to retrace important elements.

How to draw an area using an AccessibleMaps Areas-symbol

Create the object you want to fill with the chosen pattern. You can use rectangles, ellipses, polygons and for more complex figures a closed curve using the 'Bezier curves' or 'Freehand lines' tool.

  • Import the AccessibleMaps area-symbol (Menu -> File -> Import). Choose the SVG format.
  • Select the imported object and convert it in a pattern (Menu -> Object -> Pattern -> Object to Pattern).
  • Select the object, that you want represent with a tactile pattern, and set the AccessibleMaps pattern (Menu -> Object -> Fill and Strike; 'Fill' tab -> Pattern button -> Chose the new pattern. Then 'Stroke paint' tab -> No paint button to remove the frame)

How to draw a line using an AccessibleMaps Line-symbol

Using the 'Bezier curves' or 'Freehand lines' tool, draw a line.
  • Import the AccessibleMaps line-symbol (Menu -> File -> Import).
  • Select the imported object and the line where to use the AccessibleMaps line pattern.
  • Set the pattern (Menu -> Extensions -> Generate from Path -> Pattern along Path)
  • Use these settings for the extension:
    • Copies of pattern: Repeated
    • Deformation type: Snake
    • Duplicate the pattern before deformation: checked

This method works quite well but introduces some artifacts especially near the edges. If your vectorial editor provides the possibility to define a stroke style, evaluate which of the two methods provides better results.

Tip ('Pattern along Path' extension works fine only if the AccessibleMaps line pattern is at the top of the elements' tree of the document. Before to use the extension, if necessary, select the line pattern and use the button 'Raise selection to top'.) The Inkscape extension will duplicate your line before to apply the pattern. Therefore remember to remove the duplicated continuous line.

How to draw a point using an AccessibleMaps Point-symbol

To use an AccessibleMaps Point-symbol is a little bit different and easier. Just import the point symbol (Menu -> File -> Import) and use it as it is. It's not necessary to draw something before and to use patterns. Please remember that it is not possible to change the size of the point symbols (squeeze, stretch or scale).

Special considerations for making maps compatible with EmFuse printer

When you print a document, it is rendered by the algorithm implemented in the printer driver. By adjusting the print settings and some aspects of the document, you can improve the quality of the document embossed by the EmFuse printer.

Printer settings

  • Use Windows driver because the Linux driver is not compatible with pattern/texture
  • Turn off the Chessboard Pattern feature: Printing Preferences -> Tiger -> More options -> Set Thin Line Intensity to 0 and turn off "Apply Chessboard Pattern"

Document settings

Before send the document to the printer, the drivers converts the document into a dot matrix data structure that represents a rectangular grid of pixels (braille dots). The grid cells are all square on the 0.05 inch side. For this reason in this paragraph we will express all measurements in inches instead of mm.

By following these guidelines, you can reduce the anti-aliasing effect introduced by the driver rendering algorithm and improve the embossing quality:

  • Change the default unit of measurement of the document from mm to inch
  • Set the document size to 8.30 x 11.70 inch for A4 (instead than the default values 8.267 x 11.693) and to 11.70 x 16.50 inch for A3
  • If you are using Inkscape, it is preferable to use a guide grid to position the graphics elements correctly. This grid is already set in the "template.svg" file.
  • All parameters of the graphic elements (X-Y position, height, width, line thickness) should be an integer multiple of 0.05 inches.
  • After importing an AccesibleMap area symbol, before running "Object to pattern", the newly imported SVG symbol should be aligned to the grid. Otherwise, the pattern may not be embossed as expected.
  • Unfortunately for a bug in the driver, if elements with transparency (such as patterns) are placed next to text fields, the text is not embossed in Braille. If this happens, a workaround is to export the map in raster format, use the image as the background of a new document and add the text fields.

Download tactile symbols

Symbol set for EmFuse-Viewplus-Embosser
Symbol set for swall-paper