[nfbmi-talk] innovative

Mon Nov 28 12:16:49 UTC 2011

I understand have tooo much information on a given page, but couldn't there 
be several pages with varying degrees of details that act like visual 
overlays that sighted folks are so used too?

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Fred Wurtzel" <f.wurtzel at att.net>
To: "'NFB of Michigan Internet Mailing List'" <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, November 27, 2011 9:51 PM
Subject: Re: [nfbmi-talk] innovative

> hi Joe,
>
> With some forethought I think the tactile issues can be ameloriated.  The
> trick is to eliminate as much superfluous data as possible and to scale 
> the
> map so that detail is more in focus.  Another way to think of it is 
> zooming
> in so that a smaller portion of the map is on a larger piece of paper.
> After practice, I would guess that one could then zoom out a little at a
> time giving a larger land area on a map.
>
> It is really nice to have a lot of data such as campgrounds, historic 
> sites,
> and other information, but it can be distracting and clutter up and 
> obscure
> the data one is attempting to view, or touch, as the case may be.
>
> Warm Regards,
>
> Fred
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
> On Behalf Of joe harcz Comcast
> Sent: Sunday, November 27, 2011 7:54 AM
> To: NFB of Michigan Internet Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [nfbmi-talk] innovative
>
> You are welcome Fred. I don't know if I have the tactile abilities to
> disceren the topographical maps described here personally, but it would be
> more than intriguing to try.
>
> The other thing I can envision here (pun intended) is an interface between
> such maps and cane travel in rural terrain.
>
> Just some thoughts.
>
> But this does look like it is worthy of investigating further.
>
> Peace,
>
> Joe
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Fred Wurtzel" <f.wurtzel at att.net>
> To: "'NFB of Michigan Internet Mailing List'" <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Saturday, November 26, 2011 11:54 PM
> Subject: Re: [nfbmi-talk] innovative
>
>
>> Hey Joe,
>>
>> This is really cool.  I am a geography buff and have always loved maps.
>> My
>> choices are pretty limited since I no longer use print.
>>
>> thanks for sending this on.
>>
>> warm Regards,
>>
>> Fred
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org 
>> [mailto:nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
>> On Behalf Of joe harcz Comcast
>> Sent: Saturday, November 26, 2011 8:56 AM
>> To: nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org
>> Subject: [nfbmi-talk] innovative
>>
>> This looks like it might be a good project for Camp T Science Camp and 
>> for
>> other students...
>>
>> Gainesville St student inspires map for the blind
>>
>>
>>
>> GAINESVILLE, Ga. (AP) - Like most students, Efren Chavez was looking for
>> an
>> easy A when he chose to take geology this semester.
>>
>> "I chose geology because I thought it would be easier than chemistry,"
>> said
>> Chavez, a 20-year-old business administration major at Gainesville State
>> College.
>>
>>
>>
>> "I thought we were just going to be learning about a bunch of rocks and
>> minerals."
>>
>>
>>
>> That was partially true. The course also required him to read maps. His
>> easy
>> A had just become difficult.
>>
>>
>>
>> Chavez can't read a map. In fact, he can't even see a map.
>>
>>
>>
>> He lost his sight when he was just 9 years old, a result of detached
>> retinas.
>>
>>
>>
>> "Part of the geography and geology classes at GSC involve reading and
>> interpreting topographic maps. These are two-dimensional maps that use
>> various symbols
>>
>> and lines to depict elevation and other geographic features," said Chris
>> Semerjian, Gainesville State associate professor of geography.
>>
>>
>>
>> Ordinarily, visually impaired students would've been referred to a
>> three-dimensional model to use, but Chavez didn't want to be singled out.
>> He
>> wanted to
>>
>> learn in the same manner as his peers.
>>
>>
>>
>> "This was the first time that we've been given the challenge of how to
>> teach
>> a visually impaired student to read a flat map on a piece of paper,"
>> Semerjian
>>
>> said.
>>
>>
>>
>> Chavez's desires may have presented the college with a challenge, but has
>> proven to not be an insurmountable obstacle.
>>
>>
>>
>> With assistance from Chavez, staff member Carol Kraemer developed a 
>> unique
>> paper map that allows him to "read" it. To those with sight, aside from
>> the
>> raised
>>
>> blue and green lines indicating roads and rivers, the map appears to be
>> blank.
>>
>>
>>
>> "We made something he could feel, instead of see," said Kraemer, a
>> Gainesville State geospatial technology research associate.
>>
>>
>>
>> "We don't know that anything like this has ever been done before."
>>
>>
>>
>> To create the map, Kraemer used Adobe Photoshop to make a mirror image of
>> a
>> digital map, which she then enlarged and printed.
>>
>>
>>
>> "I made a mirror image because we needed to be able to see the lines as 
>> he
>> would, so that we could trace them with the graphic tactile tools,"
>> Kraemer
>> said.
>>
>>
>>
>> "Those tools create texture on the other side, so he can feel the 
>> features
>> of the map. I tried to get as close as I could to what the other students
>> saw
>>
>> when they look at their topographical maps.
>>
>>
>>
>> "I had to split his into two. One has coordinates on it and the other has
>> (land features) because having all of that information on one would've
>> been
>> confusing."
>>
>>
>>
>> Chavez's nimble fingers glide over the dots, dashes and ridges on the
>> paper.
>> He easily identifies roads and rivers, while differentiating between the
>> incline
>>
>> and decline of a mountain.
>>
>>
>>
>> He picks up on subtle changes that his sighted-counterparts miss.
>>
>>
>>
>> "I put on a blindfold and tried to pick things out, but my hands didn't
>> see
>> as well as my eyes did," said Derek Robinson, a Gainesville State
>> environmental
>>
>> science major, who helped create the map.
>>
>>
>>
>> "I'm really impressed the way he has picked all of this up. Our sight
>> sometimes gets in the way of our learning, but he doesn't have that 
>> issue.
>>
>>
>>
>> "It's a different way of learning, but we're learning the same thing."
>>
>>
>>
>> Recently, the Geospatial Alliance hosted Geographic Information Systems,
>> or
>> GIS Day, at Gainesville State. During the event, GIS users shared
>> real-world
>>
>> applications for the multidimensional technology.
>>
>>
>>
>> According to the United States Geological Survey, GIS "is a computer
>> system
>> capable of capturing, storing, analyzing, and displaying data identified
>> according
>>
>> to location."
>>
>>
>>
>> With GIS technology, users can create multilayered maps - very much like
>> the
>> paper maps that Chavez uses. During GIS Day, Chavez showed visitors how 
>> to
>>
>> "read" his maps.
>>
>>
>>
>> "You're going to feel a lot of different lines. Did you notice that thick
>> line? That's the road," Chavez told one, blindfolded volunteer.
>>
>>
>>
>> "And those little curved ones are called contour lines. They basically
>> indicate the level of steepness in an area. The closer the lines are, the
>> steeper
>>
>> it is."
>>
>>
>>
>> Although he didn't physically create the maps, Chavez was a key member of
>> the team.
>>
>>
>>
>> "He helped me through it every step of the way. I would do a little bit 
>> at
>
>> a
>> time and have him check it to make sure I was on the right track," 
>> Kraemer
>>
>> said.
>>
>>
>>
>> "He even taught me how to use Braille, so I could make the stickers for
>> it."
>>
>>
>>
>> Even though Kraemer was creating a learning tool for Efren, he taught her
>> the importance of seeing things from a different perspective.
>>
>>
>>
>> "During the design process, I thought about not going with the green
>> roadway
>> because I didn't like the way it looked," Kraemer said.
>>
>>
>>
>> "When I told Efren that I was going to do it over, he started feeling the
>> map and said, 'Don't change a thing. I can read it great.'
>>
>>
>>
>> "I almost let my sight get in the way of me seeing that things were as
>> they
>> should be."
>>
>>
>>
>> This may be the first map of its kind, but it has inspired the 
>> Gainesville
>> State team to make sure it's not the last.
>>
>>
>>
>> "This is the prototype. We're very excited about how successful this 
>> first
>> attempt has been," Semerjian said.
>>
>>
>>
>> "(Chavez) used this map to take a lab test and he made a 100, which is
>> highly unusual for students who can see. It's a real testament not only 
>> to
>> what (Kraemer)
>>
>> has created, but also his ability to see through his hands.
>>
>>
>>
>> "We hope to replicate this method, so we can not only help other visually
>> impaired students on our campus, but also across the country."
>>
>>
>>
>> For Chavez, who uses a guide dog to help him navigate around the Oakwood
>> campus, being able to learn the course materials on his own has been a
>> treat.
>>
>>
>>
>> "At first, I was kind of overwhelmed because it is a lot of information 
>> to
>> process," Chavez said.
>>
>>
>>
>> "In the beginning, I let my hands wander over the map so I could 
>> visualize
>> where everything was. Once I learned how it looked, it became easier.
>>
>>
>>
>> "Being able to see what everyone else sees has been nice."
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
> http://www.necn.com/11/26/11/Gainesville-St-student-inspires-map-for-/landin
>> g_health.html?&apID=4e3788e78f5645dcbef5cdaf0925a406
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