The World of Touch: Results of an International Survey of Tactile Maps and Symbols

This paper reports the findings of an international survey that collected data on production methods, techniques, outputs and design preferences among tactile map producers, designers and researchers worldwide. A number of consistencies and inconsistencies are identified and we speculate on the extent to which the current state of tactile map production is likely to meet the needs of the client population. We describe the sample on which the report is based, the output in terms of quantity of maps produced, choice of production method, types of environment mapped and intended uses of maps. We also focus on issues of map design, such as the choice of map size and format, and choice of symbols.