Publication date:
2016/11/04
On the Mapy.cz website, internet enhanced maps for visually impaired users were made available for the Slovak Republic on 27 October 2016. The so-called haptic maps are the result of a technology that since 2014 generates data for tactile maps based on visual maps. The map portal cooperates on its development with academic centers ELSA CTU and Teiresiás Masaryk University in Brno. The Slovak haptic map is available in the approximate scale of 1:1200 as is the map of the Czech Republic.
Haptic maps can be found in the map layers menu on Mapy.cz, under the "Change map" link. Individual map sheets for printing in A4 format display area covering approximately 250 x 350 meters. Such easily accessible maps in both countries are unique in the world. Literally within minutes, the visually impaired can print palpable relief maps of any area. Contrary to the haptic maps, the procedures used in production of tactile maps so far were prohibitively time-consuming, required considerable manual labor.