Tactile maps provide location-based services for individuals with visual impairments

People with visual impairments are unable to collect the external visual stimuli from the environment or to use conventional maps. Hence, the importance of tactile maps as informational and orientation means is undoubted. The blind user perceives the information graphed on the tactile map by feeling the elements of the map with the fingertips. There has been considerable research into the design of these maps over recent decades, providing answers to most of the questions which have arisen concerning their intelligibility - the use of symbols, for example, and the implementation of uniform standards to make the maps generally accessible. For the production of tactile maps a number of methods have been developed worldwide. The introduction of new technologies has contributed to the design and production of tactile maps, following procedures appropriate to the special needs of tactile mapping, with automatic cartography. During the procedure of implementing a tactile map with the use of a personal computer, a basic stage is the construction of a digital map. In this article, the design of tactile maps of Thessaloniki (the second largest city in Greece) is discussed, with special emphasis on a number of relevant issues influencing the whole process.