Vector maps of WDW

[rdour@techminds]

Hello,

As an additional preparation for my trip, I am looking for some vector maps of the parks. You may ask why, and I'll tell ya.

I have a technology that allows me to take vector graphics, such as the type generated by Word, Excel, CAD apps, etc, and translate into tactile graphics I can easilyy feel. Using a touchpad, I can feel the embossed pages, and have any text spoken aloud by the computer which tracks my hand motions via the oversized trackpad. I can even zoom in, and emboss a new sheet that will give me even greater detail for a specific area.

JPG, BMP, GIF, all won't work. These do not keep graphics and text elements in a scalable format. I'm sure someone out there has geeked-out enough to draw these up in Adobe Illustrator, Word drawing tools, or a CAD app that can export to a standard format readable by Word or Excel. I am making reference to the Office suite because the program I use to create these special embossed prints works best with MS Office compatible data. Visio, and other tools like it tend to also work very well with the suite of tools.

Here is the best part. I can replace the text with braille. I then can bring the most confusing parks of the map with me in a backpack. No more asking a ton of cast members where I am, confusion partially eliminated. At least at a minimum, it will be something fun to emboss.

Ryan

 

[dolbyman]

are you visual impared ? .. just askin cause I'm wondering for the purpose of such an aplication ..

just out of interrest .. are you combining those vector maps with gps coordinates ? ..

 

[marni1971]

Vector? no. All I know of as a scalable map is the RCID property map as a .pdf

 

[rdour@techminds]

Sometimes I forget that people don't know why I ask these crazy things. I'm visually impaired.

Disney has made several attempts at the tactile map, with quite serious failure. The current maps that have the raised numbers at guest services have no tactile features at all. It would be like having a piece of paper with the numbers and their corresponding attractions well organized. Then, you are handed the map, and it is the numbers arranged in a pattern where they appear to be relative to the location and eachother, but no actual map. Do you think people could navigate around the parks for the first time with a piece of paper containing numbers only, that seem to just be placed randomly throughout the page?

This is why I just decided I need to make my own. I want to learn the park layout myself. GPS technology doesn't exist there right now, and who knows what will happen in the future. But I hope they learn from the map mistake. If I can create some wonderful tactile maps, I'd love to share them with others. Good thing ViewPlus makes this easy with their software. Check out the tech I plan on using. it is a ViewPlus Emprint. This little $6000 gadget prints and embosses on the same sheet. A visual user can use the same page I do. So, my girlfriend can have the large print text she needs, and I can have the tactile and braille I need. I use the tool at work to create UML as a consultant. I and the client can work together seamlessly. I can even make a hand motion to move an object, rename it, and then one button emboss again. Slap it back on the touchpad, I'm set.

http://www.viewplus.com/

 

[dolbyman]

GPS technology doesn't exist there right now, and who knows what will happen in the future.

does disney has gps jammers ? .. if not gps should also be usable there .. as it is all over the world... a guided computer map could be installed in a pda like device with voice directions .. I think I heard of a "vector based comunity" they use those pda's with gps and walk in famouse cities and mark points of interrest and provide information what is spoken later by the device

 

[Nicole]

Have you thought about contacting Disney? They are probably the most likely to have what you are looking for, and I would imagine they would appreciate some constructive criticism about how they could improve the park experience for you and others who are visually impaired.