Creating 3D Printed Maps for the Visually Impaired

This resource was created by Justin D. Cole an instructor at the University of Wisconsin Madison for the GIS Professional Program.

Summary

The resource starts by discussing how maps can be made more accessible to those with colour blindness in QGIS/ArcGIS.

It then goes into the details of making a physical trail map with paths and terrain in relief (i.e. raised), produced using a 3D printer.

The instructions detail how to obtain a Braille font and add appropriate labels to the map as well as how to export the layer from QGIS to STL for 3D printing.

Accessing the resource

There are various links to the resource:

• The blog post by the author
• A PDF on the box file service
• The PDF from box is also stored here locally in case the service ends.