ISO 19028:2016
(Main)Accessible design — Information contents, figuration and display methods of tactile guide maps
Accessible design — Information contents, figuration and display methods of tactile guide maps
ISO 19028:2016 specifies information contents, figuration and display methods of tactile guide maps providing location information of buildings, including those for the general public, public transport and parks, and also the surroundings in the close vicinity, including access routes to them in order to enable persons with seeing impairment and blindness to move safely and smoothly in those facilities.
Conception accessible — Sommaire des informations, méthodes de figuration et d'affichage des plans de guide tactile
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INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 19028
First edition
2016-04-01
Accessible design — Information
contents, figuration and display
methods of tactile guide maps
Conception accessible — Sommaire des informations, méthodes de
figuration et d’affichage des plans de guide tactile
Reference number
ISO 19028:2016(E)
©
ISO 2016
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ISO 19028:2016(E)
COPYRIGHT PROTECTED DOCUMENT
© ISO 2016, Published in Switzerland
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on the internet or an intranet, without prior
written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below or ISO’s member body in the country of
the requester.
ISO copyright office
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Tel. +41 22 749 01 11
Fax +41 22 749 09 47
copyright@iso.org
www.iso.org
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ISO 19028:2016(E)
Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Information contents to be displayed on tactile guide maps . 2
5 Figuration of tactile guide maps . 3
6 Display methods . 6
7 Materials used for tactile guide maps .12
Annex A (informative) Japanese examples of tactile marks .14
Annex B (informative) German examples of tactile marks .18
Annex C (informative) Swedish examples of tactile marks .26
Bibliography .30
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ISO 19028:2016(E)
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.
ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of
any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or
on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation on the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions related to conformity
assessment, as well as information about ISO’s adherence to the WTO principles in the Technical
Barriers to Trade (TBT) see the following URL: Foreword - Supplementary information
The committee responsible for this document is ISO/TC 173, Assistive products for persons with disability,
Subcommittee SC 7, Accessible design.
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ISO 19028:2016(E)
Introduction
As the number of older population and social participation of persons with disabilities is increasing,
the improvement of the social infrastructure for these people is an urgent issue. Devices for mobility
assistance to facilitate social participation of persons with seeing impairment and blindness have
rapidly disseminated. Among others, a tactile guide map is a convenient tool for providing location
information which is necessary for mobility of such people. Although the number of their installation
has steadily increased, it has become obvious that, in the meantime, inappropriate or misleading tactile
guide maps have been increasing, which has caused the users a big problem. To solve the problem, this
International Standard provides the principal and standardized specifications concerning information
contents, figuration and display methods of tactile guide maps.
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INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 19028:2016(E)
Accessible design — Information contents, figuration and
display methods of tactile guide maps
1 Scope
This International Standard specifies information contents, figuration and display methods of tactile
guide maps providing location information of buildings, including those for the general public, public
transport and parks, and also the surroundings in the close vicinity, including access routes to them in
order to enable persons with seeing impairment and blindness to move safely and smoothly in those
facilities.
2 Normative references
The following documents, in whole or in part, are normatively referenced in this document and are
indispensable for its application. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated
references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO 17049, Accessible design — Application of braille on signage, equipment and appliances
ISO 21542:2011, Building construction — Accessibility and usability of the built environment
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
3.1
tactile guide map
information map that provides persons with seeing impairment and blindness with location
information of inside and outside of buildings including those for the general public, public transport
and parks, which is made recognizable using, for example, convex (raised) lines and/or convex or
concave (engraved) surfaces, tactile marks (3.6), braille and/or raised characters (3.10), and/or large
print, having two types: an installed type in facilities, etc. and a portable booklet format
3.2
title
concise text in braille and/or raised characters (3.10) indicating the content of a tactile guide map (3.1)
3.3
commentary
information in braille and/or raised characters (3.10) to give general description of a tactile guide map
(3.1), cautions and usage of tactile marks (3.6)
3.4
lettering
letters, numbers, words, or a combination of them to label items of interest in a tactile guide map (3.1)
3.5
legend
index with explanation of tactile marks (3.6) and/or abbreviations of braille, and/or raised characters
(3.10) used for tactile figures (3.7)
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ISO 19028:2016(E)
3.6
tactile marks
convex or concave marks used for a tactile guide map (3.1) to provide information on facilities and
equipment
3.7
tactile figure
aggregated relief-like figure composed of convex lines and/or convex or concave surfaces, tactile marks
(3.6), braille and/or raised characters (3.10)
3.8
printed characters
characters written in pencil, with a pen, and in print, not in Braille
3.9
large print
letters with high readability for people with residual vision
3.10
raised characters
specially designed raised/embossed characters composing letters and numbers readable by touch
3.11
tactile readability
ease of reading braille and other tactile information by touch
[SOURCE: ISO 17049:2013, 2.5]
3.12
pictogram
graphical composition that may include a symbol plus other graphic elements, such as a border,
background pattern or colour that is intended to convey specific information
[SOURCE: ISO 17840-1:2015, 2.14]
3.13
tactile walking surface indicator
TWSI
standardized walking surface used for information by persons with seeing impairment and blindness
4 Information contents to be displayed on tactile guide maps
4.1 Composition of a tactile guide map
A tactile guide map shall be composed of the following contents:
a) title;
b) commentary;
A commentary can be omitted when a tactile guide map does not need any description of the
content. For a tactile map in a booklet form, a commentary may be placed separately.
c) legend;
A legend can be omitted if a tactile guide map only contains common and easily recognizable tactile
marks without need of explanation and does not use abbreviations in braille and raised characters.
d) tactile figures;
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ISO 19028:2016(E)
e) other information contents:
1) scale;
When appropriate, to facilitate navigation, a scale to indicate distances in the map should
be added.
2) north direction.
When appropriate, north direction should be indicated.
4.2 Principles for information contents
4.2.1 Tactile guide map shall be confined to the minimum information required to grasp the locality
and/or path of travel.
The amount of information given in a tactile guide map will largely be determined by the purpose of the
tactile map. The information given differs whether the map is for indicating a route of travel or to give
an overview of an area. All information that does not serve the intended purpose of the tactile guide
map shall be omitted.
EXAMPLE The information of the number of steps in each stairway is often given in the “orientation and
mobility maps”, which are specialized for training of the persons with seeing impairment and blindness, while in
the common tactile maps, such information is usually omitted.
4.2.2 When selecting information to be displayed on the map, the contents which support safe and
smooth movements of persons with seeing impairment and blindness shall be prioritized.
4.2.3 Tactile readability shall be considered of prior consideration.
The tactile readability of tactile information in guide maps is influenced by a variety of factors, which
shall be considered in their mutual interdependence, which, in turn, will widely influence the selection,
size and shape of tactile figures and marks.
When a visual guide map displaying the identical range to a tactile guide map is available, the maps
shall maintain mutual consistency, though the amount of information may be different.
4.2.4 All types of tactile marks (whether tactile figures or lettering) contained in a tactile guide map
shall be easily identifiable and be explained in the legend or by lettering in the respective area of the map.
4.2.5 Pictograms commonly used for sighted people in technical drawings or in wayfinding signage
shall be avoided because they are too complicated and finely structured to be read by finger touch.
4.2.6 Printed characters may be also used along with tactile figures on a tactile guide map.
4.2.7 Instead of lettering points of installed guide maps, electronic tags giving out audio information
about the particular points in the map can be used.
4.2.8 The date of production and the contact information should be displayed.
5 Figuration of tactile guide maps
5.1 Dimensions
The physical size of a tactile guide map shall correlate with the amount of information required for
the purpose to be achieved by the tactile guide map in relation to the size of the location or area to be
depicted in the map.
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ISO 19028:2016(E)
The size of an installed tactile guide map should be within 600 mm in grip distance for desk installation
(see Figure 1) and for wall installation (see Figure 2). When a tactile guide map is prepared in a booklet
form, extra attention should be paid so that the folds do not hinder tactile reading.
5.2 Location of installed tactile guide maps
For a tactile guide map installed on the wall, which is perpendicular to the floor, the centre line height
should be preferably 1 400 mm from the floor level.
These dimensions do not apply to guide maps which are set horizontally to the floor or inclined to
angles close to horizontal installation (see Figure 1). In either case, a location that does not hinder
tactile readability shall be chosen.
The clearance of the lowest part of the desk installation shall be 900 mm to enable wheelchair users to
access. See ISO 21542:2011, 40.14.
Great care shall be taken to ensure that people with seeing impairment and blindness can find
the installed tactile guide maps, e.g. by using tactile walking surface indicator (TWSIs) or similarly
appropriate tactile guidance and/or audio guidance to lead them there or by installing floor plans at
fixed places next to elevators, stairs, etc.
a
Within 600 mm.
b
900 mm.
c
Approximately 1 000 mm.
Figure 1 — Examples of figurations of desk installation type
When deciding the height of installation, the target group for a particular map should be taken in
consideration, which may lead to other decisions concerning installation height of the map (e.g. when
the target group are children).
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ISO 19028:2016(E)
a
Preferably 1 400 mm.
b
Within 600 mm.
NOTE The frames of tactile guide maps are not included in the given measures of tactile maps.
Figure 2 — Examples of figurations of wall installation type
5.3 Directions of a tactile guide map
5.3.1 When installing a guide map, marks of directional reference and present location indicated in a
tactile guide map shall strictly comply with the actual directions and present location in the place where
the map is to be installed. For example, locations of a particular office depicted in the map to the right-
hand side in a building shall be found on the right-hand side of the actual building.
NOTE When tactile guide maps are placed at an angle (e.g. 180° or any other angle to the actual directions),
blind people face problems since they cannot see other landmarks as, e.g. flights of stairs, lifts, etc., which would
enable them to adjust the faulty direction given in the map. Some people have difficulties in turning the map
round in the mind.
5.3.2 Tactile guide maps for installation shall be placed in the way that a user can read the lettering
and tactile figures well.
5.3.3 For guide maps which contain information on spatially overlapping area, such as the first floor
and the second floor of a building, and guide maps which display one large space using multiple maps,
the scale size and the direction shall be unified. When the maps of each floor are to be installed on
respective floors, each guide map should be placed in the same location of respective floors and in the
same direction.
Presenting two levels of a building or a place on top of each other in one tactile guide map is not
permissible, because the elements to each level cannot be assigned by the blind reader unambiguously.
If in a multi-storey building, several storeys should be displayed for reason of different layout of rooms
or for information on rooms, separate individual maps for each storey are required. If needed, a cross
section in side view of the building could be added, comprising several storeys to indicate transfer routes
from one storey to another, different room arrangements, halls rising over more than one storey, etc.
5.3.4 Tactile guide maps in a booklet form may employ user-friendly directions, considering locations
of doorways, flow-lines and so on.
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ISO 19028:2016(E)
5.3.5 The starting position should be clearly indicated by a big dot or triangular sign.
6 Display methods
6.1 General
The display method will result from the purpose and the type of the tactile guide map, whether it is a
sketch only, a portable map in a booklet, or whether it is a map installed indoors or outdoors or it is a
model of a site (e.g. a building, an access route to a place, or an overview of a place, such as of a park or
a garden).
To represent a large, complex building, the vicinity or park area around a building or a clear floor plan
will require a different amount of information and hence, a different scale. Decisions to apply tactile
figures or only marks should be made in accordance with the space available in the tactile map and the
necessity to provide additional information for guiding or orientation (the need to give part of a path
of travel in an extended scale, e.g. complex crossroads) or directions of stairs (e.g. going upward or
downward), giving directions of a lift (when going to different parts of a building, etc.).
6.2 Title
A title shall be displayed in the upper part of a tactile guide map.
6.3 Commentary
Commentary should be placed close to the title or the legend.
6.4 Legend
6.4.1 The legend shall be placed where it can be easily understood, and when the legend comprises
only of a few items, it should be preferably located to the left of tactile figures or the upper part of a map
under the title. A legend clearly delimited by a line can be placed in the area of the map, where irrelevant
parts of the original maps are cancelled. Commentary and a legend for maps in a booklet form can be
combined and put in another page. A legend in a booklet type should not be placed on the back side of
the map itself.
6.4.2 The display of a legend shall be in the order of displaying “tactile marks” first and then
“abbreviations of braille” in alphabetical order. Tactile marks shall be displayed in order of importance.
When raised characters are used, they should be located left to the tactile marks and braille should be
located right to the tactile marks. The display order of abbreviations of braille and/or raised characters
shall be in alphabetical order. For installed maps, tactile marks of the present location should be the first
item to be displayed.
6.4.3 The dimensions and shapes of tactile marks displayed in the legend and the ones used as part of
tactile figures in the map shall not be different, but dimensions, such as width of stairs, may deviate in
accordance with the actual location/position of the map.
6.4.4 Corresponding braille, abbreviations and tactile figures should be easily recognizable.
6.5 Present location and additional guiding information within the map
6.5.1 The tactile mark of the present location/starting point should be expressed higher than other
marks in dome shape or triangle shape. Braille should be placed adjoining to the mark as near as possible
(see Annex A, EXAMPLE 1; Annex C, EXAMPLE 8).
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ISO 19028:2016(E)
6.5.2 In tactile guide maps, the present location shall be the most prominent mark in the map since it
is the starting point for the user to organize orientation in the map. The starting point in the booklet type
should be treated the same way as the present location in the installed type.
6.5.3 For an installed guide map, the present location in the tactile figures shall be explained in the
commentary or in the legend.
6.5.4 The present location and destinations, such as other installation sites of the tactile guide map,
should be explained by using a combination of the horizontally and vertically trisected area (see Figure 3)
or by using coordinates (see Figure 4).
6.5.5 For explaining the location by coordinates, tactile frames with notches can be used as graduations
on axes with associated numbers or letters. Notches shall have an edge that will not cause harm when
touched (see Figure 4).
NOTE The location expressed by a bullet in Figure 3 is explained as “lower middle”.
Figure 3 — Example of trisected area
Key
1 one-fourth of the horizontal distance from the left
2 horizontal centre
3 one-fourth of the horizontal distance from the right
a one-fourth of the vertical distance from the top
b vertical centre
c one-fourth of the vertical distance from the bottom
NOTE The location expressed by a bullet in Figure 4 is explained as c2.
Figure 4 — Example of coordinates
6.5.6 When the location of other tactile guide maps which provide further guiding information is
within the area of the map or close to it, such information points/maps shall be indicated in the map by a
special tactile mark shaped like a long dot (see Annex B, EXAMPLE 3) and, when outside the actual map,
the mark shall be placed in the margin with an arrow to indicate its direction where to find it.
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ISO 19028:2016(E)
6.6 Tactile figures
6.6.1 Principles of tactile figures
6.6.1.1 In order to prioritize tactile readability, tactile figures can be modified and transformed and do
not need to be proportional to actual sites.
6.6.1.2 In tactile guide maps, important building components, such as stairs, escalators, elevators
and toilets or landmark facilities, can be raised more than other places or highlighted by increasing the
density of patterns so that the map may be more understandable.
6.6.2 Shapes and elevation of tactile figures
6.6.2.1 Tactile figures in guide maps, such as tactile marks, letters and numbers, should be used
sparingly in favour of greater clarity and the usage of bigger, more self-explaining (intuitively
recognizable) tactile figures.
6.6.2.2 The minimal elevation of raised surfaces of tactile figures and marks shall be 0,5 mm except
very smooth surfaces are available for tactile guide maps. In that case, single lines and clearly structured
tactile marks may be reduced to a height of elevation of 0,3 mm at a minimum.
6.6.2.3 When, however, in complex places (e.g. a large entrance hall to a building, such as a conference
centre, a railway station, an arrival or departure hall of an airport, etc.), higher levels of elevation than
0,5 mm may be needed.
6.6.2.4 Non-accessible areas, such as off-limits lawns and ponds in parks, shall be specified by tactile
figures.
6.6.2.5 The location of building entrances and room doorways shall be displayed clearly.
6.6.2.6 Spatially overlapping spaces, such as the first floor and the second floor, shall be displayed
separately.
6.7 Tactile marks
6.7.1 Principles of tactile marks
6.7.1.1 In one tactile guide map, the use of similar tactile marks in different meanings shall be avoided.
6.7.1.2 Tactile marks are usually convex in tactile maps and not concave. Convex marks are much
easier to recognize tactually than concave marks. Therefore, the latter marks need more attention and
care when used in tactile guide maps.
6.7.1.3 In tactile guide maps, concave expressions may be used. Expressing rivers or ponds, which are
actually lower than other places, makes the map sometimes more understandable. The road between
buildings can be expressed lower than buildings for better understanding. However, the road may be
expressed in a convex line when the scale is large enough and the road is of major importance.
6.7.1.4 When constructing a tactile figure, lines, surface and other tactile marks that are easy to
recognize by touch shall be used effectively. Attention shall be paid not to hinder tactile readability by
displaying an excessive number of variation in marks.
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ISO 19028:2016(E)
6.7.1.5 For displaying a variety of facilities by tactile lines, such as outlines of buildings, tactile
walking surface indicators, pathways in parks and roads, the differences shall be easily recognizable and
distinguished by straight, dotted and dashed lines.
6.7.1.6 When there is sufficient space in a tactile map, self-explaining profiled tactile marks should be
preferred. However, there shall be no mixture of marks in the same tactile map referring to the same item
(e.g. stairs, escalator, elevator, etc.).
6.7.1.7 Since many tactile guide maps are produced from floor plans or technical drawings, great
attention should be paid to the fact that many tactile marks are transferred or derived from those
sources. Such signage of sighted people (e.g. the signage showing stairs going upward or downward) are
often very abstract and too finely structured, as well as too complex to be employed in tactile maps for
blind people. They shall be simplified by reducing or adapting that signage to clearly identifiable marks,
which can be read by finger touch.
6.7.2 Information items to be observed in tactile marks
6.7.2.1 Doorways of rooms
When expressing the space partitioned by convex lines as a room, doorways are expressed by breaking
a part of the line. When a broken part is long, the change of the space is sometimes unrecognized. Door
blades can be indicated by short lines projecting into the direction the door opens. Around the entrance,
the name of a room should be indicated in braille. When a room is narrow, an abbreviation in braille
and/or raised characters can be used (see Annex A, EXAMPLE 5).
6.7.2.2 Stairs/escalators/ramps
In facilities which have differences in level, such as stairs, escalators, ramps, it is desirable to use marks
identifiable whether upward or downward. Devised marks have v-shaped, triangle or tactile dot on a
higher level (see Annex A, EXAMPLES 3 and 4; Annex B, EXAMPLES 5 and 6; Annex C, EXAMPLES 6 and
16). In case of escalators, not only differences in level but also information on usable direction should
be more desirable.
6.7.2.3 Marks to indicate non-accessible areas
The total space can be conveyed by filling up the space with a dot pattern or stripe pattern (see Annex A,
EXAMPLE 6).
NOTE High-density dot pattern means the off-limit area, and low-density dot pattern means the lawn area.
6.7.2.4 Arrows to indicate directions
Arrows can be used effectively to express directions or landmarks in the margin. The shape should be
simply composed of arrows and arrow shafts, and the pointing lines should have an angle of 90° (see
Annex A, EXAMPLES 10 and 11).
6.7.2.5 Dotted lines to indicate TWSIs or travel rules
Dotted lines are suitable to express TWSIs. When few dots are used, the attention should be paid to make
differences between the distance and diameter of dots and the diameter of braille. Where there are no
TWSIs, dot lines can be used to express guiding routes or as other lines (see Annex A, EXAMPLE 2).
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ISO 19028:2016(E)
6.7.3 Shapes and elevation of tactile marks
6.7.3.1 Dots
In tactile guide maps, single dots should be used to indicate access points or points of special interest
or importance. Such points should generally be labelled by a letter, a number or a tactile mark to
distinguish them from each other.
a) Labelled dots should be used in a tactile map to indicate points of interest, which will otherwise
be difficult to indicate by tactile marks, like places where to rest in a park or garden (e.g. benches),
access point to enter a swimming pool (e.g. a ladder), or a jetty at a river or a pond.
b) In tactile guide maps, special points such as bus or tram stops, points where to get information,
etc. should be indicated by dots. When a bus or tram line is indicated by a line in the road, tram
stops should be indicated by small flat squares and bus stops by short lateral strokes (see Annex B,
EXAMPLES 16, 17 and 18; Annex C, EXAMPLE 4).
c) When in a tactile guide map a particular road
...
DRAFT INTERNATIONAL STANDARD
ISO/DIS 19028
ISO/TC 173/SC 7 Secretariat: JISC
Voting begins on: Voting terminates on:
2015-06-22 2015-09-22
Accessible design — Information contents, figuration and
display methods of tactile guide maps
Titre manque
ICS: 13.180; 11.180.30
THIS DOCUMENT IS A DRAFT CIRCULATED
FOR COMMENT AND APPROVAL. IT IS
THEREFORE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AND MAY
NOT BE REFERRED TO AS AN INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD UNTIL PUBLISHED AS SUCH.
IN ADDITION TO THEIR EVALUATION AS
BEING ACCEPTABLE FOR INDUSTRIAL,
TECHNOLOGICAL, COMMERCIAL AND
USER PURPOSES, DRAFT INTERNATIONAL
STANDARDS MAY ON OCCASION HAVE TO
BE CONSIDERED IN THE LIGHT OF THEIR
POTENTIAL TO BECOME STANDARDS TO
WHICH REFERENCE MAY BE MADE IN
Reference number
NATIONAL REGULATIONS.
ISO/DIS 19028:2015(E)
RECIPIENTS OF THIS DRAFT ARE INVITED
TO SUBMIT, WITH THEIR COMMENTS,
NOTIFICATION OF ANY RELEVANT PATENT
RIGHTS OF WHICH THEY ARE AWARE AND TO
©
PROVIDE SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION. ISO 2015
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ISO/DIS 19028:2015(E)
COPYRIGHT PROTECTED DOCUMENT
© ISO 2015, Published in Switzerland
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on the internet or an intranet, without prior
written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below or ISO’s member body in the country of
the requester.
ISO copyright office
Ch. de Blandonnet 8 • CP 401
CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva, Switzerland
Tel. +41 22 749 01 11
Fax +41 22 749 09 47
copyright@iso.org
www.iso.org
ii © ISO 2015 – All rights reserved
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ISO/DIS 19028
Contents Page
Foreword . iv
Introduction . v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Information contents to be displayed on tactile guide maps . 2
4.1 Composition of a tactile guide map . 2
4.2 Principles for information contents . 3
5 Figuration of tactile guide maps . 3
5.1 Dimensions . 3
5.2 Location of installed tactile guide maps . 3
5.3 Directions of a tactile guide map . 5
6 Display methods . 5
6.1 Title . 5
6.2 Commentary . 6
6.3 Legend . 6
6.4 Present location and additional guiding information within the map . 6
6.5 Tactile figures . 7
6.5.1 Principles of tactile figures . 7
6.5.2 Shapes and elevation of tactile figures . 7
6.6 Tactile marks . 7
6.6.1 Principles of tactile marks . 7
6.6.2 Information items to be observed in tactile marks . 8
6.6.3 Shapes and elevation of tactile marks . 9
6.7 Braille and raised characters . 10
6.8 Braille and large print . 10
7 Materials used for tactile guide maps . 11
Annex A (informative) Japanese examples of tactile marks . 12
Annex B (Informative) German examples of tactile marks . 17
Annex C (Informative) Swedish examples of tactile marks . 27
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ISO/DIS 19028
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies
(ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through ISO
technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee has been
established has the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations, governmental and
non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work. ISO collaborates closely with the
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization.
International Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
The main task of technical committees is to prepare International Standards. Draft International Standards
adopted by the technical committees are circulated to the member bodies for voting. Publication as an
International Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the member bodies casting a vote.
ISO 19028 was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 173, Assistive products, Subcommittee SC 7,
Accessible Design
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ISO/DIS 19028
Introduction
As the number of older population and social participation of persons with disabilities is increasing,
improvement of the social infrastructure for these people is an urgent issue. Devices for mobility assistance to
facilitate social participation of persons with seeing impairment and blindness have rapidly disseminated.
Among others, a tactile guide map is a convenient tool for providing location information which is necessary
for mobility of such people. Although the number of their installation has steadily increased, it has become
obvious that in the meantime, inappropriate or misleading tactile guide maps have been increasing which has
caused the users a big problem. To solve the problem, this standard provides the principal and standardized
specifications concerning information contents, figuration and display methods of tactile guide maps.
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DIS DRAFT ISO/DIS 19028
Accessible Design— Information contents, figuration and
display methods of tactile guide maps
1 Scope
This standard specifies information contents, figuration and display methods of tactile guide maps providing
location information of buildings including those for the general public, public transport and parks and also the
surroundings in the close vicinity including access routes to them in order to enable persons with seeing
impairment and blindness to move safely and smoothly in those facilities.
2 Normative references
The following referenced documents apply to this document. For dated references, only the edition cited
applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments)
applies.
ISO 17049:2013 “Accessible design – Application of braille on signage, equipment and appliances”
ISO 21542:2011 “Building construction – “Accessibility and usability of the built environment”
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
3.1
tactile guide map
information map that provides persons with seeing impairment and blindness with location information of
inside and outside of buildings including those for the general public, public transport and parks, which is
made recognizable using convex lines and/or convex or concave surfaces, tactile marks, braille and/or raised
characters and/or large print, having two types: an installed type in facilities, etc. and a portable booklet format
3.2
title
concise index in braille and/or raised characters indicating the content of a tactile guide map
3.3
commentary
sentences in braille and/or raised characters to give general description of a tactile guide map, cautions and
usage of tactile marks
3.4
lettering
letters, numbers, words or a combination of them to label items of interest in a tactile guide map
3.5
legend
itemized explanation of tactile marks and/or abbreviations of braille and/or raised characters used for tactile
figures
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ISO/DIS 19028
3.6
tactile marks
convex or concave marks used for a tactile guide map to provide information on facilities and equipment
3.7
tactile figure
aggregated relief-like figure composed of convex lines and/or convex or concave surfaces, tactile marks,
braille and/or raised characters
3.8
printed characters
characters written in pencil, with a pen, and in print, not in Braille
3.9
large print
letters with high readability for people with residual vision
3.10
raised characters
specially designed raised/embossed characters composing letters and numbers readable by touch
3.11
tactile readability
ease of reading braille and other tactile information by touch
[SOURCE:ISO 17049:2013]
4 Information contents to be displayed on tactile guide maps
4.1 Composition of a tactile guide map
A tactile guide map shall be composed of the following contents.
a) Title
b) Commentary
For a tactile map in a booklet form, a commentary may be placed separately. A commentary can be
omitted when a tactile guide map does not need any description of the content.
c) Legend
A legend can be omitted if a tactile guide map only contains common and easily recognizable tactile
marks without need of explanation and does not use abbreviations in braille and raised characters.
d) Tactile figures
e) Other information contents
1) Scale
When appropriate, to facilitate navigation, a scale to indicate distances in the map should be added.
2) North direction
When appropriate, north direction should be indicated.
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ISO/DIS 19028
4.2 Principles for information contents
a) Tactile guide map shall be of required and minimum information to grasp the space and/or move.
The amount of information given in a tactile guide map will largely be determined by the imminent
purpose of the tactile map. Whether the map is for indicating a route of travel or to give an overview of
an area. All information that does not serve the intended purpose of the tactile guide map has to be
omitted.
NOTE Tactile guide maps specialised for orientation and mobility of persons with seeing impairment and blindness are
called “Orientation and Mobility maps”. A common tactile guide map may as an example show stairs and sometimes also
direction of stairs, while tactile guide maps specialized for orientation and mobility will have to show direction and
sometimes the number of steps in stairs.
b) When selecting information to be displayed on the map, contents which support safe and smooth
movements of persons with seeing impairment and blindness shall be prioritised. .
c) Tactile readability shall be taken into consideration.
The tactile readability of tactile information in guide maps is influenced by a variety of factors, the
majority of which have to be considered in their mutual interdependence which in turn will widely
influence the selection, size and shape of tactile figures and marks.
When a visual guide map displaying the identical range to a tactile guide map is available, the maps
shall maintain mutual consistency though the amount of information may be different.
d) All types of tactile marks (whether tactile figures or lettering) contained in a tactile guide map shall be
easily identifiable and be explained in the legend or by lettering in the respective area of the map.
e) Printed characters may be also used along with tactile figures on a tactile guide map
f) Instead of lettering points of installed guide maps, electronic tags giving out audio information about the
particular points in the map can be used.
g) The date of production and the contact information should be displayed.
5 Figuration of tactile guide maps
5.1 Dimensions
The physical size of a tactile guide map will have to correlate with the amount of information required for the
purpose to be achieved by the tactile guide map in relation to the size of the location or area to be depicted in
the map.
The size of an installed tactile guide map should be within 600 mm in grip distance for desk installation (Figure
1), and for wall installation (Figure 2). When a tactile guide map is prepared in a booklet form, extra attention
should be paid so that the folds do not hinder tactile reading.
5.2 Location of installed tactile guide maps
For a tactile guide map installed on the wall which is perpendicular to the floor, the height of the tactile area of
the map shall be placed between 1100 mm and 1600 mm from the floor. The centre of the map should be
preferably at 1400 mm.
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ISO/DIS 19028
These dimensions do not apply to guide maps which are set horizontally to the floor or inclined to angles close
to horizontal. (Figure 1) In either case, a location that does not hinder tactile readability shall be chosen.
The clearance of the lowest part of the desk installation shall be 900 mm to enable wheelchair users access.
(see 40.14 of ISO 21542)
Great care must be taken to ensure that blind people and people with seeing impairment can find the installed
tactile guide maps e.g. by using TWSIs or similarly appropriate tactile guide lines to lead them there or by
installing floor plans at fixed places next to elevators, stairs etc.
NOTE When deciding height of installation, the target group for a particular maps should be taken in consideration, which
may lead to other decisions concerning installation height of the map (e.g. when target group are children).
Figure 1 – Examples of figurations of desk installation type
Key
a: within 600 mm d: within 1600 mm g: within 600 mm
b: 900 mm e: preferably1400 mm
c: approximately 1000 mm f: 1100 mm and over
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ISO/DIS 19028
NOTE Framework for tactile guide maps is not included in the given measures of tactile maps.
Figure 2－Examples of figurations of wall installation type
5.3 Directions of a tactile guide map
a) When installing a guide map, marks of directional reference and present location indicated in a tactile
guide map shall strictly comply with the actual directions and present location in the place where the
map to be installed; for example, locations of a particular office depicted in the map to the right-hand
side in a building shall be found on the right-hand side of the actual building.
NOTE: When tactile guide maps are placed at an angle (e.g. 180° or any other angle to the actual directions) blind people
face problems since they cannot see other landmarks as e.g. flights of stairs, lifts etc. which would enable them to adjust
the faulty direction given in the map. Some people have difficulties in turning the map round in the mind.
b) Tactile guide maps for installation shall be placed in the way that a user can read the lettering and tactile
figures well.
c) For guide maps which contain information on spatially overlapping area such as the first floor and the
second floor of a building and guide maps which display one large space using multiple maps, the
scale size and the direction shall be unified. When the maps of each floor are to be installed on
respective floors, each guide map should be placed in the same location of respective floors and in the
same direction.
Presenting two levels of a building or a place on top of each other in one tactile guide map is not
permissible, because the elements to each level cannot be assigned by the blind reader
unambiguously. If in a multi-storey building several storeys have to be displayed for reason of different
layout of rooms or for information on rooms, separate individual maps for each storey are required. If
needed a cross section in side view of the building could be added comprising several storeys to
indicate transfer routes from one storey to another, different room arrangements, halls rising over more
than one storey etc.
d) Tactile guide maps in a booklet form may employ user-friendly directions, considering locations of
doorways, flow-lines, and so on.
e) The starting position should be clearly indicated by a big dot or triangular sign.
6 Display methods
The display method will result from the purpose and the type of the tactile guide map, whether it is a sketch
only, a portable map in a booklet or whether it is a map installed indoors or outdoors or it is a model of a site
(e.g. a building, an access route to a place or an overview of a place such as of a park or a garden).
To represent a large, complex building, the vicinity or park area around a building or a clear floor plan will
require a different amount of information and hence a different scale. Decisions to apply tactile figures or only
marks have to be made in accordance with the space available in the tactile map and the necessity to provide
additional information for guiding or orientation (the need to give part of a path of travel in an extended scale
e.g. complex crossroads) or directions of stairs (e.g. going upward or downward), giving directions of a lift
(when going to different parts of a building etc.
6.1 Title
A title shall be displayed in the upper part of a tactile guide map.
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ISO/DIS 19028
6.2 Commentary
Commentary should be placed close to the title or the legend.
6.3 Legend
a) The legend shall be placed where it can be easily understood, and when the legend comprises only of a
few items should be preferably located to the left of tactile figures or the upper part of a map under the
title. A legend clearly recognizable in the fixed block can be placed in the area of the map, where
irrelevant parts of the original maps are cancelled. Commentary and a legend for maps in a booklet
form can be combined and put in another page.
b) The display of a legend shall be in the order of “tactile marks” and “abbreviations of braille”. Tactile
marks shall be displayed in order of importance. When raised characters are used, they should be
located left to the tactile marks and braille should be located right to the tactile marks. The display order
of abbreviations of braille and/or raised characters shall be in alphabetical order. For installed maps,
tactile marks of the present location should be the first item to be displayed.
c) The dimensions and shapes of tactile marks displayed in the legend and the ones used as part of tactile
figures in the map shall not be different, but dimensions such as width of stairs may deviate in
accordance with the actual location/position of the map.
d) Corresponding braille, abbreviations and tactile figures should be easily recognizable.
6.4 Present location and additional guiding information within the map
a) The tactile mark of present location/starting point should be expressed higher than other marks in dome
shape or triangle shape. Braille should be placed adjoining to the mark as near as possible (see Annex A,
EXAMPLE 3, Annex C, EXAMPLE 51).
b) In tactile guide maps, the present location shall be the most prominent mark in the map since it is the
starting point for the user to organize orientation in the map. The starting point in the booklet type should
be treated the same way as the present location in the installed type.
c) For an installed guide map, the present location in the tactile figures shall be explained in the commentary
or in the legend.
d) The present location and destinations, such as other installation sites of the tactile guide map, should be
explained by using a combination of the horizontally and vertically trisected area (Figure 3) or by using co-
ordinates (Figure 4).
e) For explaining the location by co-ordinates, tactile frames with notches can be used as graduations on
axes with associated numbers or letters. Notches shall have an edge that will not cause harm when
touched (Figure 4).
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Key
a: one-fourth of the vertical distance from the top
b: vertical centre
c: one-fourth of the vertical distance from the bottom
1: one-fourth of the horizontal distance from the left
2: horizontal centre
3: one-fourth of the horizontal distance from the right
NOTE The location expressed by a bullet in Figure 3 is explained as “lower middle” and in Figure 4 as c2.
Figure 3 – Example of trisected area Figure 4 – Example of co-ordinates
6.5 Tactile figures
6.5.1 Principles of tactile figures
a) In order to prioritize tactile readability, tactile figures can be modified and transformed and do not need to
be proportional to actual sites.
b) In tactile guide maps, important building components such as stairs, escalators, elevators and toilets, or
landmark facilities can be raised more than other places or highlighted by increasing the density of
patterns so that the map may be more understandable.
6.5.2 Shapes and elevation of tactile figures
a) Tactile figures in guide maps such as tactile marks, letters and numbers should be used sparingly in
favour of greater clarity and the usage of bigger, more self-explaining (intuitively recognizable) tactile
figures.
b) The minimal elevation of raised surfaces of tactile figures and marks shall be 0.5 mm except very smooth
surfaces are available for tactile guide maps. In that case, single lines and clearly structured tactile marks
may be reduced to height of elevation of 0.3 mm at a minimum.
c) When however in complex places (e.g. a large entrance hall to a building such as a conference centre, a
railway station, an arrival or departure hall of an airport etc.) higher levels of elevation than 0.5 mm may
be needed.
d) Unavailabl area such as lawn off limit and a pond in the park shall be specified by tactile figures.
e) The location of building entrances and room doorways shall be displayed clearly.
f) Spatially overlapping spaces such as the first floor and the second floor shall be displayed separately.
6.6 Tactile marks
6.6.1 Principles of tactile marks
a) In one tactile guide map, the use of similar tactile marks in different meanings shall be avoided.
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b) Tactile marks are usually convex (raised) in tactile maps, and not concave. Convex marks are much
easier to recognize tactually than concave marks. Therefore the latter marks need more attention and
care when used in tactile guide maps.
c) In tactile guide maps, concave expressions also can be used. Expressing rivers or ponds, which are
actually low, lower than other places makes sometimes more understandable. The road between
buildings can be expressed lower than buildings for better understanding. However, the road can be
sometimes expressed in a convex line when the scale is enough large and the road in important
information.
d) When constructing a tactile figure, lines, surface and other tactile marks that are easy to recognize by
touch shall be used effectively. Attention shall be paid not to hinder tactile readability by displaying too
many kinds of marks.
e) For displaying a variety of facilities by tactile lines, such as outlines of buildings, tactile walking surface
indicators, pathways in parks and roads, the differences shall be easily recognizable and distinguished by
straight lines, dashed lines and so on.
f) When there is sufficient space in a tactile map self-explaining profiled tactile marks should be preferred.
However, there shall be no mixture of marks in the same tactile map referring to the same item (e.g. stairs,
escalator, elevator etc.).
g) Since many tactile guide maps are produced from floor plans or technical drawings, great attention should
be paid to the fact that many tactile marks are transferred or derived from those sources. Such signage of
sighted people (like e.g. the signage showing stairs going upward or downward) are often very abstract
and too finely structured as well as too complex to be employed in tactile maps for blind people. They have
to be simplified by reducing or adapting that signage to clearly identifiable marks which can be read by
finger touch.
6.6.2 Information items to be observed in tactile marks
6.6.2.1 Doorways of rooms
When expressing the space partitioned by convex lines as a room, doorways are expressed by breaking a
part of the line. When a broken part is long, the change of the space is sometimes unrecognized. Door blades
can be indicated by short lines projecting into the direction the door opens. Around the entrance, the name of
a room should be indicated in braille. When a room is narrow, an abbreviation in braille and/or raised
characters can be used (see Annex A, EXAMPLE 7).
6.6.2.2 Stairs/escalators/ramps
In facilities which have differences in level such as stairs/escalators/ramps, it is desirable to use marks
identifiable whether upward or downward. Devised marks have v-shaped, triangle or tactile dot on a higher
level (see Annex A, EXAMPLE 5,6, Annex B, EXAMPLE 17,18, Annex C, EXAMPLE 49,59). In case of
escalators, not only differences in level but also information on usable direction should be more desirable.
6.6.2.3 Marks to indicate non-accessible areas
The total space can be conveyed by filling up the space with dot pattern or stripe pattern (see Annex A,
EXAMPLE 8).
NOTE High-density dot pattern means the off limit area, and low-density dot pattern means the lawn area.
6.6.2.4 Arrows to indicate directions
Arrows can be used effectively to express directions or landmarks in the margin. The shape should be simply
composed of arrows and arrow shafts and the pointing lines should have an angle of 90° (see Annex A,
EXAMPLE 12 and 13).
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