How can you make your maps accessible to a wider audience?

1 Choose appropriate colors

Color is an essential element of map accessibility, as it can convey meaning, contrast, and hierarchy. However, it can also create confusion, distraction, and exclusion for some users, such as those with color vision deficiency (CVD). To make your maps more accessible, you should use color schemes that are compatible with CVD, such as ColorBrewer or Color Oracle. Additionally, you should avoid using color alone to encode information and supplement it with labels, symbols, or patterns. Furthermore, you should use high contrast colors for foreground and background elements and limit the number of colors or gradients used. Finally, you should test your maps with different color filters and simulators, such as WebAIM or Coblis.

2 Optimize text and symbols

For the purpose of accessibility, text and symbols are a key aspect of maps. However, small, dense, or complex text and symbols can be illegible or ambiguous for some users, such as those with low vision or dyslexia. To make your maps more accessible, use clear and simple fonts such as Arial or Verdana, appropriate font size, spacing, and alignment, and avoid overlapping or crowding text and symbols. Additionally, use consistent and meaningful symbols such as icons or pictograms, and provide alternative text or captions for images, charts, and graphs. For web maps specifically, use alt attributes.

3 Simplify layout and design

A third aspect of map accessibility is layout and design. To ensure your maps are accessible, it's important to use a clear and logical hierarchy, group related elements together, and use white space and margins to create separation. Additionally, visual cues such as borders, headings, or legends can help guide the user's attention and navigation. It's also important to avoid using unnecessary or redundant elements, such as logos, backgrounds, or effects. With these considerations in mind, you can create structure, balance, and focus for all users without causing overload, distraction, or confusion.

4 Consider different formats and platforms

When considering map accessibility, format and platform are important. Different users may have difficulty interacting with maps that require mouse, keyboard, or touch input, so providing multiple formats and options such as PDF, PNG, or SVG is essential. Additionally, using responsive and adaptive design principles to make your maps work well on different devices and screen sizes is necessary. Furthermore, following web accessibility standards and guidelines like WCAG or ARIA can help make your maps accessible for screen readers, keyboards, and other assistive technologies. Finally, it is important to test your maps with different browsers, devices, and tools such as ChromeVox or NVDA. By applying these tips and best practices to your GIS visualization and cartography, you can make your maps more accessible to a wider audience.