Automated interpretation and accessible presentation of technical diagrams for blind people

  • Authors:

  • M. Horstmann;M. Lorenz;A. Watkowski;G. Ioannidis;O. Herzog;A. King;D. G. Evans;C. Hagen;C. Schlieder;A.-M. Burn;N. King;H. Petrie;S. Dijkstra;D. Crombie

  • Affiliations:

  • Technologie-Zentrum Informatik, University of Bremen, Bremen Germany;Technologie-Zentrum Informatik, University of Bremen, Bremen Germany;Technologie-Zentrum Informatik, University of Bremen, Bremen Germany;Technologie-Zentrum Informatik, University of Bremen, Bremen Germany;Technologie-Zentrum Informatik, University of Bremen, Bremen Germany;School of Informatics, University of Manchester, Manchester UK;School of Informatics, University of Manchester, Manchester UK;Laboratory for Semantic Information Technology, Bamberg University, Bamberg Germany;Laboratory for Semantic Information Technology, Bamberg University, Bamberg Germany;Centre for Human Computer Interaction Design, City University, London UK;Centre for Human Computer Interaction Design, City University, London UK;Centre for Human Computer Interaction Design, City University, London UK;FNB, Amsterdam, The Netherlands;FNB, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

  • Venue:
  • The New Review of Hypermedia and Multimedia - Special issue: Accessible hypermedia and multimedia
  • Year:
  • 2004

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Abstract

The EU-supported TeDUB (Technical Drawings Understanding for the Blind) project is developing a software system that aims to make technical diagrams accessible to blind and visually impaired people. It consists of two separate modules: one that analyses drawings either semi-automatically or automatically, and one that presents the results of this analysis to blind people and allows them to interact with it. The system is capable of analysing and presenting diagrams from a number of formally defined domains. A diagram enters the system as one of two types: first, diagrams contained in bitmap images, which do not explicitly contain the semantic structure of their content and thus have to be interpreted by the system, and second, diagrams obtained in a semantically enriched format that already yields this structure. The TeDUB system provides blind users with an interface to navigate and annotate these diagrams using a number of input and output devices. Extensive user evaluations have been carried out and an overall positive response from the participants has shown the effectiveness of the approach.