The Sound of Stockholm: A Storytelling Podcast for People with Blindness or Visual Impairment

We built the haptic map with OSM data [3] and from the Swedish open data [4]. The map transformations were calculated in R. After processing the data, we generalized and symbolized it with its haptic map symbology first visually in ArcGIS and QGIS. A lot of criteria are to be considered when generalizing the map for haptic use and afterwards, Braille descriptions can be incorporated. A next step would be to produce a haptic map from this model. Some companies offer the production of such haptic maps as a service. For our second podcast, we acquired data from tourist guide websites (visitstockholm.com and izi.travel). Afterwards, we recorded a podcast on different topics (overview, historical sights, food) with OBS Studio and cleaned and cut the audio using Audacity, Kdenlive and CapCut.

In our project, we faced challenges such as designing maps for a target group unfamiliar to us, considering the inherent challenge of being sighted. Designing a podcast to guide individuals with blindness through a map raised questions about how diverse descriptions are perceived to understand spatial relations. Furthermore, it was our first time producing a haptic map and a podcast, requiring us to generalize a map for haptic use and create an informative podcast. We discovered that haptic maps can convey sparser information than visual maps. Additionally, we decided to use a map transformation that enhances the city center, allowing us to showcase the entire city. Overall, the project was a demanding endeavor for us.

We are proud of our ability to comprehend the gaps in accessible maps and create a more inclusive (or accessible) product—a haptic map coupled with storytelling podcasts to bridge the missing components. We enjoyed the learning process of creating a haptic map and exploring various materials to ensure easily distinguishable features on the map. Additionally, we recognized the importance of generalizing elements on the map to achieve comprehensibility in mapping. Finally, we enjoyed getting creative on the podcast and hope you can enjoy exploring Stockholm with us!

We learned to be flexible in our expectations in order to meet our time limits. In addition, we gained some experience in podcast editing, haptic map design and map transformations. We are also very grateful for the OSM project, as most free, open-source data from government agencies in Sweden are rather small scale.

A follow-up on this project can be a survey on how well the podcast can be perceived and of course, producing the actual haptic map to test it, too. In a future perspective, we have ideas on further material on further episodes in Stockholm and of course, the project could be extended to other cities.