[New Tool To Enable Blind to Read Maps On computer]

[Edward L. Barnes]

Hi there, Ann, I've now gotten two copies of this note so as far as I 
can tell all was well with both message1 and message 2 which I got from 
you sent to speakup, Pine reported an attachment which it placed in the 
body of the message over here so I'm wondering if the other person's 
reporting of no text was due to the fact a winblows mail client like 
lookout distress screwed as up as it's accustomed to doing regularly. Ed
On 
Thu, 26 Sep 2002, Ann Parsons wrote:

> Hi all,
> 
> Well, shoot, I thought I had included the text I wanted.  That's
> weird.  Hang on.  Will try again.
> 
> Ann P.
> 
> 
> 
> Wired News, 25 September 2002
>  Wired News, 25 September 2002
> 
> NEW TOOL ALLOWS BLIND TO READ MAPS
> Students in a software engineering class at the University of North
> Carolina at Chapel Hill--with help from the professor--have developed a
> tool that blind and visually impaired people can use to read maps. The
> Blind Audio Tactile Mapping System (BATS) uses a trackball to move a
> cursor around on a map. As the cursor passes over different parts of
> the map, the system plays audio information so the user can "read" the
> map. For example, names of places on the map are pronounced by a voice
> synthesizer. When the cursor goes over water, the user hears the sound
> of crashing waves; over land, the user hears horses galloping. The
> professor teaching the class in which the tool was developed said it
> could become an open-source application, and it can be downloaded now
> from the project's site (http://www.cs.unc.edu/Research/assist/bats/).
> Wired News, 25 September 2002
> http://www.wired.com/news/school/0,1383,54916,00.html
> 
>