Proceedings of the International Conference on Contemporary Sociology and Educational Transformation (ICCSET 2025)

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Geo-NaVis: Digital Maps Platform Model to Minimize Geospatial Gap for Visually Impaired

Authors
Purwanto Purwanto1, *, Siti Irma1
1Department of Geography, State University of Malang, Malang, Indonesia
*Corresponding author. Email: Purwanto.fis@um.ac.id
Corresponding Author
Purwanto Purwanto
Available Online 14 November 2025.
DOI
10.2991/978-2-38476-485-3_4How to use a DOI?
Keywords
Spatial skills; digital maps; visually impaired; accessibility
Abstract

Spatial skills are essential skills in geography that support individuals in navigation and mobility. However, visually impaired individuals still face barriers when accessing digital maps that are predominantly visual in design. Existing applications provide limited accessibility features, insufficient audio feedback, and complex spatial language, leaving a significant geospatial gap. This study adopts a mixed-methods approach, primarily using in-depth interviews with four blind students at the State University of Malang, to explore these challenges. Findings reveal that blind users struggle with interpreting icons, distance descriptions, and the absence of vibration feedback, which hinders spatial understanding. Therefore, the aim of this study is to address spatial skill gaps. We developed Geo-NaVis, a digital map platform that introduces innovative features including building descriptions based on landmarks, simplified spatial language, and multimodal accessibility through audio and tactile cues. This innovation strengthens spatial skills, enhances independent mobility and contributes to inclusive geospatial technology design for visually impaired communities.

Copyright
© 2025 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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Volume Title
Proceedings of the International Conference on Contemporary Sociology and Educational Transformation (ICCSET 2025)
Series
Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research
Publication Date
14 November 2025
ISBN
978-2-38476-485-3
ISSN
2352-5398
DOI
10.2991/978-2-38476-485-3_4How to use a DOI?
Copyright
© 2025 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Cite this article

risenwbib
TY  - CONF
AU  - Purwanto Purwanto
AU  - Siti Irma
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/11/14
TI  - Geo-NaVis: Digital Maps Platform Model to Minimize Geospatial Gap for Visually Impaired
BT  - Proceedings of the International Conference on Contemporary Sociology and Educational Transformation (ICCSET  2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 31
EP  - 38
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-485-3_4
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-485-3_4
ID  - Purwanto2025
ER  -