Award
NIH Reporter #1R44EY036316-01A1
Developing and Evaluating Visual, Auditory, and Tactile and Text Digital Thematic Map Viewer to Provide Blind and Low Vision Individuals Full Access to Thematic Maps for the First Time
Recipient
XR NAVIGATION INC.
Award Amount
$1,009,268.00
Ceiling
$1,009,268.00
Awarded
September 23, 2025
Identifier
1R44EY036316-01A1
Award to XR NAVIGATION INC. to develop Audiom, an accessible digital thematic map viewer for blind and low vision individuals, enhancing access to complex maps through multimodal features and compliance with accessibility guidelines.
Description
This project aims to develop and commercialize Audiom, a multimodal, chat-based digital map viewer designed to be fully accessible for blind and low vision (BLI) individuals. The tool will enable users to access complex thematic maps related to land cover, weather, electoral processes, and emergency management, which are currently inaccessible to BLI individuals. Audiom will be compliant with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and will offer customizable features through speech, textures, and high contrast borders for low vision users, as well as auditory and tactile navigation for non-visual users.