Making History: Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey Creates the World’s Most Advanced Accessible Digital Map
The Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey (WGNHS) faces a problem that has plagued cartographers and government agencies for decades: how to make complex digital maps accessible to everyone, including blind, mobility impaired, and illiterate users. The Survey has recently published a statewide map of the Quaternary Geology (the most recent geologic time period), which will serve as a major reference document for K-12 schools, researchers, and the public for the coming decades. This map shows glacial deposits and other geological features across Wisconsin using 57 different color and pattern combinations along with a variety of point and line symbols.
WGNHS Cartographer Caroline Rose knew that traditional digital maps exclude many users. Blind screen reader users hear only “graphic blank” when they encounter maps. Low vision users can’t zoom without breaking the interface. Colorblind users can’t distinguish between features shown only by color. Keyboard-only users can’t select map features to learn their names.
“Most maps are visual only, which is not useful to someone who is totally blind,” Rose explained. Attending a workshop on map accessibility raised her confidence that solutions could be found. Following presentations and advice from accessibility researcher Frank Elavsky from Carnegie Mellon University, Rose was inspired to write a grant application to spend time and money on building more-accessible maps.
The Wisconsin Geological Survey needed a solution that would make their complex geological data truly accessible while maintaining the spatial information that makes a map a map, not just a table or text description.
XR Navigation worked with Caroline Rose to create what has become the most advanced accessible digital map in history. The project integrated Audiom, XR Navigation’s accessible map viewer, with the Wisconsin Geological Survey’s existing ArcGIS infrastructure and data.
The collaboration transformed thirteen ArcGIS feature layers containing vector data (over 3,000 unique polygons, lines, and points) into a fully accessible, interactive map. The map includes:
The integration process required careful attention to how geological information would be conveyed through multiple modalities. Typically, cartography only focuses on the visual presentation of geographic features, but with Audiom, the job of the cartographer expands to both audio and text. Rose created custom “rules files” that assigned meaningful names and sounds to each geological feature, translating complex scientific data into an experience accessible through vision, audio, and text.
“We grouped features based on geological relationships,” Caroline noted. “For instance, deposits from the Superior basin are presented together, and the grain size, from fine clay to coarse sand to large boulders, is conveyed through distinct sonic textures.”
The project showcased several technical achievements:
Seamless ArcGIS Integration: The Audiom system connects directly to Wisconsin Geological Survey’s published ArcGIS feature layers. Any updates to the source data automatically appear in the accessible map, with no manual conversion required. The map is presented either in their Experience Builder application, or as an iFrame that can be embedded into any app or website.
Multi-Layer Complexity: Unlike simple reference maps, this geologic map contains multiple overlapping data layers with hierarchical relationships. The Audiom interface allows users to toggle layers on and off, filter by geological properties, and navigate between different zoom levels that reveal appropriate detail.
Advanced Cartographic Translation: The team developed sophisticated mapping between visual cartographic conventions and non-visual representations. Geological concepts that cartographers traditionally convey through visual Gestalt principles and color groupings were translated into audio cues and text descriptions, while maintaining navigable spatial relationships.
The Quaternary Geology of Wisconsin map represents a breakthrough in accessible cartography:
The work has generated significant interest in the cartography and accessibility communities:
“We are creating the accompanying educational content ready in an HTML page with the Audiom map embedded,” Caroline shared. “This map can be used by K-12 schools across Wisconsin as a reference document for learning about our state’s geological history.”
The map is publicly accessible at:
https://xrnavigation.io/audiom-wisconsin-geological-survey-quaternary-map/
Current estimates suggest that 1.6 billion people worldwide cannot access digital maps due to disabilities, literacy barriers, or technology limitations. Globally:
For geological surveys, universities, and government agencies, inaccessible maps represent both a legal risk and a missed opportunity to serve the public. Digital accessibility lawsuits are increasing 12% year-over-year in the United States, with legal fees alone averaging $350,000 per complaint.
Beyond compliance, accessible maps open professions and educational opportunities that have historically been closed to people with disabilities. Critical fields of study, including geology, climate science, epidemiology, urban planning, and environmental science, all require the ability to understand spatial data.
The Wisconsin Geological Survey project demonstrated how government agencies can incorporate accessible map production into existing workflows:
“The process was very thoughtful,” Caroline reflected. “XR Navigation understood both the technical requirements and the cartographic principles that make geologic maps meaningful. First, they focused in on what could make the Audiom map most effective at conveying the map’s theme – in this case, geology. Then, they began to consider how to apply the approach broadly, so that implementing future geologic maps will be more seamless. They deeply considered both the textual and auditory cartographic aspects to communicate the map’s message”
The success of the Quaternary Geology of Wisconsin map has opened new possibilities:
This project proves that the “impossible” is possible. For decades, digital map accessibility exceptions in laws like the European Accessibility Act existed because legislators assumed accessible maps couldn’t be built. The Wisconsin Geological Survey has shown that with the right technology and commitment, government agencies can serve all their constituents.
Is your agency ready to make maps that everyone can use?
XR Navigation’s Audiom platform integrates seamlessly with ArcGIS and other GIS systems to bring full accessibility compliance to your digital maps. Whether you’re publishing geological data, land use maps, zoning information, emergency evacuation routes, or campus maps, Audiom can make your spatial data accessible to all users.
Benefits for government agencies:
Contact XR Navigation today:
Brandon Biggs CEO:
https://xrnavigation.io/contact
Try an interactive Audiom demo:
https://xrnavigation.io/audiom-demo
View the Wisconsin Geological Survey map:
https://xrnavigation.io/audiom-wisconsin-geological-survey-quaternary-map/
ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act): Federal civil rights law prohibiting discrimination against people with disabilities, including in digital accessibility. There are five sections or “titles” that cover different areas, such as Employment, Public Services, and Public Accommodations. In April 2024, the Department of Justice published a new rule requiring all Public web content (Title II), explicitly including maps, to follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines level AA.
ArcGIS: Geographic Information System (GIS) software platform developed by Esri, widely used by government agencies for mapping and spatial analysis.
Audiom: XR Navigation’s accessible map viewer that allows users to access maps through vision, audio, text, or any combination of these modalities.
Feature Layer: In GIS, a collection of similar geographic features (points, lines, or polygons) with associated data attributes.
Gestalt Principles: Visual perception principles that describe how people group and organize visual elements; commonly used in cartography.
GIS (Geographic Information System): A system for capturing, storing, analyzing, and managing spatial or geographic data.
Grain Size: In geology, the diameter of individual particles in sediment or rock, ranging from clay (smallest) to boulders (largest).
Quaternary Geology: The study of geological features and deposits from the Quaternary Period (the last 2.6 million years); in Wisconsin, this includes many glacial features.
Rules File: In Audiom, a JSON or Excel configuration file that defines how map features should be named, described, and presented to users.
Section 504: Part of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 requiring federal agencies and programs receiving federal funding, in particular most educational institutions, to be accessible to people with disabilities.
Section 508: Amendment to the Rehabilitation Act requiring federal agencies to make electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities.
Sonification: The use of non-speech audio to convey information or represent data.
Spatial Information: Information about location, distance, direction, shape, size, and relationships between geographic features.
Vector Data: In GIS, data represented as points, lines, or polygons with precise coordinates, as opposed to raster (image) data.
WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines): International standards for making web content accessible to people with disabilities, with levels A, AA, and AAA (most accessible).