Touch Mapper enables free tactile maps from the 3D printer

Touch Mapper is a free web app that can be used to create personalised tactile maps. The app enables the creation of free 3D printed models.

Touch Mapper uses OpenStreetMap data to generate detailed relief maps. These contain important elements such as roads, buildings, railway lines and bodies of water. Particularly noteworthy is the enhanced representation of footpaths, as these are of greater importance for the visually impaired. A marker in the north-east corner serves to orientate the map correctly.

The platform offers various utilisation options: Owners of a 3D printer can produce the maps themselves free of charge. Alternatively, ready-made prints can be ordered from 29 euros.

For production using 3D printing, Touch Mapper recommends a layer thickness of 0.25 mm or 0.3 mm. The printing time for a 17 cm map is around 3-4 hours. It is important to pay particular attention to the correct representation of the streets, as these can present challenges during printing due to their small width.

Despite the accuracy of the OpenStreetMap data, the developers point out that the maps are not an exact representation of reality. However, users have the option of adding missing elements to OpenStreetMap themselves.