2025 FOSS4G NA | Parks for California Grant Application Website - Tom Allnett & Stephen Smith
In this session from FOSS4G NA 2025, Tom Allnett and Stephen Smith of Green Info Network present Accessible Mapping for the Parks for California Grant Application Website. The presenters discuss the technical and design challenges of remediating a geospatial web application to meet WCAG accessibility standards, ensuring that complex interactive maps are usable for everyone, including individuals with low vision, color blindness, or those who rely on screen readers and keyboard navigation.
Tom and Stephen detail their approach to "comparable experiences," which prioritizes high-contrast visual design, structured text descriptions, and accessible keyboard controls over purely visual map interactions. They share practical implementation strategies using a FOSS stack—including Django, PostGIS, Leaflet, and MapServer—to generate dynamic, deterministic text summaries of spatial data, while also explaining why they currently opt for traditional database intersections over non-deterministic AI solutions for accessibility descriptions.
Highlights:
🛰️ The Accessibility Challenge: Why maps are inherently difficult to make accessible due to their visual nature and reliance on color
🔄 Comparable Experiences: Moving beyond simple alt-text to provide rich, text-based alternatives for complex geospatial data
🧩 WCAG & Legal Standards: Navigating the web content accessibility guidelines and state/federal laws like the ADA in California
⚙️ Color Contrast Matrix: A look at using outlines and numbered labels to ensure map features meet the 3:1 contrast ratio requirement
🌐 Deterministic Descriptions: Using PostGIS on the backend to create consistent, live text summaries of what is currently visible on the map
🏢 Keyboard-First Navigation: Implementing custom pan controls and tab-accessible map widgets to support users who don't use a mouse
🏗️ Human-Centric Design: Why manual description sprints and expert accessibility consultants remain vital for high-quality remediation
For more content like this check out www.projectgeospatial.com
#Geospatial #FOSS4G #Accessibility #WebMapping #WCAG #ADA #GIS #OpenSource #InclusiveDesign #Leaflet #PostGIS #CaliforniaParks #ProjectGeospatial #UXDesign #WebDevelopment
