Color Blindness and Cartography: Practical Suggestions for Making Readable Maps Author: Steve Schoenig 1220 N Street Phone: 916-654-0768
While most cartographers have general knowledge of the phenomenon of color blindness, there seems to be little incorporation of special graphic and chromatic techniques to widen the audience of people who can successfully use maps and graphics. Color blindness affects over 11 percent of the population. There are a number of genetic mutations that lead to a variety of color blindness syndromes. Color blindness causes an inability to see or discriminate colors that those with "normal" color vision discriminate with ease. Thematic maps, with their many shades of similar colors, often fall in this category. While it is a matter of ethics and practicality how much to accommodate those in our society with physical handicaps, it can be a matter of crucial importance to a cartographer if the recipient of a map can't read it--especially if they are your boss or client. |