W3C has an imperative to make sure all its standards provide for
accessibility. The standard for Scalar Vector Graphics is currently being
developed and it is expecting some recommendation about how to describe
images so that those who do not have the common graphical browsers can still
get the benefit of the images.
Daniel Dardailler of W3C identified five kinds of images commonly found on
the web. They include types such as artistic images, CAD images, etc and
some of these are made from clip art, some by data-driven systems. The W3C
accessibility group would like to be able to recommend a way to provide a
text equivalent to such images for the benefit of those not viewing the
image. There are a number of other groups that might have interests in this
too. For example, those who provide clip art might like to have the
relevant parts of the images identified as having come from them, i.e.
having the ip associated with their bit of the image.
It seems to me that all that is required is a DC-style description set for
the insides of images, analogous to the sets that currently are used to
describe whole images as web entities. This is not the obvious use of DC
but seems to be a very good additional use that could help a lot of people.
An example would be a diagram of an engineering system. The diagram is
probably the output of a CAD package and there is probably a database that
could supply information that would be used to describe the items that make
up the whole image and, in particular, describe the relationships between
the items within the diagram.
The aim is to provide 'equivalent' content to the diagram for the benefit
of non-visual display browsers.
I would like to know if there are others who have an interest in this. W3C
staff members and WAI working group members are keen to see if a solution
can be developed this way.
Liddy
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