Hi Tavis/all
Google Maps clearly fail WCAG 1.0 Checkpoint 6.3 http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/wai-pageauth.html#tech-scripts and I find it hard to see how we can improve accessibility through the maps API - unless Google modify it to provide graceful degradation with JavaScript disabled.
If your markers are stored in XML files (as in Duncan's example) you could provide an alternative page using a server-side method to pull in the location info, so users would at least have the ability to access it - albeit in a less graphically rich form.
I'm thinking that this would also be useful to users of small screen devices - take a look at http://maps.google.com/ using Opera's "Small Screen Rendering" mode and you'll see what I mean!
Cheers
David
David Healy
Web Designer
SAC - Scottish Agricultural College
King's Buildings, West Mains Road
Edinburgh EH9 3JG
T: +44 (0)131 535 4101
http://www.sac.ac.uk
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-----Original Message-----
From: Information Sharing List for Scottish Web Folk [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Tavis Reddick
Sent: 11 August 2006 15:19
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Google Maps
Hi Duncan
That looks really great, and the content management system looks easy to use for non-developers. My colleague here has experimented with Google Maps but our Marketing people haven't bitten yet, although since they've just requested an image gallery of our local area, I think we can steer them in this direction if we show them your working demo.
Does anyone know the accessibility issues regarding these maps? It may require JavaScript and a recent browser, and although tabbing worked well for me through the place name links, perhaps access keys are necessary for activating other controls?
Tavis
Tavis Reddick
Web Developer
ICT Systems Development
The Adam Smith College, Fife
________________________________
From: Information Sharing List for Scottish Web Folk [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Davidson, Duncan
Sent: 09 August 2006 10:12
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Google Maps
Hi all,
After the discussion on the use of Google Maps last Friday, I thought I would share what we have been doing here at Abertay. We are planning on integrating Google Maps into our external site in similar fashion to the example Brian showed. You can see this at http://development.abertay.ac.uk/dmackland/temp/googlemaps/index.htm. What makes ours different is that we have a management system behind it for updating and adding new locations. This is developed using Oracle's Application Express tool. If you haven't seen this before you can find out more at http://otn.oracle.com/apex/. The case study from Standard Life is particularly interesting, especially since it is Scottish! Apex is also the front-end to Oracle's free database system Oracle XE (http://otn.oracle.com/xe). Anyway I digress and it wasn't a rant! Unfortunately I can't give you access to the management system so I have attached a PDF of the manual we have written for its use.
If you have any questions please get in touch with either myself or David Mackland ([log in to unmask]) who did the work on this.
<<Managing GoogleMap Locations.pdf>>
Cheers,
Duncan
Duncan Davidson BSc(Hons) CEng MBCS CITP AMIMA
Information Manager
Corporate Information & Web Services
University of Abertay Dundee
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