Re: [AI] Made in India: World's first full atlas for the blind

[Vishakha More]

I would also like to have one. Please share the information regarding buying
the same.

Regards,

Vishakha.

-Original Message-
From: AccessIndia [mailto:accessindia-boun...@accessindia.org.in] On Behalf
Of Mohib Anwar Rafay
Sent: Saturday, January 14, 2017 7:08 PM
To: m.chandrashekar; AccessIndia: a list for discussing accessibility and
issues concerning the disabled.
Subject: Re: [AI] Made in India: World's first full atlas for the blind

I also wanted to purchase this map, but no clue how to go for buying it. .

On 1/14/17, m.chandrashekar <chandru...@gmail.com> wrote:
> how to get maps for the blind and how much cost?
>
> -Original Message-
> From: avinash shahi
> Sent: Monday, January 09, 2017 2:29 PM
> To: rcgaur ; accessindia ; jnuvision
> Subject: [AI] Made in India: World's first full atlas for the blind
>
> http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/science/made-in-india-worlds-
> first-full-atlas-for-the-blind/articleshow/56400928.cms
> TIRUPATI: Making maps available for the blind is not easy and the 
> world's first fully mass-reproduced atlas for the blind has been made 
> in India.
>
> Using maps comes so very naturally to the sighted but for the millions 
> of blind people of the world, maps were like a forbidden fruit.
>
> To the sighted, looking up the location of the nearest coffee shop or 
> the metro station is easy with maps now being an integral part of 
> smartphones.
>
> For the blind, maps were mostly inaccessible but now that is changing 
> for the 28 million visually-handicapped people in India with the 
> Department of Science and Technology having released an atlas 
> tailor-made for the blind.
>
> For the first time, blind people can get a feel of what India looks 
> like. To the sighted, the map of India is no surprise but to a person 
> who can't see, a map was totally inaccessible.
>
> The solution was to make a map that could be felt rather than be seen.
> In most blind people the tactile sensation is accentuated to 
> compensate for the loss of sight.
>
> The National Atlas and Thematic Mapping Organisation (NATMO) of 
> Kolkata after years of effort made this unique atlas. Here the map 
> outlines are raised and embossed on paper using silk screen printing 
> so that the blind can feel them and it is called a braille atlas.
>
> According to Prithvish Nag, former Surveyor General of India and 
> currently Vice Chancellor of the Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth, 
> Varanasi, "This is the first full atlas for the blind in the world."
>
> Speaking of other global initiatives, he says most other efforts in 
> the world have been to make individual-tactile maps but to make a full 
> atlas which can be mass produced, this Indian effort that started 
> under his leadership, is really one-of-its-kind in the world.
>
> On January 3, at the Indian Science Congress held here, Prime Minister 
> Narendra Modi presented the director of NATMO, Tapti Banerjee with the 
> 'National Award for Science and Technology Intervention in Empowering 
> the Physically Challenged' in recognition of this achievement.
>
> Speaking to some 11,000 scientists here, Modi said, "On the lines of 
> Corporate Social Responsibility, the concept of Scientific Social 
> Responsibility needs to be inculcated to connect our leading 
> institutions to all stakeholders, including schools and colleges. We 
> must create an environment for sharing of ideas and resources."
>
> This braille atlas is one such activity which will help the Devyang, 
> as the Prime Minister renamed the handicapped people some time back.
>
> According to estimates by the Ministry of Social Justice and 
> Empowerment, in 2015 there were over 16 million blind and 28 million 
> visually-impaired people in India and now for the first time they can 
> also 'visualise' maps. For people who have partial vision NATMO makes 
> maps with accentuated colours so they can see the maps despite their 
> low vision.
>
> According to the World Health Organisation, 285 million people are 
> estimated to be visually impaired worldwide, of which 39 million are 
> blind and 246 have low vision and sadly about 90 per cent of the 
> world's visually impaired live in low-income settings.
>
> India is home to the largest number of blind people in the world and 
> it is an unfortunate situation since according to experts about three 
> quarters of these are cases of avoidable blindness.
>
> Making an atlas for the blind was very challenging, says Banerjee 
> since the map itself has to be uncluttered as the blind feel the maps 
> with their fingers. In addition all the names and meta data of the 
> maps had to be accommodated in braille.
>
> The 84-page black-and-white atlas i

Re: [AI] Made in India: World's first full atlas for the blind

[Mohib Anwar Rafay]

I also wanted to purchase this map, but no clue how to go for buying it. .

On 1/14/17, m.chandrashekar <chandru...@gmail.com> wrote:
> how to get maps for the blind and how much cost?
>
> -Original Message-
> From: avinash shahi
> Sent: Monday, January 09, 2017 2:29 PM
> To: rcgaur ; accessindia ; jnuvision
> Subject: [AI] Made in India: World's first full atlas for the blind
>
> http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/science/made-in-india-worlds-first-full-atlas-for-the-blind/articleshow/56400928.cms
> TIRUPATI: Making maps available for the blind is not easy and the
> world's first fully mass-reproduced atlas for the blind has been made
> in India.
>
> Using maps comes so very naturally to the sighted but for the millions
> of blind people of the world, maps were like a forbidden fruit.
>
> To the sighted, looking up the location of the nearest coffee shop or
> the metro station is easy with maps now being an integral part of
> smartphones.
>
> For the blind, maps were mostly inaccessible but now that is changing
> for the 28 million visually-handicapped people in India with the
> Department of Science and Technology having released an atlas
> tailor-made for the blind.
>
> For the first time, blind people can get a feel of what India looks
> like. To the sighted, the map of India is no surprise but to a person
> who can't see, a map was totally inaccessible.
>
> The solution was to make a map that could be felt rather than be seen.
> In most blind people the tactile sensation is accentuated to
> compensate for the loss of sight.
>
> The National Atlas and Thematic Mapping Organisation (NATMO) of
> Kolkata after years of effort made this unique atlas. Here the map
> outlines are raised and embossed on paper using silk screen printing
> so that the blind can feel them and it is called a braille atlas.
>
> According to Prithvish Nag, former Surveyor General of India and
> currently Vice Chancellor of the Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth,
> Varanasi, "This is the first full atlas for the blind in the world."
>
> Speaking of other global initiatives, he says most other efforts in
> the world have been to make individual-tactile maps but to make a full
> atlas which can be mass produced, this Indian effort that started
> under his leadership, is really one-of-its-kind in the world.
>
> On January 3, at the Indian Science Congress held here, Prime Minister
> Narendra Modi presented the director of NATMO, Tapti Banerjee with the
> 'National Award for Science and Technology Intervention in Empowering
> the Physically Challenged' in recognition of this achievement.
>
> Speaking to some 11,000 scientists here, Modi said, "On the lines of
> Corporate Social Responsibility, the concept of Scientific Social
> Responsibility needs to be inculcated to connect our leading
> institutions to all stakeholders, including schools and colleges. We
> must create an environment for sharing of ideas and resources."
>
> This braille atlas is one such activity which will help the Devyang,
> as the Prime Minister renamed the handicapped people some time back.
>
> According to estimates by the Ministry of Social Justice and
> Empowerment, in 2015 there were over 16 million blind and 28 million
> visually-impaired people in India and now for the first time they can
> also 'visualise' maps. For people who have partial vision NATMO makes
> maps with accentuated colours so they can see the maps despite their
> low vision.
>
> According to the World Health Organisation, 285 million people are
> estimated to be visually impaired worldwide, of which 39 million are
> blind and 246 have low vision and sadly about 90 per cent of the
> world's visually impaired live in low-income settings.
>
> India is home to the largest number of blind people in the world and
> it is an unfortunate situation since according to experts about three
> quarters of these are cases of avoidable blindness.
>
> Making an atlas for the blind was very challenging, says Banerjee
> since the map itself has to be uncluttered as the blind feel the maps
> with their fingers. In addition all the names and meta data of the
> maps had to be accommodated in braille.
>
> The 84-page black-and-white atlas is made on oversized A-3 size paper
> so that all the information could be easily accommodated.
>
> According to Banerjee the work on this project started way back in
> 1997 and her team members had to first master braille to make the
> atlas. She laments the work took so long simply because the government
> cut the staff strength of NATMO from a high of 500 to just 150. With
> an annual budget of Rs 6 crore NATMO has made as many as 2000
> different normal maps ava

Re: [AI] Made in India: World's first full atlas for the blind

[m.chandrashekar]

how to get maps for the blind and how much cost?

-Original Message- 
From: avinash shahi

Sent: Monday, January 09, 2017 2:29 PM
To: rcgaur ; accessindia ; jnuvision
Subject: [AI] Made in India: World's first full atlas for the blind

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/science/made-in-india-worlds-first-full-atlas-for-the-blind/articleshow/56400928.cms
TIRUPATI: Making maps available for the blind is not easy and the
world's first fully mass-reproduced atlas for the blind has been made
in India.

Using maps comes so very naturally to the sighted but for the millions
of blind people of the world, maps were like a forbidden fruit.

To the sighted, looking up the location of the nearest coffee shop or
the metro station is easy with maps now being an integral part of
smartphones.

For the blind, maps were mostly inaccessible but now that is changing
for the 28 million visually-handicapped people in India with the
Department of Science and Technology having released an atlas
tailor-made for the blind.

For the first time, blind people can get a feel of what India looks
like. To the sighted, the map of India is no surprise but to a person
who can't see, a map was totally inaccessible.

The solution was to make a map that could be felt rather than be seen.
In most blind people the tactile sensation is accentuated to
compensate for the loss of sight.

The National Atlas and Thematic Mapping Organisation (NATMO) of
Kolkata after years of effort made this unique atlas. Here the map
outlines are raised and embossed on paper using silk screen printing
so that the blind can feel them and it is called a braille atlas.

According to Prithvish Nag, former Surveyor General of India and
currently Vice Chancellor of the Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth,
Varanasi, "This is the first full atlas for the blind in the world."

Speaking of other global initiatives, he says most other efforts in
the world have been to make individual-tactile maps but to make a full
atlas which can be mass produced, this Indian effort that started
under his leadership, is really one-of-its-kind in the world.

On January 3, at the Indian Science Congress held here, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi presented the director of NATMO, Tapti Banerjee with the
'National Award for Science and Technology Intervention in Empowering
the Physically Challenged' in recognition of this achievement.

Speaking to some 11,000 scientists here, Modi said, "On the lines of
Corporate Social Responsibility, the concept of Scientific Social
Responsibility needs to be inculcated to connect our leading
institutions to all stakeholders, including schools and colleges. We
must create an environment for sharing of ideas and resources."

This braille atlas is one such activity which will help the Devyang,
as the Prime Minister renamed the handicapped people some time back.

According to estimates by the Ministry of Social Justice and
Empowerment, in 2015 there were over 16 million blind and 28 million
visually-impaired people in India and now for the first time they can
also 'visualise' maps. For people who have partial vision NATMO makes
maps with accentuated colours so they can see the maps despite their
low vision.

According to the World Health Organisation, 285 million people are
estimated to be visually impaired worldwide, of which 39 million are
blind and 246 have low vision and sadly about 90 per cent of the
world's visually impaired live in low-income settings.

India is home to the largest number of blind people in the world and
it is an unfortunate situation since according to experts about three
quarters of these are cases of avoidable blindness.

Making an atlas for the blind was very challenging, says Banerjee
since the map itself has to be uncluttered as the blind feel the maps
with their fingers. In addition all the names and meta data of the
maps had to be accommodated in braille.

The 84-page black-and-white atlas is made on oversized A-3 size paper
so that all the information could be easily accommodated.

According to Banerjee the work on this project started way back in
1997 and her team members had to first master braille to make the
atlas. She laments the work took so long simply because the government
cut the staff strength of NATMO from a high of 500 to just 150. With
an annual budget of Rs 6 crore NATMO has made as many as 2000
different normal maps available on paper.

The atlas has been prepared not only in English but also in Bengali,
Gujarati and Telugu, there are 20 different basic maps that range from
the political map of India, to the physical map of India to various
soil types found in India.

NATMO has printed some 500 copies of the braille atlas which cost them
about Rs 1000 each and these are being distributed free to all the
blind schools of India.

The atlas made by NATMO is rather bulky since high quality glazed
paper has been used and then using a special printing technique the
raised embossing has bee

Re: [AI] Made in India: World's first full atlas for the blind

[Pranav Lal]

Yes, I believe there is a talking atlas but it works only on iPads.

-Original Message-
From: AccessIndia [mailto:accessindia-boun...@accessindia.org.in] On Behalf Of
Asudani, Rajesh
Sent: Tuesday, January 10, 2017 10:41 AM
To: AccessIndia: a list for discussing accessibility and issues concerning the
disabled. <accessindia@accessindia.org.in>
Subject: Re: [AI] Made in India: World's first full atlas for the blind

I would prefer a talking atlas, maybe on a mobile.
Is there such an app?


-Original Message-
From: AccessIndia [mailto:accessindia-boun...@accessindia.org.in] On Behalf Of
Prashant Verma
Sent: Monday, January 09, 2017 10:21 PM
To: AccessIndia: a list for discussing accessibility and issues concerning the
disabled.
Cc: jnuvision; rcgaur
Subject: Re: [AI] Made in India: World's first full atlas for the blind

Their email id on the website is not working.
I think people will have to call them.
Their website is http://www.natmo.gov.in/contactus


-Original Message-
From: AccessIndia [mailto:accessindia-boun...@accessindia.org.in] On Behalf Of
Sana Samad
Sent: 09 January 2017 22:10
To: AccessIndia: a list for discussing accessibility and issues concerning the
disabled.
Cc: jnuvision; rcgaur
Subject: Re: [AI] Made in India: World's first full atlas for the blind

Commandable job done by NATMO. Can we as individuals purchase the atlas.
What is the procedure? I wish NATMO good luck for their future projects.

On 1/9/17, avinash shahi <shahi88avin...@gmail.com> wrote:
> http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/science/made-in-india-worlds-
> first-full-atlas-for-the-blind/articleshow/56400928.cms
> TIRUPATI: Making maps available for the blind is not easy and the 
> world's first fully mass-reproduced atlas for the blind has been made 
> in India.
>
> Using maps comes so very naturally to the sighted but for the millions 
> of blind people of the world, maps were like a forbidden fruit.
>
> To the sighted, looking up the location of the nearest coffee shop or 
> the metro station is easy with maps now being an integral part of 
> smartphones.
>
> For the blind, maps were mostly inaccessible but now that is changing 
> for the 28 million visually-handicapped people in India with the 
> Department of Science and Technology having released an atlas 
> tailor-made for the blind.
>
> For the first time, blind people can get a feel of what India looks 
> like. To the sighted, the map of India is no surprise but to a person 
> who can't see, a map was totally inaccessible.
>
> The solution was to make a map that could be felt rather than be seen.
> In most blind people the tactile sensation is accentuated to 
> compensate for the loss of sight.
>
> The National Atlas and Thematic Mapping Organisation (NATMO) of 
> Kolkata after years of effort made this unique atlas. Here the map 
> outlines are raised and embossed on paper using silk screen printing 
> so that the blind can feel them and it is called a braille atlas.
>
> According to Prithvish Nag, former Surveyor General of India and 
> currently Vice Chancellor of the Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth, 
> Varanasi, "This is the first full atlas for the blind in the world."
>
> Speaking of other global initiatives, he says most other efforts in 
> the world have been to make individual-tactile maps but to make a full 
> atlas which can be mass produced, this Indian effort that started 
> under his leadership, is really one-of-its-kind in the world.
>
> On January 3, at the Indian Science Congress held here, Prime Minister 
> Narendra Modi presented the director of NATMO, Tapti Banerjee with the 
> 'National Award for Science and Technology Intervention in Empowering 
> the Physically Challenged' in recognition of this achievement.
>
> Speaking to some 11,000 scientists here, Modi said, "On the lines of 
> Corporate Social Responsibility, the concept of Scientific Social 
> Responsibility needs to be inculcated to connect our leading 
> institutions to all stakeholders, including schools and colleges. We 
> must create an environment for sharing of ideas and resources."
>
> This braille atlas is one such activity which will help the Devyang, 
> as the Prime Minister renamed the handicapped people some time back.
>
> According to estimates by the Ministry of Social Justice and 
> Empowerment, in 2015 there were over 16 million blind and 28 million 
> visually-impaired people in India and now for the first time they can 
> also 'visualise' maps. For people who have partial vision NATMO makes 
> maps with accentuated colours so they can see the maps despite their 
> low vision.
>
> According to the World Health Organisation, 285 million people are 
> estimated to be visually impaired worldwide, of which 39 million are 

Re: [AI] Made in India: World's first full atlas for the blind

[Asudani, Rajesh]

I would prefer a talking atlas, maybe on a mobile.
Is there such an app?


-Original Message-
From: AccessIndia [mailto:accessindia-boun...@accessindia.org.in] On Behalf Of 
Prashant Verma 
Sent: Monday, January 09, 2017 10:21 PM
To: AccessIndia: a list for discussing accessibility and issues concerning the 
disabled.
Cc: jnuvision; rcgaur
Subject: Re: [AI] Made in India: World's first full atlas for the blind

Their email id on the website is not working.
I think people will have to call them.
Their website is http://www.natmo.gov.in/contactus


-Original Message-
From: AccessIndia [mailto:accessindia-boun...@accessindia.org.in] On Behalf
Of Sana Samad
Sent: 09 January 2017 22:10
To: AccessIndia: a list for discussing accessibility and issues concerning
the disabled.
Cc: jnuvision; rcgaur
Subject: Re: [AI] Made in India: World's first full atlas for the blind

Commandable job done by NATMO. Can we as individuals purchase the atlas.
What is the procedure? I wish NATMO good luck for their future projects.

On 1/9/17, avinash shahi <shahi88avin...@gmail.com> wrote:
> http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/science/made-in-india-worlds-
> first-full-atlas-for-the-blind/articleshow/56400928.cms
> TIRUPATI: Making maps available for the blind is not easy and the
> world's first fully mass-reproduced atlas for the blind has been made
> in India.
>
> Using maps comes so very naturally to the sighted but for the millions
> of blind people of the world, maps were like a forbidden fruit.
>
> To the sighted, looking up the location of the nearest coffee shop or
> the metro station is easy with maps now being an integral part of
> smartphones.
>
> For the blind, maps were mostly inaccessible but now that is changing
> for the 28 million visually-handicapped people in India with the
> Department of Science and Technology having released an atlas
> tailor-made for the blind.
>
> For the first time, blind people can get a feel of what India looks
> like. To the sighted, the map of India is no surprise but to a person
> who can't see, a map was totally inaccessible.
>
> The solution was to make a map that could be felt rather than be seen.
> In most blind people the tactile sensation is accentuated to
> compensate for the loss of sight.
>
> The National Atlas and Thematic Mapping Organisation (NATMO) of
> Kolkata after years of effort made this unique atlas. Here the map
> outlines are raised and embossed on paper using silk screen printing
> so that the blind can feel them and it is called a braille atlas.
>
> According to Prithvish Nag, former Surveyor General of India and
> currently Vice Chancellor of the Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth,
> Varanasi, "This is the first full atlas for the blind in the world."
>
> Speaking of other global initiatives, he says most other efforts in
> the world have been to make individual-tactile maps but to make a full
> atlas which can be mass produced, this Indian effort that started
> under his leadership, is really one-of-its-kind in the world.
>
> On January 3, at the Indian Science Congress held here, Prime Minister
> Narendra Modi presented the director of NATMO, Tapti Banerjee with the
> 'National Award for Science and Technology Intervention in Empowering
> the Physically Challenged' in recognition of this achievement.
>
> Speaking to some 11,000 scientists here, Modi said, "On the lines of
> Corporate Social Responsibility, the concept of Scientific Social
> Responsibility needs to be inculcated to connect our leading
> institutions to all stakeholders, including schools and colleges. We
> must create an environment for sharing of ideas and resources."
>
> This braille atlas is one such activity which will help the Devyang,
> as the Prime Minister renamed the handicapped people some time back.
>
> According to estimates by the Ministry of Social Justice and
> Empowerment, in 2015 there were over 16 million blind and 28 million
> visually-impaired people in India and now for the first time they can
> also 'visualise' maps. For people who have partial vision NATMO makes
> maps with accentuated colours so they can see the maps despite their
> low vision.
>
> According to the World Health Organisation, 285 million people are
> estimated to be visually impaired worldwide, of which 39 million are
> blind and 246 have low vision and sadly about 90 per cent of the
> world's visually impaired live in low-income settings.
>
> India is home to the largest number of blind people in the world and
> it is an unfortunate situation since according to experts about three
> quarters of these are cases of avoidable blindness.
>
> Making an atlas for the blind was very challenging, says Banerjee
> since the map itself has to be uncluttered

Re: [AI] Made in India: World's first full atlas for the blind

[Prashant Verma]

Their email id on the website is not working. 
I think people will have to call them.
Their website is http://www.natmo.gov.in/contactus 


-Original Message-
From: AccessIndia [mailto:accessindia-boun...@accessindia.org.in] On Behalf
Of Sana Samad
Sent: 09 January 2017 22:10
To: AccessIndia: a list for discussing accessibility and issues concerning
the disabled.
Cc: jnuvision; rcgaur
Subject: Re: [AI] Made in India: World's first full atlas for the blind

Commandable job done by NATMO. Can we as individuals purchase the atlas.
What is the procedure? I wish NATMO good luck for their future projects.

On 1/9/17, avinash shahi <shahi88avin...@gmail.com> wrote:
> http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/science/made-in-india-worlds-
> first-full-atlas-for-the-blind/articleshow/56400928.cms
> TIRUPATI: Making maps available for the blind is not easy and the 
> world's first fully mass-reproduced atlas for the blind has been made 
> in India.
>
> Using maps comes so very naturally to the sighted but for the millions 
> of blind people of the world, maps were like a forbidden fruit.
>
> To the sighted, looking up the location of the nearest coffee shop or 
> the metro station is easy with maps now being an integral part of 
> smartphones.
>
> For the blind, maps were mostly inaccessible but now that is changing 
> for the 28 million visually-handicapped people in India with the 
> Department of Science and Technology having released an atlas 
> tailor-made for the blind.
>
> For the first time, blind people can get a feel of what India looks 
> like. To the sighted, the map of India is no surprise but to a person 
> who can't see, a map was totally inaccessible.
>
> The solution was to make a map that could be felt rather than be seen.
> In most blind people the tactile sensation is accentuated to 
> compensate for the loss of sight.
>
> The National Atlas and Thematic Mapping Organisation (NATMO) of 
> Kolkata after years of effort made this unique atlas. Here the map 
> outlines are raised and embossed on paper using silk screen printing 
> so that the blind can feel them and it is called a braille atlas.
>
> According to Prithvish Nag, former Surveyor General of India and 
> currently Vice Chancellor of the Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth, 
> Varanasi, "This is the first full atlas for the blind in the world."
>
> Speaking of other global initiatives, he says most other efforts in 
> the world have been to make individual-tactile maps but to make a full 
> atlas which can be mass produced, this Indian effort that started 
> under his leadership, is really one-of-its-kind in the world.
>
> On January 3, at the Indian Science Congress held here, Prime Minister 
> Narendra Modi presented the director of NATMO, Tapti Banerjee with the 
> 'National Award for Science and Technology Intervention in Empowering 
> the Physically Challenged' in recognition of this achievement.
>
> Speaking to some 11,000 scientists here, Modi said, "On the lines of 
> Corporate Social Responsibility, the concept of Scientific Social 
> Responsibility needs to be inculcated to connect our leading 
> institutions to all stakeholders, including schools and colleges. We 
> must create an environment for sharing of ideas and resources."
>
> This braille atlas is one such activity which will help the Devyang, 
> as the Prime Minister renamed the handicapped people some time back.
>
> According to estimates by the Ministry of Social Justice and 
> Empowerment, in 2015 there were over 16 million blind and 28 million 
> visually-impaired people in India and now for the first time they can 
> also 'visualise' maps. For people who have partial vision NATMO makes 
> maps with accentuated colours so they can see the maps despite their 
> low vision.
>
> According to the World Health Organisation, 285 million people are 
> estimated to be visually impaired worldwide, of which 39 million are 
> blind and 246 have low vision and sadly about 90 per cent of the 
> world's visually impaired live in low-income settings.
>
> India is home to the largest number of blind people in the world and 
> it is an unfortunate situation since according to experts about three 
> quarters of these are cases of avoidable blindness.
>
> Making an atlas for the blind was very challenging, says Banerjee 
> since the map itself has to be uncluttered as the blind feel the maps 
> with their fingers. In addition all the names and meta data of the 
> maps had to be accommodated in braille.
>
> The 84-page black-and-white atlas is made on oversized A-3 size paper 
> so that all the information could be easily accommodated.
>
> According to Banerjee the work on this project started way back in
> 1997 and h

Re: [AI] Made in India: World's first full atlas for the blind

[Sana Samad]

Commandable job done by NATMO. Can we as individuals purchase the
atlas. What is the procedure? I wish NATMO good luck for their future
projects.

On 1/9/17, avinash shahi  wrote:
> http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/science/made-in-india-worlds-first-full-atlas-for-the-blind/articleshow/56400928.cms
> TIRUPATI: Making maps available for the blind is not easy and the
> world's first fully mass-reproduced atlas for the blind has been made
> in India.
>
> Using maps comes so very naturally to the sighted but for the millions
> of blind people of the world, maps were like a forbidden fruit.
>
> To the sighted, looking up the location of the nearest coffee shop or
> the metro station is easy with maps now being an integral part of
> smartphones.
>
> For the blind, maps were mostly inaccessible but now that is changing
> for the 28 million visually-handicapped people in India with the
> Department of Science and Technology having released an atlas
> tailor-made for the blind.
>
> For the first time, blind people can get a feel of what India looks
> like. To the sighted, the map of India is no surprise but to a person
> who can't see, a map was totally inaccessible.
>
> The solution was to make a map that could be felt rather than be seen.
> In most blind people the tactile sensation is accentuated to
> compensate for the loss of sight.
>
> The National Atlas and Thematic Mapping Organisation (NATMO) of
> Kolkata after years of effort made this unique atlas. Here the map
> outlines are raised and embossed on paper using silk screen printing
> so that the blind can feel them and it is called a braille atlas.
>
> According to Prithvish Nag, former Surveyor General of India and
> currently Vice Chancellor of the Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth,
> Varanasi, "This is the first full atlas for the blind in the world."
>
> Speaking of other global initiatives, he says most other efforts in
> the world have been to make individual-tactile maps but to make a full
> atlas which can be mass produced, this Indian effort that started
> under his leadership, is really one-of-its-kind in the world.
>
> On January 3, at the Indian Science Congress held here, Prime Minister
> Narendra Modi presented the director of NATMO, Tapti Banerjee with the
> 'National Award for Science and Technology Intervention in Empowering
> the Physically Challenged' in recognition of this achievement.
>
> Speaking to some 11,000 scientists here, Modi said, "On the lines of
> Corporate Social Responsibility, the concept of Scientific Social
> Responsibility needs to be inculcated to connect our leading
> institutions to all stakeholders, including schools and colleges. We
> must create an environment for sharing of ideas and resources."
>
> This braille atlas is one such activity which will help the Devyang,
> as the Prime Minister renamed the handicapped people some time back.
>
> According to estimates by the Ministry of Social Justice and
> Empowerment, in 2015 there were over 16 million blind and 28 million
> visually-impaired people in India and now for the first time they can
> also 'visualise' maps. For people who have partial vision NATMO makes
> maps with accentuated colours so they can see the maps despite their
> low vision.
>
> According to the World Health Organisation, 285 million people are
> estimated to be visually impaired worldwide, of which 39 million are
> blind and 246 have low vision and sadly about 90 per cent of the
> world's visually impaired live in low-income settings.
>
> India is home to the largest number of blind people in the world and
> it is an unfortunate situation since according to experts about three
> quarters of these are cases of avoidable blindness.
>
> Making an atlas for the blind was very challenging, says Banerjee
> since the map itself has to be uncluttered as the blind feel the maps
> with their fingers. In addition all the names and meta data of the
> maps had to be accommodated in braille.
>
> The 84-page black-and-white atlas is made on oversized A-3 size paper
> so that all the information could be easily accommodated.
>
> According to Banerjee the work on this project started way back in
> 1997 and her team members had to first master braille to make the
> atlas. She laments the work took so long simply because the government
> cut the staff strength of NATMO from a high of 500 to just 150. With
> an annual budget of Rs 6 crore NATMO has made as many as 2000
> different normal maps available on paper.
>
> The atlas has been prepared not only in English but also in Bengali,
> Gujarati and Telugu, there are 20 different basic maps that range from
> the political map of India, to the physical map of India to various
> soil types found in India.
>
> NATMO has printed some 500 copies of the braille atlas which cost them
> about Rs 1000 each and these are being distributed free to all the
> blind schools of India.
>
> The atlas made by NATMO is rather bulky since high 

Re: [AI] Made in India: World's first full atlas for the blind

[Aravind R]

how to purchase that map?

On 1/9/17, avinash shahi  wrote:
> http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/science/made-in-india-worlds-first-full-atlas-for-the-blind/articleshow/56400928.cms
> TIRUPATI: Making maps available for the blind is not easy and the
> world's first fully mass-reproduced atlas for the blind has been made
> in India.
>
> Using maps comes so very naturally to the sighted but for the millions
> of blind people of the world, maps were like a forbidden fruit.
>
> To the sighted, looking up the location of the nearest coffee shop or
> the metro station is easy with maps now being an integral part of
> smartphones.
>
> For the blind, maps were mostly inaccessible but now that is changing
> for the 28 million visually-handicapped people in India with the
> Department of Science and Technology having released an atlas
> tailor-made for the blind.
>
> For the first time, blind people can get a feel of what India looks
> like. To the sighted, the map of India is no surprise but to a person
> who can't see, a map was totally inaccessible.
>
> The solution was to make a map that could be felt rather than be seen.
> In most blind people the tactile sensation is accentuated to
> compensate for the loss of sight.
>
> The National Atlas and Thematic Mapping Organisation (NATMO) of
> Kolkata after years of effort made this unique atlas. Here the map
> outlines are raised and embossed on paper using silk screen printing
> so that the blind can feel them and it is called a braille atlas.
>
> According to Prithvish Nag, former Surveyor General of India and
> currently Vice Chancellor of the Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth,
> Varanasi, "This is the first full atlas for the blind in the world."
>
> Speaking of other global initiatives, he says most other efforts in
> the world have been to make individual-tactile maps but to make a full
> atlas which can be mass produced, this Indian effort that started
> under his leadership, is really one-of-its-kind in the world.
>
> On January 3, at the Indian Science Congress held here, Prime Minister
> Narendra Modi presented the director of NATMO, Tapti Banerjee with the
> 'National Award for Science and Technology Intervention in Empowering
> the Physically Challenged' in recognition of this achievement.
>
> Speaking to some 11,000 scientists here, Modi said, "On the lines of
> Corporate Social Responsibility, the concept of Scientific Social
> Responsibility needs to be inculcated to connect our leading
> institutions to all stakeholders, including schools and colleges. We
> must create an environment for sharing of ideas and resources."
>
> This braille atlas is one such activity which will help the Devyang,
> as the Prime Minister renamed the handicapped people some time back.
>
> According to estimates by the Ministry of Social Justice and
> Empowerment, in 2015 there were over 16 million blind and 28 million
> visually-impaired people in India and now for the first time they can
> also 'visualise' maps. For people who have partial vision NATMO makes
> maps with accentuated colours so they can see the maps despite their
> low vision.
>
> According to the World Health Organisation, 285 million people are
> estimated to be visually impaired worldwide, of which 39 million are
> blind and 246 have low vision and sadly about 90 per cent of the
> world's visually impaired live in low-income settings.
>
> India is home to the largest number of blind people in the world and
> it is an unfortunate situation since according to experts about three
> quarters of these are cases of avoidable blindness.
>
> Making an atlas for the blind was very challenging, says Banerjee
> since the map itself has to be uncluttered as the blind feel the maps
> with their fingers. In addition all the names and meta data of the
> maps had to be accommodated in braille.
>
> The 84-page black-and-white atlas is made on oversized A-3 size paper
> so that all the information could be easily accommodated.
>
> According to Banerjee the work on this project started way back in
> 1997 and her team members had to first master braille to make the
> atlas. She laments the work took so long simply because the government
> cut the staff strength of NATMO from a high of 500 to just 150. With
> an annual budget of Rs 6 crore NATMO has made as many as 2000
> different normal maps available on paper.
>
> The atlas has been prepared not only in English but also in Bengali,
> Gujarati and Telugu, there are 20 different basic maps that range from
> the political map of India, to the physical map of India to various
> soil types found in India.
>
> NATMO has printed some 500 copies of the braille atlas which cost them
> about Rs 1000 each and these are being distributed free to all the
> blind schools of India.
>
> The atlas made by NATMO is rather bulky since high quality glazed
> paper has been used and then using a special printing technique the
> raised embossing has been achieved, 

[AI] Made in India: World's first full atlas for the blind

[avinash shahi]

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/science/made-in-india-worlds-first-full-atlas-for-the-blind/articleshow/56400928.cms
TIRUPATI: Making maps available for the blind is not easy and the
world's first fully mass-reproduced atlas for the blind has been made
in India.

Using maps comes so very naturally to the sighted but for the millions
of blind people of the world, maps were like a forbidden fruit.

To the sighted, looking up the location of the nearest coffee shop or
the metro station is easy with maps now being an integral part of
smartphones.

For the blind, maps were mostly inaccessible but now that is changing
for the 28 million visually-handicapped people in India with the
Department of Science and Technology having released an atlas
tailor-made for the blind.

For the first time, blind people can get a feel of what India looks
like. To the sighted, the map of India is no surprise but to a person
who can't see, a map was totally inaccessible.

The solution was to make a map that could be felt rather than be seen.
In most blind people the tactile sensation is accentuated to
compensate for the loss of sight.

The National Atlas and Thematic Mapping Organisation (NATMO) of
Kolkata after years of effort made this unique atlas. Here the map
outlines are raised and embossed on paper using silk screen printing
so that the blind can feel them and it is called a braille atlas.

According to Prithvish Nag, former Surveyor General of India and
currently Vice Chancellor of the Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth,
Varanasi, "This is the first full atlas for the blind in the world."

Speaking of other global initiatives, he says most other efforts in
the world have been to make individual-tactile maps but to make a full
atlas which can be mass produced, this Indian effort that started
under his leadership, is really one-of-its-kind in the world.

On January 3, at the Indian Science Congress held here, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi presented the director of NATMO, Tapti Banerjee with the
'National Award for Science and Technology Intervention in Empowering
the Physically Challenged' in recognition of this achievement.

Speaking to some 11,000 scientists here, Modi said, "On the lines of
Corporate Social Responsibility, the concept of Scientific Social
Responsibility needs to be inculcated to connect our leading
institutions to all stakeholders, including schools and colleges. We
must create an environment for sharing of ideas and resources."

This braille atlas is one such activity which will help the Devyang,
as the Prime Minister renamed the handicapped people some time back.

According to estimates by the Ministry of Social Justice and
Empowerment, in 2015 there were over 16 million blind and 28 million
visually-impaired people in India and now for the first time they can
also 'visualise' maps. For people who have partial vision NATMO makes
maps with accentuated colours so they can see the maps despite their
low vision.

According to the World Health Organisation, 285 million people are
estimated to be visually impaired worldwide, of which 39 million are
blind and 246 have low vision and sadly about 90 per cent of the
world's visually impaired live in low-income settings.

India is home to the largest number of blind people in the world and
it is an unfortunate situation since according to experts about three
quarters of these are cases of avoidable blindness.

Making an atlas for the blind was very challenging, says Banerjee
since the map itself has to be uncluttered as the blind feel the maps
with their fingers. In addition all the names and meta data of the
maps had to be accommodated in braille.

The 84-page black-and-white atlas is made on oversized A-3 size paper
so that all the information could be easily accommodated.

According to Banerjee the work on this project started way back in
1997 and her team members had to first master braille to make the
atlas. She laments the work took so long simply because the government
cut the staff strength of NATMO from a high of 500 to just 150. With
an annual budget of Rs 6 crore NATMO has made as many as 2000
different normal maps available on paper.

The atlas has been prepared not only in English but also in Bengali,
Gujarati and Telugu, there are 20 different basic maps that range from
the political map of India, to the physical map of India to various
soil types found in India.

NATMO has printed some 500 copies of the braille atlas which cost them
about Rs 1000 each and these are being distributed free to all the
blind schools of India.

The atlas made by NATMO is rather bulky since high quality glazed
paper has been used and then using a special printing technique the
raised embossing has been achieved, explains Banerjee. In the upcoming
edition light weight imported paper will be used where embossing is
easier to do, says Banerjee. This may make the atlas for the blind
light weight and more portable.

As NATMO embraces the digital environment the next stage 

[AI] Made in India

[Akhilesh Malani]

Hello,

the first-ever web browser for India

the world's only antivirus browser

Epic Browser

Powered by Mozilla

http://www.epicbrowser.com/

-- 
When I Am Here, Then Why Do You Fear

Thanks and regards

Akhilesh Malani
Transition processing officer.
Mphasis
Kshema Dhama, no.1-Globle Village,
Mysore road,
Bangalore-560059
Bangalore's mob no- +919620133716, +919342232100
 Chennai's Mob no: +919840226825
Skype id: akhi_25thcentury
E-mail id: malani.akhil...@gmail.com

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[AI] Made in India PC for just about $ 100

[Renuka Warriar]

The Hindu News Update Service

News Update Service
Sunday, April 29, 2007 : 1045 Hrs

Sci.  Tech.
Made in India PC for just about $ 100

New Delhi, April 29 (PTI): While global computing giants like IBM and AMD are 
yet to give shape to their ambitious plans for a computer that costs 100 dollars
or less, an Indian company has already set its eyes on 10 million potential 
customers with its up-and-running PC priced at Rs 4,500 only.

The machine, launched by Chennai-based Novatium Solutions in 2004, costs a 
little over 100 dollars as of today in the US currency, thanks to the 
depreciation
in the greenback, but it was priced at less than 100 dollars till a few months 
back.

Novatium is targeting 10 million users in the next five years for this 
innovative product, company CEO Alok Singh told PTI from Chennai.

The company has already started a successful commercial pilot for its NetPC 
computer in Chennai, he said.

Since our trial was commercial in nature, we plan to stick to it. Going 
forward, we plan to expand into 6-7 big cities in the next year. Some of our 
immediate
plans are going into two new cities in this quarter and two more in the next 
quarter, Singh said.

Novatium was co-founded by US-based Analog Devices chairman Ray Stata, Netcore 
Solutions managing director Rajesh Jain and professor Ashok Jhunjhunwala
of IIT Madras.

The company's NetPC works on a thin client concept. This is a small box and 
does not contain any software or application. It is linked to a central server,
which hosts all applications.

Network PC (NetPC) costs around 100 dollars (less than Rs 4,400) and along 
with a monthly subscription of around Rs 400, it provides you with internet
connection and almost everything like authentic softwares, applications etc, 
Singh said.

The use of mobile chips forms the basis of our low-cost computer model, he 
added.

NetPC is probably one of the very few successful attempts when a company has 
been able to replicate a business model that combines philanthropy with sound
economic sense.

US-based business software giant Oracle Corporation's founder Larry Ellison had 
mooted the idea of a low-cost network computer way back in 1990, while Nicholas
Negroponte, the former director of Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media 
Labs, has been long outlining designs for a sub-100 dollar computer.

In 2005, chip maker AMD also ventured out in the low-cost computing space and 
similarly, while Intel is also investigating ways to make low-cost PCs available
in Eastern Europe, India and other developing areas.

When Negroponte, now heading the ambitious non-profit global project One Laptop 
Per Child, first unveiled his 100 dollar computer model in 2005, the computing
legend Bill Gates scoffed it for not being a decent machine.

Things have changed a lot since then and when Negroponte revealed the machine 
finally last week, it turned out to be running on Microsoft's operating system,
Windows XP Starter Edition.

However, the cost of the product coming out from One Laptop Per Child, designed 
for school children in developing countries, has been put at 175 dollars
-- which is quite higher than that of the Indian NetPC product.

According to experts, the price of softwares especially operating systems and 
expensive add-ons ramps up the price of desktop computers. This has a domino
effect and when it finally arrives to the end-user it costs at least 300-400 
dollars (Rs 14,000 -17,500).

While TV and mobile phone penetration has gone up by leaps and bounds, 
computing is nowhere. A way to increase computer users in the country could be 
by
making computers at a less cost and then offering the same at a lesser price, 
Singh said.

Novatium devices support all the common network operating systems, namely, 
Windows 2000, Windows 2003, Solaris 9 and 10, Red Hat Linux and other Linux 
distributions.

The company has tied-up with various partners and is planning to ramp up 
operations soon, Singh said.

Due to our business-model we had to tie up with partners that take care of 
content applications, server applications, he said, adding that these partners
provide critical links for our personal computer network.

The challenge for my company is to bring in new users and with the kind of 
targets we have set, we are confident more and more people will use NetPC,
Singh said.

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