How do I write a text alternative for a map without giving navigation directions?

Describe the map’s purpose and the information a reader needs to understand—not how to travel through it. Identify what it shows, explain its visible organization, and state relevant relationships among labeled elements. For example, if it groups locations by category, name the categories and the locations under each, provided those labels are visible or supplied with the map.

W3C guidance includes maps among complex images and recommends a short description identifying the image, plus a longer text representation of its essential information when appropriate. [S1] Describe the map’s content, not an invented route. Don’t add distances, directions, geographic context, or claims about nearby features unless the material supports them.

Ask whether someone could understand the map’s main message from your words without being told how to get somewhere. If not, add missing visible information—not navigation advice.

Start with what the map is meant to communicate. Then inspect the map and its accompanying text for the information that carries that purpose. A legend may explain several symbols; a cluster of labels may express a grouping or comparison. Include these details if they are needed to convey the map’s message.

Separate observation from inference. You can report “the legend uses a square for libraries” if it says so. You can also report that several labeled squares appear together if that arrangement is visible. But don’t identify the section as a real neighborhood, state that one place is closer to another, or infer a boundary’s meaning unless the map or accompanying material establishes it.

Prioritize the title or stated purpose, the legend needed to interpret the content, and the labels or relationships that matter. If a detail is illegible or ambiguous, say so or leave it out rather than guessing.

Use this outline, filling it only with details supported by the actual map:

1. Short identification: “Map showing [subject or purpose].”
2. Organization: Explain how information is arranged, such as by category or labeled area.
3. Key: Explain symbols or colors when the legend identifies them and they matter to the message.
4. Essential content: Name relevant labels and describe visible groupings or comparisons.
5. Limits: Note an unclear label or relationship instead of guessing.

Fictional demonstration only—these labels and this arrangement are invented for the example:

Map showing a fictional library program’s three activity categories. The legend marks reading circles with circles and craft sessions with squares. The map labels two reading circles, “Oak Room” and “Pine Room,” and one craft session, “Clay Table.” “Oak Room” and “Pine Room” are grouped under “Reading circles”; “Clay Table” appears under “Craft session.”

This describes what the map organizes and what its labels mean without asserting where anything is or how to reach it. For a real map, replace every fictional detail with confirmed content.

Compare each factual phrase with the map and any reliable accompanying description. Confirm that labels are transcribed correctly, the legend supports your explanation of each symbol, and any claimed grouping is visible. Remove sentences that become routes, add geographic facts, or guess what an unclear marking means.

Keep the short identification concise and make the fuller explanation available to readers. W3C guidance supports pairing a short description with a longer representation for complex images when appropriate; it does not determine which details are essential for every map or verify facts about a map you have not supplied. [S1] Use the map’s purpose and content to make those choices. If you cannot establish what a symbol or label means, ask the map’s author or say that it is unclear.