Mapnik is an OpenSource C++/Python toolkit for developing mapping applications. At the core is a C++ shared library providing algorithms/patterns for spatial data access and visualization.
Essentially a collection of geographic objects (map, layer, datasource, feature, geometry), the library doesn’t rely on “windowing systems” and can be deployed in any server environment. It is intended to play fair in a multi-threaded environment and is aimed primarily, but not exclusively, at web-based development.
High-level Python bindings (boost.python) facilitate rapid application development, targeting zope3, django etc.
Mapnik is cross platform. Packages are available for most linux distributions and installers are commonly used on Mac OS X and windows.
Website: http://www.mapnik.org/
Licence: LGPL (GNU Lesser General Public Licence)
Software Version: 0.7.0
Supported Platforms: Windows, Linux, Mac
API Interfaces: C++, Python