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Mapnik is an open source 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 bindings (python, javascript, and ruby) facilitate rapid application development.

Mapnik is a free software and is released under LGPL (GNU Lesser General Public License) (see COPYING)

See INSTALL.md for installation instructions

For further information see http://mapnik.org