Upcoming Mapnik 2 release (first in series)

Major new features:

• Expressions support ( dynamic/data-driven symbolizers - #359, #70,#352)
• SVG Symbol support, including Gradients
• "!MetaWriters": Support for outputting GeoJSON of rendered features (see: MetaWriter)
• Python3 support (wiki:Python3k)
• Better raster scaling methods like lanczos, cubic, and higher quality bilinear (#656)
• New RasterColorizer for color ramping data rasters
• Support for "interior" placement of points and labels (aka point_on_surface) #709
• Performance improvements under high concurrent load (avoidance of proj4 locking)
• Addition of a 'mapnik-config' program to query mapnik settings
• Support for XInclude in stylesheets: #567 ([http://trac.mapnik.org/browser/trunk/tests/data/good_maps/xinclude examples])
• New plugins: Rasterlite, GEOS, templates/hello_world
• NUmerous improvements to alpha blending in raster support
• New usage of boost::spirit 2 for parsing (colors, filters, expressions)
  • This means much 'slower' compiles but faster runtime code
• Addition of Jpeg reader for reading jpeg symbols and jpeg datasources (in raster.input)
• Advanced MarkersSymbolizer drawing options
• memory_datasource support in python (dynamic creation of features)
• Support for the clang++ compiler
• Fractional text halos using Freetype2 Stroker
• Ability to align pattern fills globally (#203)
• Vastly improved builds on Open Solaris
• Support for .dbf files over 2GB (#595)
• Support for triggering line breaks with '\n' character (#584)
• Symbols are lazily cached instead of being read from filesystem many times
• Features are cached when used in more than one style consecutively (optional feature)
• Added ability to pass scale factor to renderer to scale symbols, fonts, line widths
• OGCServer removed from source tree, now at https://github.com/mapnik/OGCServer with many bugfixes:
• WKT parser

Following features will be addressed in subsequent releases:

• Polygon hatch fills (#642)
• Map orientation