what3words vs Mapnik

Struggling to choose between what3words and Mapnik? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

what3words is a Travel & Location solution with tags like geocoding, mapping, location, coordinates, navigation.

It boasts features such as Divides the world into 3m x 3m squares and assigns each a unique 3 word address, Allows people to identify and share precise locations using just 3 words, Available as a mobile app and online map interface, Supports voice input for addresses, Provides APIs for integration into other apps and services and pros including Easy to remember and share location addresses, More precise than street addresses, Works offline, Wide language support, Free for consumers.

On the other hand, Mapnik is a Development product tagged with open-source, mapping, visualization, analysis, spatial-data.

Its standout features include Rendering engine for creating map images, Supports various data sources like PostGIS, Shapefiles, GeoJSON, etc, Styling through CartoCSS syntax, Tile rendering for web maps, Python and Node.js bindings available, and it shines with pros like Open source and free, High performance and scalability, Cross platform, Active development community, Integrates with other tools like MapServer, GeoServer etc.

Feature	what3words	Mapnik
Overall Score	N/A	N/A
Primary Category	Travel & Location	Development

Product Overview

what3words

Description: what3words is a geocoding system that divides the world into 3 meter squares and assigns each square a unique 3 word address. It allows people to easily share their precise location.

Mapnik

Description: Mapnik is an open source toolkit for developing mapping applications. It provides components for spatial data access, visualization, and analysis. Mapnik supports many common data formats and allows customization of map styles.

Key Features Comparison

what3words Features

• Divides the world into 3m x 3m squares and assigns each a unique 3 word address
• Allows people to identify and share precise locations using just 3 words
• Available as a mobile app and online map interface
• Supports voice input for addresses
• Provides APIs for integration into other apps and services

Mapnik Features

• Rendering engine for creating map images
• Supports various data sources like PostGIS, Shapefiles, GeoJSON, etc
• Styling through CartoCSS syntax
• Tile rendering for web maps
• Python and Node.js bindings available

Pros & Cons Analysis

what3words

Pros

• Easy to remember and share location addresses
• More precise than street addresses
• Works offline
• Wide language support
• Free for consumers

Cons

• Requires app download or web access
• Limited adoption so far
• Addresses can change over time
• Paid APIs for commercial use
• Limited to predefined 3 word dictionary

Mapnik

Pros

• Open source and free
• High performance and scalability
• Cross platform
• Active development community
• Integrates with other tools like MapServer, GeoServer etc

Cons

• Steep learning curve
• Limited documentation and examples
• No GUI, requires coding skills
• Not beginner friendly

Pricing Comparison

what3words

• Free
• Freemium
• Subscription-Based

Mapnik

• Open Source