Countdown to Mapnik Code Sprint

The first Mapnik Code Sprint: Committers and Cartographers, is only three weeks away and we couldn't be more excited. We have a great group lined up but we could still use some help from, well, from you.

A code sprint, or hack fest, is a period of software development focused on a given list of goals. Committers and Cartographers is a free and open three-day event for the improvement of the Mapnik code base. The face to face meeting will let us approach complex topics with immediate feedback. We'll see lots of bug-fixes and some new features tagged as #msc1 after the event is over.

We'll be adding advanced cartography features and removing bugs from Mapnik, as well as planning for future Mapnik improvements in performance, stability, features and documentation.

The Mapnik Code Sprint will be held, in person, in London and San Francisco, from Friday, 24 September to Sunday, 26 September 2010, as well as online for contributors around the world. You can participate by reserving one of the limited seats we have available in either London or San Francisco by emailing mapnik-msc1 < domain > weait < punctuation > com. You can participate online in several ways.

Participate in the Mapnik Code Sprint

• File your bugs on trac
• Help prioritize bugs and feature requests on the wiki

• Reserve a spot and join us
• Join us via IRC (#mapnik on irc.freenode.net) and help squash bugs

Find more details and share your thoughts on the mailing list or the wiki.

Photo credit