What Mapzen does

Mapzen was an open-source mapping lab founded in 2013 that built core geospatial infrastructure for developers and organizations. Its platform comprised Pelias (geocoder/search), Valhalla (routing engine), Tangram (WebGL renderer), Tilezen (vector tiles), Who's On First (gazetteer), Transitland (transit data), and Elevation/Terrain data services, plus Android and iOS SDKs. All software was released under MIT, BSD, or Apache licenses and built on OpenStreetMap and CC-BY/public-domain data, giving customers a vendor-independent alternative to proprietary mapping platforms. The company was originally based out of Samsung Accelerator in San Francisco.

The platform served application developers building map experiences across JavaScript, Android, iOS, and Tizen, plus transit agencies, mobility providers (e-scooter and ride-hail firms), logistics and delivery companies, and public-sector GIS analysts requiring route optimization, geocoding, and standardized transit data. Go-to-market was developer-first and self-service: API keys could be obtained at mapzen.com/developers, mobile SDKs distributed via GitHub, and an open-source self-hosting path existed for organizations wanting to operate services independently. The revenue model was a freemium, subscription-style API offering with generous free tier rate limits, though no pricing was publicly disclosed.

Mapzen ceased commercial operations at the end of January 2018 and turned off all hosted APIs on February 1, 2018. In January 2019, the open-source projects transitioned to the Linux Foundation (LF Projects, LLC), and successor entities emerged: Nextzen hosted Tilezen vector tiles, Geocode Earth hosted Pelias, Interline Technologies managed Transitland and Valhalla community work, and Mapbox hired the Valhalla team. Randy Meech served as CEO from 2013 through the closure.

Name

Mapzen

Legal name

Mapzen

Website

https://mapzen.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Mapzen was an open-source mapping lab founded in 2013 that built Pelias, Valhalla, Tangram, Tilezen, and Who's On First. It served application developers, transit agencies, mobility providers, and logistics firms before ceasing operations in 2018 and transitioning projects to the Linux Foundation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Geospatial Software / Mapping Platform

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (5415)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Mapping & Basemap Platforms (Tiles/SDKs) (BPAMANAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

GIS & Spatial Data Management Platforms (BPAMANAK)

Keywords

• Open source mapping
• Geocoding services
• Vector tile APIs
• Routing engine software
• OpenStreetMap tools

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Commercial API Services (Discontinued): Mapzen provided commercial hosting services for APIs until January 2018 when the company ceased operations. Services included vector tiles, search, routing, and elevation APIs with API key access.
2. Open Source Tools (Free): After shutdown, all tools and services are available as open source software that developers can run themselves at no cost. Core products are built entirely on open software and data.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Mapzen built and hosted an open-source mapping platform that provided developers and organizations with APIs and SDKs for map display, geocoding/search, turn-by-turn navigation, optimized routing, isochrones, map matching, time-distance matrices, and elevation data. Its product suite combined a vector tile service (Tilezen), a WebGL map renderer (Tangram), a routing engine (Valhalla), a geocoder (Pelias), a worldwide gazetteer (Who's On First), and a transit data aggregator (Transitland). All software was released on permissive open-source licenses and built on OpenStreetMap data, with hosted commercial APIs offered until January 2018.

Product overview

Mapzen was an open-source mapping platform offering a comprehensive suite of tools for map display, search, routing, and geographic data. The platform comprised: Mapzen Maps (map display with 2D/3D rendering via Tangram), Vector Tiles and Terrain Tiles (base map data layers), Search (Pelias-powered geocoding with forward, reverse, structured, and autocomplete endpoints), Turn-by-Turn Navigation and related services (Isochrone, Map Matching, Optimized Route, Time-distance Matrix all powered by Valhalla routing engine), Elevation data service, Who's On First geographic gazetteer, Transitland transit data aggregation, and Metro Extracts (OSM data extracts). Mobile support was provided via Android and iOS SDKs wrapping Tangram-es, Pelias, and routing libraries. All software was open-source (MIT/BSD/Apache licensed) and data was CC-BY or public domain. Mapzen ceased commercial operations in January 2018 and transitioned its open-source projects to the Linux Foundation in January 2019.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Tangram: Open-source OpenGL map renderer for real-time rendering of 2D and 3D maps from vector tiles, available in JS and ES variants for web and mobile.
• Tilezen
• Pelias
• Valhalla
• Who's On First
• Transitland
• Elevation

Products and services

• Mapzen Maps (Map Display) Fast and responsive 2D and 3D maps for browsers, phones, tablets, and watches built using Mapzen's developer tools and vector tile service for application developers.
• Vector Tiles (Tilezen) Worldwide OpenStreetMap base layer data delivered as vector tiles in GeoJSON, TopoJSON, and MVT binary formats for real-time map rendering by application developers.
• Tangram Open-source OpenGL mapping engine for real-time rendering of 2D and 3D maps from vector tiles with customizable styles, shaders, lights, and cameras, available as Tangram JS for browsers and Tangram ES for native mobile and embedded devices.
• Search (Geocoding) Geocoding and search service with endpoints for forward geocoding (/search), structured geocoding (/search/structured), reverse geocoding (/reverse), and autocomplete (/autocomplete), powered by the open-source Pelias geocoder and used by application developers.
• Turn-by-Turn Navigation Routing and navigation service providing turn-by-turn directions for car, foot, bicycle, bus, train, and ferry, powered by the open-source Valhalla routing engine and used by application developers.
• Isochrone Service providing travel-time isochrone maps showing areas reachable within specified time intervals by car, foot, bike, or public transit, powered by the Valhalla routing engine.
• Map Matching Service that takes noisy GPS traces and snaps them to road networks with useful metadata for routing and analysis, powered by the Valhalla routing engine.
• Optimized Route Service calculating the most efficient order to visit multiple destinations (Traveling Salesman Problem) for car, bicycle, or pedestrian modes, used by application developers and logistics, delivery, sales, and real estate use cases.
• Time-distance Matrix Service calculating travel times and distances between multiple origin and destination points in a single API call, powered by the Valhalla routing engine.
• Elevation Elevation data service providing point, trail, and trip elevation profiles with controllable granularity, including bathymetry data from trusted sources worldwide, used by outdoor and GIS application developers.
• Terrain Tiles Global basemap terrain coverage in raster tile format for cartographic display and GIS analysis, available via Nextzen and Amazon Public Dataset.
• Who's On First Open geographic gazetteer providing authoritative place names and hierarchical administrative boundaries (countries, regions, localities, neighborhoods, microhoods) with multi-language support for developers and organizations.
• Transitland Open transit data aggregation platform making available stop locations, route lines, schedules, and other data from 2,626 transit operators in 59 countries, used by transit agencies and mobility providers.
• Metro Extracts City and region-sized extracts of OpenStreetMap data for easy local use with Valhalla, Pelias, or Tilezen, originally offered by Mapzen and continued by Interline Technologies.
• Mapzen Android SDK Cross-platform mobile SDK for Android providing map rendering, location tracking, search, and routing, incorporating Tangram-es (OpenGL ES renderer), Pelias (search), On the road (routing), and Lost (fused location provider) libraries, distributed via GitHub.
• Mapzen iOS SDK Cross-platform mobile SDK for iOS providing map rendering, location tracking, search, and routing, incorporating Tangram-es, Pelias (search), and On the road (routing) libraries, distributed via GitHub.
• Tangram Play Browser-based real-time text editing tool for creating and editing Tangram scene files with live preview capabilities, used by map designers and developers working with Tangram.

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Linux FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Mapzen projects transitioned to Linux Foundation in January 2019 after the company shut down. This provided a clear legal framework for the open source projects and a place for fundraising to support AWS, S3, and GitHub costs for Tilezen vector tiles and Who's On First data.
• NextzencoreTechnology or IntegrationLong-term support version of Tilezen vector tiles hosted on Nextzen. Offers hosted versions of Tangram JS and map styles through 2018 with AWS support.
• Interline TechnologiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded by Mapzen alums, Interline manages Transitland and provides custom integrations and consulting to transit agencies and private mobility providers. Continues open-source Transitland development.
• Geocode EarthcoreTechnology or IntegrationOffers hosted version of Pelias geocoder and consulting for custom geocoding installation. Continues active development on the Pelias project.
• MapboxminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHired the Valhalla routing team from Mapzen and continues Valhalla development alongside their other navigation services.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Mapbox: Mapbox is a developer-first mapping platform providing vector tiles, geocoding, routing, and mobile SDKs. It is the most direct competitor to Mapzen's product suite and explicitly hired the Valhalla routing team from Mapzen, making it a direct successor in routing as well as a peer.

Emerging players

• Interline Technologies: Founded by Mapzen alumni, Interline manages Transitland and provides custom Valhalla routing and transit data consulting to agencies and mobility providers. It is a direct Mapzen successor in the transit and mobility vertical.
• CARTO: CARTO is a location intelligence and GIS platform offering spatial analytics, data visualization, and mapping APIs. It overlaps with Mapzen's spatial data and rendering capabilities, especially for enterprise GIS use cases.
• Stadia Maps: Stadia Maps provides hosted vector tiles, routing, and geospatial APIs built on OpenStreetMap, offering a privacy-friendly, open alternative to Mapbox and Google. It overlaps with Mapzen's tile and routing offerings at a smaller scale.
• Geocode Earth: Geocode Earth offers a hosted version of Pelias (Mapzen's open-source geocoder) and provides custom geocoding installation consulting. It is a direct Mapzen spinoff/continuation in the geocoding vertical.

Broad incumbents

• HERE Technologies: HERE provides global mapping data, routing, geocoding, and location services to enterprise and automotive customers. It is a broad incumbent in the same developer mapping space as Mapzen, and notably sponsored Tilezen vector tile builds on Nextzen.
• Google Maps Platform: Google's commercial mapping API offering (Maps JavaScript API, Places, Directions, Elevation) competes head-to-head with Mapzen's developer APIs. It is a broad incumbent with much greater scale, SLAs, and enterprise sales coverage.
• Foursquare: Foursquare provides location data and developer APIs (including the Pilgrim SDK and Places API) that overlap with Mapzen's geocoding and place data offerings. It is a broad incumbent with a strong developer footprint in the location data space.
• TomTom: TomTom is a global provider of maps, navigation software, and location APIs serving automotive, enterprise, and developer customers. It is a broad incumbent in the same mapping/routing API category as Mapzen.

Others

• OpenStreetMap Foundation: OSM is the foundational open data source that powered Mapzen's vector tiles, geocoding, and routing. It is an enabling data-layer peer rather than a direct competitor, but functionally underpins the entire Mapzen stack.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mapzen
• GitHubgithub.com/mapzen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mapzen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mapzen