What should not be used in a tile package according to best practices?

In the context of tile packages, using vector datasets is generally discouraged according to best practices because tile packages are primarily designed for raster data that can be efficiently cached and served as image tiles for web mapping applications. Raster datasets, such as images or tile map layers, are suitable for this format because they can be easily optimized for performance in rendering and allow for better scalability in a web environment.

Vector datasets, on the other hand, contain geometrical shapes and attributes that require more complex rendering processes and can lead to performance issues when used in a tile package. These complexities arise from the need to render vectors on-the-fly, which can be resource-intensive compared to serving pre-rendered raster tiles. This makes vector data less efficient for tile packaging, especially in scenarios demanding rapid loading and interaction, such as web mapping.

Although point datasets are a type of vector data, they do not make up a different category; they are also not recommended for tile packages. Vector data in general complicates the tile rendering process and defeats the primary purpose of using tile packages, which is to streamline performance through pre-rendered tiles.

Best practices for tile packages recommend using raster datasets for their efficiency and performance advantages, reserving vector datasets for applications that can accommodate their complexity, like