As talented as the GeoServer developers are, there is only so much they can do from a software perspective to help us run high-performing web mapping servers. As users of the software, we also have a part to play to get the best performance out of it. In the first instance, this is achieved through optimizing our deployment strategy and ensuring that our production environment is configured optimally, as we saw in Chapter 1, Installing GeoServer for Production. Secondly, and arguably more importantly, it's the way we prepare the data that we will deliver through GeoServer.

Unfortunately, it is the second element that most people overlook when setting up their web mapping servers—irrespective of the software they use. Well-structured and organized data can make a huge difference on the response times of a mapping server. While GeoServer is very flexible in the number of formats it can handle, and the many flavors of each format it can manipulate...