Database - A collection of interrelated data stored in a structured manner. A data steward provides oversight and coordination. This could take the form of tables in a database or paper files in a file cabinet. This would normally be a related group of data elements or attributes. Entity - A person, place, thing or concept that has characteristics of interest to the organization and about which data is stored.
Entities are analogous to spatial objects.
Examples include elk winter grounds, hydrography, owl habitat, and grazing allotments. Spatial metadata, required of federal agencies by Executive Order 12906, is metadata about spatial data themes. Spatial Object - A point, line, polygon, or cell that represents something physically located at a place on the earth. Examples include roads, streams, structures, and wildlife habitat. Spatial objects are analogous to entities.