The standard hierarchy is:
- Conceptual Model (The “Thinking”): The highest level of abstraction. This is where the Entity-based modelling and Field-based modelling views of the world live. modelling
- logical model (The “Structuring”): The implementation of the conceptual model in formal structures. This is where the vector (points, lines, polygons) and raster (grids) data models belong
- Physical Model (The “Storing”): The actual files and database schemas on disk, like GeoPackage, Shapefile, and PostGIS. This is described in the Data Storage & Formats section of the Geospatial Technology Stack.