(PHES-ODM)
The Public Health Environmental Surveillance Open Data Model
The Public Health Environmental Surveillance Open Data Model (PHES-ODM), often called ODM, supports wastewater-based and environmental monitoring of public health threats. ODM is used in wastewater-based surveillance programs in over 25 countries. Notable ODM programs include the European Union Sewage Sentinel System and Canada's National Microbiology Lab programs. As an open science initiative, ODM has garnered extensive support and contributions from the environmental surveillance and scientific communities, aiming to enhance wastewater, environmental surveillance, and epidemiology through interoperable, transparent, and efficient data collection and use.
More About PHES ODMSupporting interoperable data worldwide
25+
Countries using
ODM for data
interoperability
380+
Measure, methods,
or attributes to record
data
20+
Active contirbutors
What is the PHES-ODM?
Data models are representations of real-world processes through data elements and relationships. The PHES-ODM is such a model for wastewater and environmental surveillance data.
Data tables and dictionary
At the core of a data model are data tables that represent real-world 'entities'. On the right is a diagram of the PHES-ODM data entities of environmental surveillance. The key data recorded in PHES-ODM is a measure, defined as a measurement or observation of any biological, physical or chemical substance. The coloured lines in the diagram represent how measures can be taken as a representation of a polygon or geographic area (blue line, e.g. a city population or weather condition), site (orange line, e.g. a wastewater treatment plant sewage flow rate), or sample (green line, e.g. SARS-CoV-2 PCR measurement).
Metadata
It is important to also record contextual information and metadata about the various entities (sites, polygons, samples, etc.). This model also records contact information, organizational information, address information, and other metadata, and links it to the relevant entities.
Common Tools / Resources
Record your data on excel spreadsheets. Dropdown lists and basic validation included.
Main Funders
PHES ODM is supported by many institutions who help make it possible.
