The Public Health and Environmental Surveillance Open Data Model (PHES-ODM) Version 3: An Open, Relational Data Model and Interoperability Framework for Wastewater Surveillance

Wastewater surveillance (WWS) has emerged as a valuable tool for public health surveillance, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic. Its long-term utility is constrained, however, by fragmented data systems, inconsistent metadata practices, and poor interoperability. The Public Health and Environmental Surveillance Open Data Model (PHES-ODM) was developed as an open, collaborative framework to standardize WWS data and support transparent, ethical data use aligned with FAIR principles. Adopted by the Public Health Agency of Canada and adapted by the EU Sewage Sentinel System, the model is now used in over 25 countries. This paper introduces version 3 of the model, which addresses persistent barriers to interoperability and data utility. Key enhancements include new tables for public health actions, external repository linkages (e.g., GISAID, GenBank), and analytical workflow documentation, as well as support for complex relational linkages across sites, samples, measures, and populations. Tools for mapping across other data formats, including PHA4GE and the US CDC National Wastewater Surveillance System, and for supporting long and wide data formats are also introduced. We compare PHES-ODM against six other WWS data standards across 25 features. Balancing robustness with usability, PHES-ODM v3 provides a scalable, modular infrastructure adaptable to diverse WWS and environmental surveillance programs.