Publication Details

Category Text Publication
Reference Category Journals
DOI 10.1016/j.envsoft.2026.106912
Licence creative commons licence
Title (Primary) The ODE (Overview, Data, and Execution) protocol for a standardized use of machine learning in environmental, social and related interdisciplinary sciences
Author Seuru, S.; Grimm, V.; Barton, C.M.; Perez, L.; Gharakhanlou, N.M.; Sengupta, R.R.; Dagnino, A.M.
Source Titel Environmental Modelling & Software
Year 2026
Department OESA
Volume 198
Page From art. 106912
Language englisch
Topic T5 Future Landscapes
Supplements Supplement 1
Supplement 2
Supplement 3
Keywords Machine learning; ODE protocol; Documentation; Data science; AI; Community standards
Abstract Machine Learning (ML) is increasingly applied across environmental, social and interdisciplinary sciences to analyze complex systems and inform decision-making. Yet, this rapid growth has exposed significant gaps in methodological consistency, documentation, and reproducibility. The lack of standardized frameworks often leads to fragmented workflows and difficulties in interpreting or reproducing results across disciplines. To address these challenges, we introduce the ODE (Overview, Data, and Execution) protocol: a structured, accessible framework to support transparent documentation of ML workflows. Inspired by established standards such as ODD (Overview, Design concepts, Details), ODD + D (adding human Decision-making) for agent-based modeling, ODMAP (Overview, Data, Model, Assessment, Prediction) for species distribution models and FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable) principles, ODE's novelty is to translate ML workflows into a standardized reporting format, specifying what must be described for transparency, reuse, and reproducibility. In practice, ODE is a reporting checklist, typically provided as supplementary material, supporting authors and reviewers.
Seuru, S., Grimm, V., Barton, C.M., Perez, L., Gharakhanlou, N.M., Sengupta, R.R., Dagnino, A.M. (2026):
The ODE (Overview, Data, and Execution) protocol for a standardized use of machine learning in environmental, social and related interdisciplinary sciences
Environ. Modell. Softw. 198 , art. 106912
10.1016/j.envsoft.2026.106912