A Tutorial on Structural Identifiability of Epidemic Models Using StructuralIdentifiability.jl

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Main Authors: Liyanage, Yuganthi R., Saucedo, Omar, Tuncer, Necibe, Chowell, Gerardo
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Liyanage, Yuganthi R.
Saucedo, Omar
Tuncer, Necibe
Chowell, Gerardo
author_facet Liyanage, Yuganthi R.
Saucedo, Omar
Tuncer, Necibe
Chowell, Gerardo
contents Structural identifiability is the theoretical ability to uniquely recover model parameters from ideal, noise-free data and is a prerequisite for reliable parameter estimation in epidemic modeling. Despite its importance for calibration and inference, structural identifiability analysis remains underused and inconsistently applied in infectious disease modeling. This paper presents a user-oriented methodological tutorial demonstrating how global structural identifiability analysis can be systematically integrated into epidemic modeling workflows. We provide a reproducible framework for conducting structural identifiability analysis of ordinary differential equation models using the Julia package StructuralIdentifiability.jl. The workflow is illustrated across commonly used epidemic models, including SEIR variants with asymptomatic and presymptomatic transmission, vector-borne disease models, and systems incorporating hospitalization and disease-induced mortality. We also introduce a visual communication strategy that embeds identifiability results directly into compartmental diagrams, facilitating interpretation and interdisciplinary communication. Our results show that identifiability depends critically on model structure, the choice of observed variables, and assumptions about initial conditions, and that identifiable parameter combinations may exist even when individual parameters are not globally identifiable. Emphasizing transparent implementation, interpretation, and communication, this work provides practical guidance and comparative insights across model classes. The tutorial is designed as both a reference and a teaching resource for researchers and educators seeking to incorporate structural identifiability analysis into epidemic model development. All code and annotated diagrams are publicly available to ensure reproducibility and reuse.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2505_10517
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle A Tutorial on Structural Identifiability of Epidemic Models Using StructuralIdentifiability.jl
Liyanage, Yuganthi R.
Saucedo, Omar
Tuncer, Necibe
Chowell, Gerardo
Quantitative Methods
Structural identifiability is the theoretical ability to uniquely recover model parameters from ideal, noise-free data and is a prerequisite for reliable parameter estimation in epidemic modeling. Despite its importance for calibration and inference, structural identifiability analysis remains underused and inconsistently applied in infectious disease modeling. This paper presents a user-oriented methodological tutorial demonstrating how global structural identifiability analysis can be systematically integrated into epidemic modeling workflows. We provide a reproducible framework for conducting structural identifiability analysis of ordinary differential equation models using the Julia package StructuralIdentifiability.jl. The workflow is illustrated across commonly used epidemic models, including SEIR variants with asymptomatic and presymptomatic transmission, vector-borne disease models, and systems incorporating hospitalization and disease-induced mortality. We also introduce a visual communication strategy that embeds identifiability results directly into compartmental diagrams, facilitating interpretation and interdisciplinary communication. Our results show that identifiability depends critically on model structure, the choice of observed variables, and assumptions about initial conditions, and that identifiable parameter combinations may exist even when individual parameters are not globally identifiable. Emphasizing transparent implementation, interpretation, and communication, this work provides practical guidance and comparative insights across model classes. The tutorial is designed as both a reference and a teaching resource for researchers and educators seeking to incorporate structural identifiability analysis into epidemic model development. All code and annotated diagrams are publicly available to ensure reproducibility and reuse.
title A Tutorial on Structural Identifiability of Epidemic Models Using StructuralIdentifiability.jl
topic Quantitative Methods
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.10517