Physics/ecology informed neural networks (PINNs)

Mrs. Young | July 17, 2025

This method also belongs to Counterfactual & future simulations and Ecology-guided Modelling.

Table of Contents

  1. Description & principle
  2. Reference articles
  3. Packages
  4. Assessment table

Description & principle

A clear, technical yet accessible explanation of the method, its core principle(s).

Major variants

optional

If the method has variants that seem important, either already widespread or promising and well documented.

Further online resources

References to useful online resources to get started, e.g. explanation blogs

Reference articles

Method

  • One or a few key academic references that introduce or formalize the method.

Research applications

With RS data in Ecology / Biodiversity

  • A

Without RS data (Ecology domain)

optional

  • B

Packages

Python

R

Code Cells

optional

Assessment table

CategoryCriteriaAssessment
OutcomeObjectivePredictive task + interpretability, Detection, Scenario projection
 EstimandMaps & generalisations, CATE, Others
 ValidityModerate confidence
Data compatibilityTypeTime-series (one sample), Panel data (many samples)
 Required TS lengthHandles ≤ 10, ≥ 10
 Handles few samplesYes ≤ 10
 Handles huge datasets (n)Yes
 Handles missing dataNo: requires prelim. correction
 RS-data provenYes
AssumptionsFunctional formAssumption-free, Non-linear
 No unobserved confoundersRelaxes assumption
 No interferenceInapplicable
 Well-defined treatmentsInapplicable
 Common support (positivity)Inapplicable
 Causal Markov ConditionInapplicable
 FaithfulnessInapplicable
 IDDRelaxes assumption
 Model specific assumptionNo specific
Model propertiesRequires explicit processesYes
 Exposure typeContinuous / Time-varying
 Number of variablesMultivariate, High-dimensional (p≫n)
 Handles lag effectsYes
 Propagates uncertaintyNeeds model-agnostic propagation
 Parametric natureNon-parametric
PackagesLanguagePython
 UsageTechnical but well documented, Domain-specific skills

References