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Comparison · Analytics
cfrnow vs geoarrow-r
A side-by-side editorial comparison of cfrnow and geoarrow-r — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
cfrnow vs geoarrow-r: at a glance
What is cfrnow?
A Bayesian real-time CFR estimator that now ships stratified fits and posterior-predictive checks
cfrnow estimates case fatality ratios from line-list data while an outbreak is still running, using a Bayesian mixture-cure survival model registered as an `epidist` model type. Three releases in a month took it from first public release to stratified, partially-pooled fits with posterior-predictive checking. It leans on `distspec` for delay parameterisation, which reached CRAN alongside the 0.2.1 patch.
What is geoarrow-r?
geoarrow tracks the GeoArrow spec and otherwise just keeps compiling
geoarrow gives R zero-copy access to geospatial data in the Arrow columnar format, with conversions to and from sf and wk. The package is thin by design — most of the work lives in vendored copies of geoarrow-c and nanoarrow — and its release notes reflect that: the substantive one in the window implemented GeoArrow 0.2 specification features, and everything since has been compiler warnings and a test fixed for a new sf version.
cfrnow vs geoarrow-r: editorial side-by-side
cfrnow
5.0ANALYTICS
A Bayesian real-time CFR estimator that now ships stratified fits and posterior-predictive checks
◆ Current state
cfrnow estimates case fatality ratios from line-list data while an outbreak is still running, using a Bayesian mixture-cure survival model registered as an `epidist` model type. Three releases in a month took it from first public release to stratified, partially-pooled fits with posterior-predictive checking. It leans on `distspec` for delay parameterisation, which reached CRAN alongside the 0.2.1 patch.
◆ Where it's heading
The arc runs from producing a single corrected CFR number toward supporting a full model-checking workflow. 0.2.0 added the pieces a modeller needs to defend an estimate: replicate line lists replayed through the real-time truncation, an ascertainment-ratio correction for when fatal and non-fatal cases enter the line list at different rates, and per-group CFRs from `brms` formulas. Delay coverage widened from LogNormal and Gamma to Weibull in the same release.
◆ Prediction
Expect the next release to keep widening covariate and pooling support rather than adding new outcome types, since every 0.2.0 addition extended the existing formula interface instead of replacing it.
geoarrow-r
0.0ANALYTICS
geoarrow tracks the GeoArrow spec and otherwise just keeps compiling
◆ Current state
geoarrow gives R zero-copy access to geospatial data in the Arrow columnar format, with conversions to and from sf and wk. The package is thin by design — most of the work lives in vendored copies of geoarrow-c and nanoarrow — and its release notes reflect that: the substantive one in the window implemented GeoArrow 0.2 specification features, and everything since has been compiler warnings and a test fixed for a new sf version.
◆ Where it's heading
Development is downstream of two things the package does not control: the GeoArrow specification and the C libraries it vendors. When the spec added non-PROJJSON CRS types and spheroidal edge interpolations, the R package followed; when the geoarrow.box type appeared, it gained conversions to and from wk::rct(). Between those, releases exist to keep CRAN builds green. The type-selection work in 0.4.0 — letting callers force geoarrow.wkb output when converting from sf — is the only recent change driven by R-side ergonomics rather than upstream.
◆ Prediction
Given that every feature release so far has implemented a spec revision, the next one likely arrives when GeoArrow publishes its next set of extension types rather than on any schedule of its own.
Alternatives to cfrnow and geoarrow-r
Other Analytics products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either cfrnow or geoarrow-r.
fastplyr
A fast dplyr stand-in that keeps finding new places to skip work entirely.
trias
Belgium's invasive-species indicator toolkit is in steady refinement, one plotting edge case at a time.
icesSAG
The ICES stock assessment client took upload away in 2024 and spent two years giving it back.
dggridR
A discrete global grid generator grew cell traversal and became a usable spatial index.
vegan
Community ecology's standard toolkit is retiring the functions a generation of scripts was built on.
See all cfrnow alternatives → · See all geoarrow-r alternatives →
Recent activity from cfrnow and geoarrow-r
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 5d agocfrnowdistspec dependency moves to CRAN
- 5d agocfrnowStratified CFR fits, Weibull delays, posterior-predictive checks
- 1mo agocfrnowFirst release: real-time CFR from a Bayesian mixture-cure model ⚡
- 2mo agogeoarrow-rgeoarrow 0.4.3
- 8mo agogeoarrow-rgeoarrow 0.4.1
- 10mo agogeoarrow-rgeoarrow lets callers choose the geometry type when converting from sf
- 1y agogeoarrow-rgeoarrow implements the GeoArrow 0.2 specification features
- 2y agogeoarrow-rgeoarrow 0.2.1
- 2y agogeoarrow-rLegacy geoarrow tagged before the rewrite
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between cfrnow and geoarrow-r?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. cfrnow is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 0.0), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is cfrnow better than geoarrow-r?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. cfrnow is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 0.0), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Analytics products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to cfrnow?
Top cfrnow alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "cfrnow alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/cfrnow for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to geoarrow-r?
Top geoarrow-r alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "geoarrow-r alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/geoarrow-r for the full list with editorial commentary on each.