tern.rbmi
Reference-based multiple imputation tables, shipping only what CRAN checks demand.
Comparison · Analytics
CMAQ vs fairmodels
A side-by-side editorial comparison of CMAQ and fairmodels — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
CMAQ vs fairmodels: at a glance
What is CMAQ?
CMAQ went global in v5.5, and has been patching that surface ever since.
CMAQ is the EPA's Community Multiscale Air Quality modeling system, used for regulatory and research air quality simulation. Its release rhythm is strictly two-tier: numbered major versions carry new science and fresh benchmark datasets, while the x.y.z.n updates carry bug fixes against documentation and benchmarks that stay pinned to the parent version. The current line is v5.5, which introduced CRACMM2 chemistry and coupling to MPAS-A meteorology, followed by three patch rollups.
What is fairmodels?
fairmodels sits dormant for three years, resurfacing only to satisfy a CRAN check.
fairmodels audits classification models for bias, built around fairness_check() and parity-loss metrics on top of DALEX explainers. The last substantive work dates from 2021; the 2025 release is a single-line change swapping ifelse for if/else in fairness_heatmap. Version 0.2.2 set the package's core design when it superseded metric differences with ratios.
CMAQ vs fairmodels: editorial side-by-side
CMAQ
0.0ANALYTICS
CMAQ went global in v5.5, and has been patching that surface ever since.
◆ Current state
CMAQ is the EPA's Community Multiscale Air Quality modeling system, used for regulatory and research air quality simulation. Its release rhythm is strictly two-tier: numbered major versions carry new science and fresh benchmark datasets, while the x.y.z.n updates carry bug fixes against documentation and benchmarks that stay pinned to the parent version. The current line is v5.5, which introduced CRACMM2 chemistry and coupling to MPAS-A meteorology, followed by three patch rollups.
◆ Where it's heading
The v5.5 patches cluster around the newest and most sensitive components. ISAM source apportionment and DDM-3D sensitivity analysis account for corrections in every one of the three updates, and CRACMM2 needed fixes within months of release. That is the expected shape after a major version lands: the science is stable, the instrumentation built on top of it is not. Parallel I/O work in the latest patch suggests the global configurations are now being run at scales that expose throughput limits.
◆ Prediction
The next major version will fold these fixes in with new science, documentation and benchmark data — the release notes state this explicitly each time. Until then, expect further ISAM and DDM-3D corrections, which have appeared in every patch so far.
fairmodels
0.0ANALYTICS
fairmodels sits dormant for three years, resurfacing only to satisfy a CRAN check.
◆ Current state
fairmodels audits classification models for bias, built around fairness_check() and parity-loss metrics on top of DALEX explainers. The last substantive work dates from 2021; the 2025 release is a single-line change swapping ifelse for if/else in fairness_heatmap. Version 0.2.2 set the package's core design when it superseded metric differences with ratios.
◆ Where it's heading
The release history describes a package that reached its intended shape early and has been custodial since — the gap from August 2022 to October 2025 carries no functional change at all. What movement exists is CRAN-driven: documentation compliance, example runtimes, coding-style notes. The fairness metrics themselves have not changed since the parity_loss corrections of 2020.
◆ Prediction
On this cadence the next release is most likely another CRAN-prompted one-liner rather than new fairness metrics; nothing in these entries points to active development.
Alternatives to CMAQ and fairmodels
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 CMAQ or fairmodels.
tern.mmrm
An MMRM tabulation package that has published nothing since its 2024 CRAN releases.
ggmagnify
A single-purpose ggplot2 inset tool, refining the same three arguments.
symengine
An R symbolic-maths binding whose changelog is really the C++ core's release notes.
gtfstools
gtfstools stopped guarding its own object model and started accepting everyone else's.
quantities
The glue package that makes R carry units and uncertainty through the same calculation.
See all CMAQ alternatives → · See all fairmodels alternatives →
Recent activity from CMAQ and fairmodels
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 9mo agofairmodelsOne-line fix in fairness_heatmap
- 1y agoCMAQCMAQ 5.5.0.3 enables parallel I/O, fixes DDM-3D control files
- 1y agoCMAQCMAQ 5.5.0.2 corrects ISAM aerosol and cloud processing
- 1y agoCMAQCMAQ 5.5.0.1 fixes SAPRC mechanism runs and NLCD mapping
- 1y agoCMAQCMAQ 5.5 adds global simulation coupled to MPAS-A ⚡
- 1y agoCMAQCMAQ 5.4.0.5: minor ELMO output fixes
- 2y agoCMAQCMAQ 5.4.0.4 fixes RBSTATS under ROS3, corrects a molecular weight
- 3y agofairmodelsCRAN compliance fixes and citation update
- 4y agofairmodelsCRAN v1.2.0
- 5y agofairmodelsCRAN v1.1.0
- 5y agofairmodelsDocumentation fixes and trimmed example runtimes
- 5y agofairmodelsCorrects parity_loss in the cutoff functions
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between CMAQ and fairmodels?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. CMAQ and fairmodels are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 0.0 vs 0.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is CMAQ better than fairmodels?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. CMAQ and fairmodels are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 0.0 vs 0.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Analytics products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to CMAQ?
Top CMAQ alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "CMAQ alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/cmaq for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to fairmodels?
Top fairmodels alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "fairmodels alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/fairmodels for the full list with editorial commentary on each.