austraits
The R client for AusTraits spends its releases chasing the dataset it reads.
Comparison · Analytics
CMAQ vs tern.rbmi
A side-by-side editorial comparison of CMAQ and tern.rbmi — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
CMAQ vs tern.rbmi: 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 tern.rbmi?
Reference-based multiple imputation tables, shipping only what CRAN checks demand.
tern.rbmi renders the output of {rbmi} reference-based multiple imputation analyses into tern tables for clinical reporting. Its three most recent releases exist to satisfy CRAN: restricting vignette builds to gcc, adding V8 to Suggests, and a plain resubmission. No user-facing functionality has changed in the visible window, and the three older entries now backfilled are version-bump automation.
CMAQ vs tern.rbmi: 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.
tern.rbmi
0.0ANALYTICS
Reference-based multiple imputation tables, shipping only what CRAN checks demand.
◆ Current state
tern.rbmi renders the output of {rbmi} reference-based multiple imputation analyses into tern tables for clinical reporting. Its three most recent releases exist to satisfy CRAN: restricting vignette builds to gcc, adding V8 to Suggests, and a plain resubmission. No user-facing functionality has changed in the visible window, and the three older entries now backfilled are version-bump automation.
◆ Where it's heading
This is a thin adapter package and behaves like one — it moves when CRAN or an upstream dependency forces it to. Between 2022 and 2024 the feed shows only version bumps, and the 2025 releases are packaging concerns rather than analysis changes. The newly surfaced 2022 entries reinforce rather than change that reading.
◆ Prediction
Expect the next release to be triggered by a CRAN check failure or an {rbmi} update rather than by new tabulation features.
Alternatives to CMAQ and tern.rbmi
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 tern.rbmi.
ggdemetra
A ggplot2 layer for seasonal adjustment output, filling in one plot type at a time.
fossilsim
A fossil-record simulator that quietly grew a trait-evolution engine.
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.
See all CMAQ alternatives → · See all tern.rbmi alternatives →
Recent activity from CMAQ and tern.rbmi
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 1y agotern.rbmiVignette built only under gcc
- 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 agotern.rbmiV8 added to Suggests
- 1y agotern.rbmiCRAN resubmission with dependency and workflow updates
- 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 agotern.rbmiAutomated release commit for 0.1.1
- 4y agotern.rbmiDevelopment version bump to 0.1.0.9004
- 4y agotern.rbmiCI automation commit, no release content
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between CMAQ and tern.rbmi?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. CMAQ and tern.rbmi 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 tern.rbmi?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. CMAQ and tern.rbmi 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 tern.rbmi?
Top tern.rbmi alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "tern.rbmi alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/tern-rbmi for the full list with editorial commentary on each.