cIRT
A choice-based IRT model published once in 2019 and kept compiling ever since
Comparison · Analytics
dcurves vs epidict
A side-by-side editorial comparison of dcurves and epidict — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Shared themes:r-package
dcurves vs epidict: at a glance
What is dcurves?
Decision curve analysis, settled since 2022 and now moving only when its neighbours do
dcurves implements decision curve analysis — evaluating a prediction model or diagnostic test by net benefit across the range of thresholds a clinician might plausibly use, rather than by a single discrimination statistic. Its API stabilised in 2022 around dca() and test_consequences(). The two releases since exist because gtsummary and CRAN documentation rules changed, not because the method did.
What is epidict?
A spin-out dictionary reader for MSF epidemiological data, finding its shape on CRAN
epidict reads and applies the data dictionaries MSF field epidemiologists use to standardise outbreak and survey datasets. It was split out of the larger sitrep toolchain so the dictionary-reading and variable-renaming functions could ship on CRAN independently. Three releases in roughly two months have taken it from that initial separation to handling intersectional dictionaries.
dcurves vs epidict: editorial side-by-side
dcurves
0.0ANALYTICS
Decision curve analysis, settled since 2022 and now moving only when its neighbours do
◆ Current state
dcurves implements decision curve analysis — evaluating a prediction model or diagnostic test by net benefit across the range of thresholds a clinician might plausibly use, rather than by a single discrimination statistic. Its API stabilised in 2022 around dca() and test_consequences(). The two releases since exist because gtsummary and CRAN documentation rules changed, not because the method did.
◆ Where it's heading
The package reached its intended scope quickly and then stopped. Its 2022 releases did the substantive work: adding threshold-level diagnostic accuracy, tightening argument validation, and taking one breaking change to make net-interventions-avoided plots show the treat-all and treat-none reference lines by default. Since then it has moved only as a dependent of the wider tidy-modelling documentation ecosystem it plugs into.
◆ Prediction
Nothing in these entries points to method or API work; expect the next release to be another compatibility or CRAN documentation patch.
epidict
0.0ANALYTICS
A spin-out dictionary reader for MSF epidemiological data, finding its shape on CRAN
◆ Current state
epidict reads and applies the data dictionaries MSF field epidemiologists use to standardise outbreak and survey datasets. It was split out of the larger sitrep toolchain so the dictionary-reading and variable-renaming functions could ship on CRAN independently. Three releases in roughly two months have taken it from that initial separation to handling intersectional dictionaries.
◆ Where it's heading
The arc is a package being unbundled and then reassembled as its dependencies land on CRAN. The 0.1.0 release deliberately dropped msf_dict_rename_helper() because its dependencies weren't available; 0.2.0 put it back. 0.3.0 is the first release that adds rather than restores, extending intersectional dictionary support and giving callers control over name cleaning.
◆ Prediction
Expect the next releases to keep widening dictionary coverage rather than changing the API, since the reinstatement work that dominated 0.1.0 to 0.2.0 is now finished.
Alternatives to dcurves and epidict
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 dcurves or epidict.
MetaboAnalystR
The R engine behind MetaboAnalyst closes the gap from raw spectra to biological interpretation
fmtr
Rebuilding SAS's formatting layer in R, one format specification at a time
betaselectr
Standardised coefficients for models where standardising everything is wrong — but the feed only links out
SSN2
Stream-network spatial models learning to run on data that no longer fits in memory
BiocManager
Bioconductor's installer, frozen at 1.30.x and tuned almost entirely through environment variables
See all dcurves alternatives → · See all epidict alternatives →
Recent activity from dcurves and epidict
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 6mo agoepidictIntersectional dictionaries plus an opt-out for name cleaning
- 7mo agoepidictVariable-renaming helper returns once sitrep is reachable
- 9mo agodcurvesHTML5 documentation rebuild for CRAN
- 9mo agoepidictFirst CRAN release, carved out of the sitrep toolchain
- 2y agodcurvesbroom.helpers added to Suggests for gtsummary 2.0
- 3y agodcurvesNet interventions plots now show treat-all and treat-none by default
- 4y agodcurvestest_consequences() reports accuracy across thresholds
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between dcurves and epidict?
Both compete on the same themes — r-package — within Analytics. dcurves and epidict 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 dcurves better than epidict?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. dcurves and epidict 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 dcurves?
Top dcurves alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "dcurves alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/dcurves for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to epidict?
Top epidict alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "epidict alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/epidict for the full list with editorial commentary on each.