n2kanalysis
n2kanalysis has spent eight years wiring INLA models to an S3 bucket.
Comparison · Analytics
EpiNow2 vs ichimoku
A side-by-side editorial comparison of EpiNow2 and ichimoku — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
EpiNow2 vs ichimoku: at a glance
What is EpiNow2?
EpiNow2 unified its model interface, then went back to deepen the estimators behind it
EpiNow2 estimates reproduction numbers, infections and delay distributions from incomplete epidemiological reporting data. 1.8.0 was the structural turning point: every main modelling function now returns a consistent S3 object with `fit`, `args` and `observations`, reachable through shared accessors. The releases either side of it work on estimator quality — accumulation of irregularly reported data in 1.7.0, and a substantial expansion of `estimate_truncation()` in 1.9.0.
What is ichimoku?
A cloud-chart package quietly swapping its dependencies for its maintainer's own libraries.
ichimoku implements Ichimoku Kinko Hyo cloud charts, strategy backtesting and an OANDA data interface for R. Recent releases are almost entirely plumbing: 1.5.7 drops RcppSimdJson in favor of secretbase for JSON parsing, following earlier releases that moved hashing to secretbase and raised the nanonext and mirai floors. The charting and strategy surface has been stable since the 1.5.0 line.
EpiNow2 vs ichimoku: editorial side-by-side
EpiNow2
0.0ANALYTICS
EpiNow2 unified its model interface, then went back to deepen the estimators behind it
◆ Current state
EpiNow2 estimates reproduction numbers, infections and delay distributions from incomplete epidemiological reporting data. 1.8.0 was the structural turning point: every main modelling function now returns a consistent S3 object with `fit`, `args` and `observations`, reachable through shared accessors. The releases either side of it work on estimator quality — accumulation of irregularly reported data in 1.7.0, and a substantial expansion of `estimate_truncation()` in 1.9.0.
◆ Where it's heading
The package spent this window paying down interface debt and is now extending from the tidier base. Options that existed only for `estimate_infections()` have been propagated outward: `estimate_truncation()` gained the full `dist_spec` delay families, `obs_opts()` observation model selection between Poisson and negative binomial, and the `likelihood` and `return_likelihood` settings that make prior-only fits and loo-compatible output possible. Hardcoded assumptions are being replaced by specifiable ones in the same motion — the truncation model's additive noise term was a fixed `sigma ~ normal(0, 1)` prior and is now a `dist_spec` argument.
◆ Prediction
Expect the remaining modelling functions to keep converging on the shared options interface, since the last two releases have each moved another function onto it. A new `estimate_dist()` for interval-censored linelist data suggests delay estimation is the area still gaining surface.
ichimoku
0.0ANALYTICS
A cloud-chart package quietly swapping its dependencies for its maintainer's own libraries.
◆ Current state
ichimoku implements Ichimoku Kinko Hyo cloud charts, strategy backtesting and an OANDA data interface for R. Recent releases are almost entirely plumbing: 1.5.7 drops RcppSimdJson in favor of secretbase for JSON parsing, following earlier releases that moved hashing to secretbase and raised the nanonext and mirai floors. The charting and strategy surface has been stable since the 1.5.0 line.
◆ Where it's heading
The visible arc is consolidation onto the maintainer's own package family — secretbase for hashing and now JSON, nanonext and mirai for concurrency — which steadily removes third-party and Rcpp-based dependencies from the install chain. Feature work is sporadic and narrow when it comes: a faster POSIXct formatter exported as a utility, a multi-session option for the Shiny app, and a fix for asymmetric strategies that failed to emit a final entry signal.
◆ Prediction
Expect further dependency consolidation as the sibling packages gain capabilities, with ichimoku adopting them shortly after release rather than shipping new charting features.
Alternatives to EpiNow2 and ichimoku
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 EpiNow2 or ichimoku.
n1qn1c
A Fortran-descended optimizer got thread-safe, then found two flags that never worked.
ggstatsplot
ggstatsplot reached 1.0 by adding tests, having outsourced its statistics years ago.
collapse
collapse got a JSS paper and a 7x fmean speedup in the same release.
gtsummary
gtsummary is quietly rebuilding itself around analysis results data, one table verb at a time.
broadcast
broadcast is filling in NumPy-style array broadcasting for R, operator by operator.
See all EpiNow2 alternatives → · See all ichimoku alternatives →
Recent activity from EpiNow2 and ichimoku
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 1mo agoEpiNow2estimate_truncation gains full delay and observation options
- 2mo agoichimokuJSON parsing moves from RcppSimdJson to secretbase
- 6mo agoEpiNow2Unified return objects and shared accessors across all models ⚡
- 1y agoichimokuFaster POSIXct formatting exported as a utility
- 1y agoEpiNow2Patch for an upstream rstan issue
- 1y agoEpiNow2Accumulation for irregularly reported data; unified priors
- 1y agoEpiNow2Matern kernel spectral density fix and GP prior revert
- 1y agoEpiNow2Gaussian Process model improvements and explicit defaults
- 1y agoichimokuMultiple concurrent sessions in the OANDA Shiny app
- 1y agoichimokuAsymmetric strategies now emit their final entry signal
- 2y agoichimokusecretbase floor raised to 1.0.0
- 2y agoichimokuArchive verification reverts to SHA256
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between EpiNow2 and ichimoku?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. EpiNow2 and ichimoku 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 EpiNow2 better than ichimoku?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. EpiNow2 and ichimoku 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 EpiNow2?
Top EpiNow2 alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "EpiNow2 alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/epinow2 for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to ichimoku?
Top ichimoku alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "ichimoku alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/ichimoku for the full list with editorial commentary on each.