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EpiNow2 vs rosm

A side-by-side editorial comparison of EpiNow2 and rosm — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

Shared themes:r-package

EpiNow2 vs rosm: at a glance

FeatureEpiNow2rosm
SectorAnalyticsAnalytics
Velocity score0.00.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesepidemiology, bayesian-modelling, reproduction-number, r-packagemapping, openstreetmap, raster-tiles, r-package
Last editorial update8h ago55m ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

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.

Read the full EpiNow2 trajectory →

What is rosm?

rosm 0.3.0 silently deprecates its entire API and rebuilds on wk and curl

rosm downloads and stitches raster map tiles from OpenStreetMap and similar sources for use in R. After six years without a release, 0.3.0 deprecated the whole previous API, dropped the rgdal dependency, and introduced a replacement built on wk geometry and curl's multi-download interface. The follow-up 0.3.1 is documentation and CI work, plus test skips for Bing and Stamen URLs that no longer resolve.

Read the full rosm trajectory →

EpiNow2 vs rosm: editorial side-by-side

E
EpiNow2
ANALYTICS
0.0

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.

R
rosm
ANALYTICS
0.0

rosm 0.3.0 silently deprecates its entire API and rebuilds on wk and curl

◆ Current state

rosm downloads and stitches raster map tiles from OpenStreetMap and similar sources for use in R. After six years without a release, 0.3.0 deprecated the whole previous API, dropped the rgdal dependency, and introduced a replacement built on wk geometry and curl's multi-download interface. The follow-up 0.3.1 is documentation and CI work, plus test skips for Bing and Stamen URLs that no longer resolve.

◆ Where it's heading

The package is being brought back from dormancy on modern foundations rather than extended. rgdal's retirement forced the issue, and the maintainer used it to replace the download path with concurrent curl requests and to hand geometry handling to wk. What follows is consolidation: dead built-in tile sources are being tested around rather than replaced, which leaves the source registry as the obvious unfinished edge.

◆ Prediction

The dead Bing and Stamen endpoints are currently skipped rather than fixed, so the next release most likely prunes or re-points the built-in tile source list and continues retiring the silently deprecated functions.

Alternatives to EpiNow2 and rosm

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 rosm.

See all EpiNow2 alternatives → · See all rosm alternatives →

Recent activity from EpiNow2 and rosm

Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.

  1. 1mo agoEpiNow2estimate_truncation gains full delay and observation options
  2. 6mo agoEpiNow2Unified return objects and shared accessors across all models
  3. 6mo agorosmDocumentation syntax and CI cleanup after the rewrite
  4. 6mo agorosmEntire previous API deprecated; new wk and curl backend
  5. 1y agoEpiNow2Patch for an upstream rstan issue
  6. 1y agoEpiNow2Accumulation for irregularly reported data; unified priors
  7. 1y agoEpiNow2Matern kernel spectral density fix and GP prior revert
  8. 1y agoEpiNow2Gaussian Process model improvements and explicit defaults
  9. 7y agorosmFix cancellation during tile stitching
  10. 9y agorosmDownloads move to curl; foreach dependency removed
  11. 10y agorosmFaster tile merging and overlay helpers
  12. 10y agorosmosm.raster() exports tiles as RasterStack objects

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between EpiNow2 and rosm?

Both compete on the same themes — r-package — within Analytics. EpiNow2 and rosm 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 rosm?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. EpiNow2 and rosm 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 rosm?

Top rosm alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "rosm alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/rosm for the full list with editorial commentary on each.