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SDTM supplemental-qualifier merging got sturdier, then the package went quiet for two years.
Comparison · Analytics
epiparameter vs FedData
A side-by-side editorial comparison of epiparameter and FedData — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Shared themes:breaking-changes
epiparameter vs FedData: at a glance
What is epiparameter?
epiparameter split its parameter library out of the package — and relicensed what remained.
epiparameter provides classes and methods for working with epidemiological parameter distributions — delays, offspring distributions, incubation periods — drawn from the published literature. As of 0.4.0 the library itself no longer lives here: the parameters moved to {epiparameterDB}, taken on as a dependency, leaving {epiparameter} as the code layer alone. The most recent release is a CRAN-driven patch.
What is FedData?
FedData has spent two major versions migrating US federal geodata off R's retiring spatial stack.
FedData downloads and standardises US federal geospatial datasets — NLCD, NHD, NED, SSURGO, Daymet, GHCN, PAD-US, NASS — into consistent R objects. Two breaking majors define the current package: 3.0.0 moved returns to sf and raster and pulled data from cloud-optimised GeoTIFFs, and 4.0.0 finished the job by dropping sp and raster entirely for terra and sf. Recent releases are dataset refreshes, most recently PAD-US 4.0.
epiparameter vs FedData: editorial side-by-side
epiparameter
0.0ANALYTICS
epiparameter split its parameter library out of the package — and relicensed what remained.
◆ Current state
epiparameter provides classes and methods for working with epidemiological parameter distributions — delays, offspring distributions, incubation periods — drawn from the published literature. As of 0.4.0 the library itself no longer lives here: the parameters moved to {epiparameterDB}, taken on as a dependency, leaving {epiparameter} as the code layer alone. The most recent release is a CRAN-driven patch.
◆ Where it's heading
Each release has clarified the boundary between the data and the tools that operate on it. 0.2.0 added coercion from {epireview} tables, 0.3.0 rewrote the classes and renamed much of the API, and 0.4.0 completed the separation while adding caching so loading the library stays cheap. Breaking changes have been frequent and deliberate rather than incidental.
◆ Prediction
With code and data separated, the two can version independently — expect parameter additions to appear in {epiparameterDB} releases while this package's changes stay focused on classes and methods.
FedData
0.0ANALYTICS
FedData has spent two major versions migrating US federal geodata off R's retiring spatial stack.
◆ Current state
FedData downloads and standardises US federal geospatial datasets — NLCD, NHD, NED, SSURGO, Daymet, GHCN, PAD-US, NASS — into consistent R objects. Two breaking majors define the current package: 3.0.0 moved returns to sf and raster and pulled data from cloud-optimised GeoTIFFs, and 4.0.0 finished the job by dropping sp and raster entirely for terra and sf. Recent releases are dataset refreshes, most recently PAD-US 4.0.
◆ Where it's heading
The package tracks two moving targets at once: the R spatial stack, which it has now fully migrated onto terra and sf, and the federal agencies whose URLs, file naming and hosting keep shifting. With the dependency migration finished, releases have shrunk to single-dataset updates such as annual NLCD and PAD-US 4.0, which suggests the structural work is done and the ongoing cost is data-source maintenance.
◆ Prediction
Expect continued small releases pinned to new vintages of the underlying federal datasets, plus fixes when an agency moves or reformats a source; no further dependency-level upheaval is visible in these entries.
Alternatives to epiparameter and FedData
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 epiparameter or FedData.
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marquee is filling in the typographic details — outlines, border types, real font metrics for underlines.
logrx
A clinical-script logger that stopped shipping after its 0.2 line, changelogs made of merged PRs.
lobstr
R's object inspector is losing its view of the internals as CRAN closes off the private C API.
GSODR
A weather-station data client that broke one return type to hand back distances instead of bare IDs.
giscoR
giscoR's 1.0 moved its dataset index into the cache, so new Eurostat releases arrive without a package update.
See all epiparameter alternatives → · See all FedData alternatives →
Recent activity from epiparameter and FedData
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 1y agoFedDataget_padus() updated to PAD-US 4.0
- 1y agoepiparameterCRAN check fixes
- 1y agoepiparameterParameter library moves to epiparameterDB; package relicensed to MIT alone ⚡
- 1y agoepiparameterClasses and methods reworked; large-scale renaming
- 1y agoFedDataAnnual NLCD access added; get_nass() retired
- 2y agoepiparameterInteroperability with epireview via as_epidist()
- 2y agoepiparameterFirst release: 122 parameter sets and the epidist class
- 2y agoFedDatasp and raster dropped; everything returns terra or sf ⚡
- 3y agoFedDataGHCN moves to https; NHD handles empty and odd geometries
- 3y agoFedDataAll raster writing moves to terra
- 3y agoFedDataVersion 3 rebuilds on sf and cloud-optimised GeoTIFFs ⚡
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between epiparameter and FedData?
Both compete on the same themes — breaking-changes — within Analytics. epiparameter and FedData 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 epiparameter better than FedData?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. epiparameter and FedData 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 epiparameter?
Top epiparameter alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "epiparameter alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/epiparameter for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to FedData?
Top FedData alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "FedData alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/feddata for the full list with editorial commentary on each.