tern.rbmi
Reference-based multiple imputation tables, shipping only what CRAN checks demand.
Comparison · Analytics
epiworldR vs geodist
A side-by-side editorial comparison of epiworldR and geodist — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Shared themes:r-package
epiworldR vs geodist: at a glance
What is epiworldR?
epiworldR is a thin R shell whose releases track the C++ simulator underneath it
Almost every release here is a version bump of the underlying epiworld C++ library, wrapped and pushed to CRAN. The substantive R-side work is narrow and consistent: exposing simulation outputs that were already computed but not reachable from R — outbreak size, active cases, hospitalizations and their savers. The newest release addresses an AddressSanitizer finding, which is the kind of thing CRAN checks surface on a compiled package.
What is geodist?
geodist stays dependency-free and fast, and warns you when 'cheap' distances stop being honest.
geodist computes geodesic distances between coordinate pairs in C with no dependencies, offering several measures that trade accuracy for speed — including a 'cheap' approximation used by default. The API is small and largely finished; 0.1.0 added geodist_min() for nearest-match lookups and 0.1.1 is a compiler warning fix.
epiworldR vs geodist: editorial side-by-side
epiworldR
0.0ANALYTICS
epiworldR is a thin R shell whose releases track the C++ simulator underneath it
◆ Current state
Almost every release here is a version bump of the underlying epiworld C++ library, wrapped and pushed to CRAN. The substantive R-side work is narrow and consistent: exposing simulation outputs that were already computed but not reachable from R — outbreak size, active cases, hospitalizations and their savers. The newest release addresses an AddressSanitizer finding, which is the kind of thing CRAN checks surface on a compiled package.
◆ Where it's heading
The R package's job is staying current with the simulator and satisfying CRAN, not evolving its own interface. What direction it has shows in which model outputs get exposed next, and in a steady tidy-up of the build — the custom configure script was dropped in favour of R's built-in C++17 and OpenMP settings, and test coverage has been filled in across several releases with automated assistance.
◆ Prediction
Expect the next release to track another epiworld version bump, with any R-side addition most likely being one more exposed metric or saver, following the pattern of get_hospitalizations and get_outbreak_size.
geodist
0.0ANALYTICS
geodist stays dependency-free and fast, and warns you when 'cheap' distances stop being honest.
◆ Current state
geodist computes geodesic distances between coordinate pairs in C with no dependencies, offering several measures that trade accuracy for speed — including a 'cheap' approximation used by default. The API is small and largely finished; 0.1.0 added geodist_min() for nearest-match lookups and 0.1.1 is a compiler warning fix.
◆ Where it's heading
Development has been about making the speed-accuracy trade visible rather than hiding it. The 0.0.6 release added messages telling users to pick a different measure once the default cheap approximation is applied beyond 100km, where its error stops being negligible. Around that, the work is input handling — tibble support, better lon/lat column matching, vector inputs — and hardening the C code. It is a package that treats being small and correct as the feature.
◆ Prediction
Expect continued low-frequency maintenance: compiler warnings and geodesic source updates account for three of the last six releases, and the function surface has grown by only two entries in five years.
Alternatives to epiworldR and geodist
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 epiworldR or geodist.
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.
gtfstools
gtfstools stopped guarding its own object model and started accepting everyone else's.
quantities
The glue package that makes R carry units and uncertainty through the same calculation.
See all epiworldR alternatives → · See all geodist alternatives →
Recent activity from epiworldR and geodist
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 4mo agoepiworldR0.14.0 addresses an AddressSanitizer finding
- 5mo agoepiworldRWrapper bumped to track a new epiworld version
- 5mo agoepiworldRBuild drops the custom configure script for R's C++17 and OpenMP settings
- 6mo agoepiworldRepiworld bumped to 0.11.2
- 7mo agoepiworldRTests updated at CRAN's request
- 7mo agoepiworldRHospitalizations, outbreak size and active cases exposed to R
- 1y agogeodistgeodist 0.1.1 clears a clang warning in geodesic.c
- 2y agogeodistgeodist 0.1.0 adds geodist_min() for nearest matches
- 3y agogeodistgeodist 0.0.8 updates geodesic source, fixes clang warnings
- 5y agogeodistgeodist 0.0.7 improves lon/lat column matching and tibbles
- 5y agogeodistgeodist 0.0.6 warns when cheap distances exceed 100km
- 6y agogeodistgeodist 0.0.4 adds geodist_vec() for vector inputs
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between epiworldR and geodist?
Both compete on the same themes — r-package — within Analytics. epiworldR and geodist 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 epiworldR better than geodist?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. epiworldR and geodist 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 epiworldR?
Top epiworldR alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "epiworldR alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/epiworldr for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to geodist?
Top geodist alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "geodist alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/geodist-r for the full list with editorial commentary on each.