tern.rbmi
Reference-based multiple imputation tables, shipping only what CRAN checks demand.
Comparison · Analytics
grex vs mapSpain
A side-by-side editorial comparison of grex and mapSpain — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
grex vs mapSpain: at a glance
What is grex?
grex is a lookup table with a version number — it ships when the annotation moves.
grex converts the deprecated Ensembl gene IDs found in GTEx data into current gene symbols and identifiers, using org.Hs.eg.db as its reference. Its value is entirely in that bundled reference data, so a release either refreshes the mapping or does nothing to it. The 2025 release does nothing to it: GitHub Actions for the docs site, a check-note fix, and a smaller vignette.
What is mapSpain?
mapSpain's 1.0.0 broke every user cache to get the package onto modern foundations.
mapSpain provides administrative boundaries, tile providers and geographic dictionaries for Spain, pulling from GISCO, SIANE, INE and IGN sources. The 1.0.0 release in January 2026 rebuilt it: requests moved to httr2, the cache reorganized into topic-based subfolders under tools::R_user_dir() instead of rappdirs, R 4.1 became the floor, and every function now returns tidy objects. Existing caches are explicitly incompatible and must be rebuilt.
grex vs mapSpain: editorial side-by-side
grex
0.0ANALYTICS
grex is a lookup table with a version number — it ships when the annotation moves.
◆ Current state
grex converts the deprecated Ensembl gene IDs found in GTEx data into current gene symbols and identifiers, using org.Hs.eg.db as its reference. Its value is entirely in that bundled reference data, so a release either refreshes the mapping or does nothing to it. The 2025 release does nothing to it: GitHub Actions for the docs site, a check-note fix, and a smaller vignette.
◆ Where it's heading
The annotation refreshes stopped. Between 2017 and 2019 the package tracked org.Hs.eg.db through four versions and added the GTEx V7 identifier set; since then the reference has stood still while the releases turned to packaging. That gap matters more here than it would elsewhere — a stale mapping table silently returns outdated symbols rather than failing, so the package's core asset ages invisibly.
◆ Prediction
Nothing in these entries signals a planned data refresh, and the six-year pattern suggests the next release will again be infrastructure. Users needing current annotations should check which org.Hs.eg.db version is bundled rather than assume the version number reflects it.
mapSpain
0.0ANALYTICS
mapSpain's 1.0.0 broke every user cache to get the package onto modern foundations.
◆ Current state
mapSpain provides administrative boundaries, tile providers and geographic dictionaries for Spain, pulling from GISCO, SIANE, INE and IGN sources. The 1.0.0 release in January 2026 rebuilt it: requests moved to httr2, the cache reorganized into topic-based subfolders under tools::R_user_dir() instead of rappdirs, R 4.1 became the floor, and every function now returns tidy objects. Existing caches are explicitly incompatible and must be rebuilt.
◆ Where it's heading
The package has finished its modernization and moved into consolidation. 1.1.0 added a configurable query timeout and pinned httr2 for compatibility with giscoR, the sibling package it shares plumbing with; 1.2.0 was a declared internal-only refactor with the public API held fixed and the work described as AI-assisted with human review. The data-source expansion that characterized the 0.9.x and 0.10.x line — comarcas by type, simplified INE geometries, SIANE vintages — has paused while the foundations settle.
◆ Prediction
Expect a return to source coverage now that the refactor is done: new SIANE or INE vintages and additional boundary types are the pattern this package has repeated. The entries show no further architectural work queued.
Alternatives to grex and mapSpain
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 grex or mapSpain.
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 grex alternatives → · See all mapSpain alternatives →
Recent activity from grex and mapSpain
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 1mo agomapSpainInternal helper refactor with the public API held fixed
- 4mo agomapSpainQuery timeout becomes configurable
- 7mo agomapSpain1.0.0 rebuilds on httr2 and invalidates every cache ⚡
- 1y agogrexgrex 1.9.1: pkgdown on Actions, smaller vignette
- 1y agomapSpainComarcas and simplified INE geometries added
- 1y agomapSpainComarca types split across four official sources
- 1y agomapSpainAdapted to the SIANE 2024 databases
- 7y agogrexgrex 1.9 refreshes the reference to org.Hs.eg.db 3.8.2
- 8y agogrexgrex 1.8 adds GTEx V7 IDs, updates to org.Hs.eg.db 3.6.0
- 8y agogrexgrex 1.7 updates the reference to org.Hs.eg.db 3.4.2
- 8y agogrexgrex 1.6 drops Google Fonts from vignettes
- 9y agogrexgrex 1.5 adds a pkgdown site and refreshes the reference
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between grex and mapSpain?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. grex and mapSpain 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 grex better than mapSpain?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. grex and mapSpain 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 grex?
Top grex alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "grex alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/grex-r for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to mapSpain?
Top mapSpain alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "mapSpain alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/mapspain for the full list with editorial commentary on each.