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Comparison · Analytics
grex vs rosm
A side-by-side editorial comparison of grex and rosm — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
grex vs rosm: 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 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.
grex vs rosm: 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 That gap matters more here than it would elsewhere — a stale mapping table silently returns outdated symbols rather than failing, so the package's core asset ages invisibly.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.
rosm
0.0ANALYTICS
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 grex 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 grex or rosm.
geodist
geodist stays dependency-free and fast, and warns you when 'cheap' distances stop being honest.
errors
errors keeps making uncertainty print the way each scientific field expects.
CMAQ
CMAQ went global in v5.5, and has been patching that surface ever since.
enpls
enpls has not changed its statistics since 2016 — only its website, twice.
protr
protr's feature set is finished; the work now is surviving Bioconductor's churn.
Recent activity from grex and rosm
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 6mo agorosmDocumentation syntax and CI cleanup after the rewrite
- 6mo agorosmEntire previous API deprecated; new wk and curl backend ⚡
- 1y agogrexgrex 1.9.1: pkgdown on Actions, smaller vignette
- 7y agogrexgrex 1.9 refreshes the reference to org.Hs.eg.db 3.8.2
- 7y agorosmFix cancellation during tile stitching
- 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
- 9y agorosmDownloads move to curl; foreach dependency removed
- 10y agorosmFaster tile merging and overlay helpers
- 10y agorosmosm.raster() exports tiles as RasterStack objects
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between grex and rosm?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. grex 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 grex better than rosm?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. grex 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 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 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.