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gtfstools vs tern.mmrm

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

gtfstools vs tern.mmrm: at a glance

Featuregtfstoolstern.mmrm
SectorAnalyticsAnalytics
Velocity score0.00.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesgtfs, public-transport, geospatial, r-packagepharmaverse, mmrm, tabulation, maintenance
Last editorial update1h ago1h ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is gtfstools?

gtfstools stopped guarding its own object model and started accepting everyone else's.

gtfstools reads, edits, filters and validates GTFS public transport feeds in R on a data.table backend. Since 1.3.0 it accepts GTFS objects produced by other packages such as gtfsio and tidytransit, converting them through an as_dt_gtfs() generic. Validation runs MobilityData's canonical validator, now supported through v6.0.0.

Read the full gtfstools trajectory →

What is tern.mmrm?

An MMRM tabulation package that has published nothing since its 2024 CRAN releases.

tern.mmrm wraps mixed models for repeated measures into the tern tabulation and plotting layer used by teal clinical modules. The visible history ends with three CRAN releases in mid-to-late 2024; before that the feed carries only automated version bumps from 2022, three of which have just been backfilled into the record. The most recent substantive change adds axis limit arguments to the LS-means plot.

Read the full tern.mmrm trajectory →

gtfstools vs tern.mmrm: editorial side-by-side

G
gtfstools
ANALYTICS
0.0

gtfstools stopped guarding its own object model and started accepting everyone else's.

◆ Current state

gtfstools reads, edits, filters and validates GTFS public transport feeds in R on a data.table backend. Since 1.3.0 it accepts GTFS objects produced by other packages such as gtfsio and tidytransit, converting them through an as_dt_gtfs() generic. Validation runs MobilityData's canonical validator, now supported through v6.0.0.

◆ Where it's heading

The package built out a wide function surface first — filters, geometry conversion, speed and duration calculations — then turned outward. Delegating validation to MobilityData's validator and accepting other packages' objects both trade self-sufficiency for a position inside the wider GTFS ecosystem. Deprecations are handled slowly, with old behaviour left as the default for a release or more.

◆ Prediction

Expect continued validator version tracking and further completion of the deprecation cycle around filter_by_stop_id()'s full_trips behaviour.

T
tern.mmrm
ANALYTICS
0.0

An MMRM tabulation package that has published nothing since its 2024 CRAN releases.

◆ Current state

tern.mmrm wraps mixed models for repeated measures into the tern tabulation and plotting layer used by teal clinical modules. The visible history ends with three CRAN releases in mid-to-late 2024; before that the feed carries only automated version bumps from 2022, three of which have just been backfilled into the record. The most recent substantive change adds axis limit arguments to the LS-means plot.

◆ Where it's heading

Content per release is thin and largely organisational: a maintainer change, replacing scda with random.cdisc.data in vignettes, and adapting to new {mmrm} versions. The package appears to be in maintenance, tracking its upstream dependency rather than developing independently. The 2022 entries now visible are release-automation commits, not releases in any meaningful sense.

◆ Prediction

Nothing here signals new functionality; the realistic next event is another compatibility release when {mmrm} or {rtables} changes underneath it.

Alternatives to gtfstools and tern.mmrm

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 gtfstools or tern.mmrm.

See all gtfstools alternatives → · See all tern.mmrm alternatives →

Recent activity from gtfstools and tern.mmrm

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

  1. 1y agogtfstoolsSupports canonical GTFS validator v5 and v6
  2. 1y agogtfstoolsAccepts GTFS objects from gtfsio and tidytransit
  3. 1y agotern.mmrmAxis limits added to the LS-means plot
  4. 2y agotern.mmrmMaintainer change and scda replaced in vignettes
  5. 2y agotern.mmrmCRAN 0.3.0 release, mostly workflow housekeeping
  6. 3y agogtfstoolsValidation delegated to MobilityData's canonical validator
  7. 3y agotern.mmrmAutomated version bump to 0.2.1
  8. 3y agotern.mmrmPre-release branch merge
  9. 4y agotern.mmrmCI automation commit, no release content
  10. 4y agogtfstoolsAdds time-of-day, weekday and frequency filtering functions
  11. 4y agogtfstoolsEstablishes the core GTFS filtering and sf conversion family

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between gtfstools and tern.mmrm?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. gtfstools and tern.mmrm 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 gtfstools better than tern.mmrm?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. gtfstools and tern.mmrm 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 gtfstools?

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

What are the best alternatives to tern.mmrm?

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