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icesSAG vs spatstat.model

A side-by-side editorial comparison of icesSAG and spatstat.model — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

icesSAG vs spatstat.model: at a glance

FeatureicesSAGspatstat.model
SectorAnalyticsAnalytics
Velocity score0.02.5
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesfisheries-science, api-client, ices, data-validationspatial-statistics, point-processes, model-fitting, r-package
Last editorial update48m ago3h ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is icesSAG?

The ICES stock assessment client took upload away in 2024 and spent two years giving it back.

icesSAG is the R client for the ICES Stock Assessment Graphs database, used by fisheries scientists to retrieve and publish stock assessment summaries and figures. The 1.5.0 release repointed every function at a new API, replaced token authentication with JWT via icesConnect, and dropped file upload entirely. Upload returned in 1.6.2, now routing through icesDatsu to check file format and validate data before submission.

Read the full icesSAG trajectory →

What is spatstat.model?

spatstat's inference layer builds out determinantal and cluster process fitting

spatstat.model fits point process models and provides the diagnostics that go with them. The recent window is dominated by determinantal point process work — a variance-covariance matrix and more diagnostics in 3.7-2, additional `intensity` and `repul` methods in 3.7-1, and ROC curves for determinantal models in 3.5-0. Cluster and Cox process inference has advanced in parallel, with Waagepetersen's composite likelihood arriving in 3.6-1.

Read the full spatstat.model trajectory →

icesSAG vs spatstat.model: editorial side-by-side

I
icesSAG
ANALYTICS
0.0

The ICES stock assessment client took upload away in 2024 and spent two years giving it back.

◆ Current state

icesSAG is the R client for the ICES Stock Assessment Graphs database, used by fisheries scientists to retrieve and publish stock assessment summaries and figures. The 1.5.0 release repointed every function at a new API, replaced token authentication with JWT via icesConnect, and dropped file upload entirely. Upload returned in 1.6.2, now routing through icesDatsu to check file format and validate data before submission.

◆ Where it's heading

The package is consolidating onto the shared ices-tools stack rather than carrying its own machinery — authentication moved to icesConnect, validation to icesDatsu, and the icesVocab dependency was dropped once it was no longer needed. Alongside that, redundant graph functions were deprecated and caching was added to reduce load on the server. Releases are infrequent and driven by upstream API changes.

◆ Prediction

Expect the next release to follow whatever the ICES service or the sibling ices-tools packages change next, rather than introducing new analysis capability of its own.

S2.5

spatstat's inference layer builds out determinantal and cluster process fitting

◆ Current state

spatstat.model fits point process models and provides the diagnostics that go with them. The recent window is dominated by determinantal point process work — a variance-covariance matrix and more diagnostics in 3.7-2, additional `intensity` and `repul` methods in 3.7-1, and ROC curves for determinantal models in 3.5-0. Cluster and Cox process inference has advanced in parallel, with Waagepetersen's composite likelihood arriving in 3.6-1.

◆ Where it's heading

The pattern is that model classes enter the package as fitting machinery first and only later gain the apparatus that makes them usable in practice — standard errors, diagnostics, residuals, model checking. Determinantal processes are visibly midway through that progression, reaching variance-covariance estimation only in the most recent release. Around this, the package has been broadening where models can be fitted at all: replicated point patterns on linear networks in 3.5-0, extended spatial logistic regression, and conversion of recursively partitioned models to tessellations.

◆ Prediction

Expect determinantal model support to keep filling out along the same path other model classes took, since variance estimation has only just arrived and partial residuals already exist for the cluster and Cox families. The entries do not signal a move into three dimensions here, unlike the geometry and simulation packages.

Alternatives to icesSAG and spatstat.model

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 icesSAG or spatstat.model.

See all icesSAG alternatives → · See all spatstat.model alternatives →

Recent activity from icesSAG and spatstat.model

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

  1. 18d agospatstat.modelVariance-covariance and diagnostics for determinantal models
  2. 2mo agospatstat.modelMore intensity and repul methods; boundary-aware predictions
  3. 3mo agoicesSAGStock upload restored with pre-submission validation
  4. 6mo agospatstat.modelComposite likelihood for cluster processes
  5. 8mo agospatstat.modelReplicated network models and partial residuals
  6. 10mo agospatstat.modelintensity.ppm improvements for Geyer models
  7. 1y agospatstat.modelROC curve support substantially extended
  8. 1y agoicesSAGEvery function repointed at a new API, with JWT auth
  9. 6y agoicesSAGlocal release 1.3-5

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between icesSAG and spatstat.model?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. spatstat.model is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 2.5 vs 0.0), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.

Is icesSAG better than spatstat.model?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. spatstat.model is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 2.5 vs 0.0), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Analytics products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to icesSAG?

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

What are the best alternatives to spatstat.model?

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