pr2database
The protist reference database keeps widening past the rRNA gene it was built on.
Comparison · Infra & APIs
jSDM vs usmapdata
A side-by-side editorial comparison of jSDM and usmapdata — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
jSDM vs usmapdata: at a glance
What is jSDM?
Joint species distribution models in Gibbs-sampled C++, quiet since 2023.
jSDM fits joint species distribution models by Gibbs sampling, with the sampler written in C++ against GSL and Armadillo and exposed through binomial probit, binomial logit, Poisson log and Gaussian entry points. The 0.2 line extended it with species traits, constrained factor loadings and residual-association plots. The one entry since 2023 carries only a compare link.
What is usmapdata?
usmapdata ships its 2025 shapefiles on the year-indexed model it adopted in 0.4.0.
usmapdata supplies the boundary data behind usmap's plotting functions. Since 0.4.0 it has been year-indexed: us_map(data_year = ) selects a vintage, and each Census release is added as its own year with older ones still reachable. 1.1.0 adds 2025. 1.0.0 closed the package's longest-standing gap by adding Puerto Rico, retroactively across every vintage.
jSDM vs usmapdata: editorial side-by-side
jSDM
0.0INFRA · APIS
Joint species distribution models in Gibbs-sampled C++, quiet since 2023.
◆ Current state
jSDM fits joint species distribution models by Gibbs sampling, with the sampler written in C++ against GSL and Armadillo and exposed through binomial probit, binomial logit, Poisson log and Gaussian entry points. The 0.2 line extended it with species traits, constrained factor loadings and residual-association plots. The one entry since 2023 carries only a compare link.
◆ Where it's heading
The package built out its model family quickly and then stopped: five of the six visible entries are stamped the same day as a backfilled archive, and the only later release says nothing about its contents. The direction the 0.2 line was heading, toward trait-mediated species effects and better convergence on latent variable models, has no visible continuation.
◆ Prediction
The feed does not support a confident prediction; the latest entry publishes no notes, so whether the package is still developing or only being kept CRAN-clean cannot be read from it.
usmapdata
2.5INFRA · APIS
usmapdata ships its 2025 shapefiles on the year-indexed model it adopted in 0.4.0.
◆ Current state
usmapdata supplies the boundary data behind usmap's plotting functions. Since 0.4.0 it has been year-indexed: us_map(data_year = ) selects a vintage, and each Census release is added as its own year with older ones still reachable. 1.1.0 adds 2025. 1.0.0 closed the package's longest-standing gap by adding Puerto Rico, retroactively across every vintage.
◆ Where it's heading
The package has settled into a predictable rhythm — one shapefile vintage per year, with structural change rare and clustered. The two changes that mattered were data_year in 0.4.0, which turned a single-vintage dataset into a time series, and the tibble-to-data-frame switch in 0.6.0 that reduced what downstream callers have to depend on.
◆ Prediction
The stated policy — each year added going forward, previous years reachable through data_year — points to a 2026 vintage as the next release. Nothing in these notes suggests further change to the data model.
Alternatives to jSDM and usmapdata
Other Infra & APIs 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 jSDM or usmapdata.
ggalign
Composable aligned layouts, rebuilt on S7 while ggplot2 4.0 lands underneath.
prioritizr
Conservation planning absorbs the literature's target-setting rules as code.
rsofun
An ecosystem model starts tracking carbon isotopes and land-use change.
usmap
Ten years in, US mapping splits its data out and finally adds Puerto Rico.
trackeR
Fitness-tracking analysis in slow maintenance, still absorbing upstream breakage.
See all jSDM alternatives → · See all usmapdata alternatives →
Recent activity from jSDM and usmapdata
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 23d agousmapdata2025 Census shapefiles added
- 9mo agojSDMjSDM CRAN release v0.2.7: Joint Species Distribution Models
- 0y agousmapdataPuerto Rico added across every map vintage
- 1y agousmapdataus_map() returns a data frame instead of a tibble
- 1y agousmapdata2024 Census shapefiles added
- 1y agousmapdatadata_year turns the package into a multi-vintage archive ⚡
- 2y agousmapdataMap data moves to 2023 shapefiles
- 3y agojSDMSpecies traits, constrained loadings and association plots
- 3y agojSDMFirst release: C++ Gibbs sampler for joint species models ⚡
- 3y agojSDMResidual correlation functions can filter to significant values
- 3y agojSDMjSDM_gaussian() fits continuous data with overdispersion
- 3y agojSDMFour versions of CRAN check corrections
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between jSDM and usmapdata?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. usmapdata 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 jSDM better than usmapdata?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. usmapdata 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 Infra & APIs products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to jSDM?
Top jSDM alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "jSDM alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/jsdm for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to usmapdata?
Top usmapdata alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "usmapdata alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/usmapdata for the full list with editorial commentary on each.