RMVMR
RMVMR is being tidied in lockstep with MVMR, the package it wraps
Comparison · Analytics
kernelshap vs prism
A side-by-side editorial comparison of kernelshap and prism — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Shared themes:r package
kernelshap vs prism: at a glance
What is kernelshap?
kernelshap makes permutation SHAP practical past eight features, then fixes the kernel weights it had wrong.
kernelshap computes model-agnostic SHAP values in R through Kernel SHAP, permutation SHAP and an exact additive explainer. Version 0.8.0 added a sampling permutation-SHAP algorithm with standard errors and early stopping, lifting the practical feature ceiling past what the exact method allows. Version 0.9.0 then corrected a bug in how kernel weights were computed — exact Kernel SHAP now agrees with exact permutation SHAP — and moved parallelism from foreach to doFuture.
What is prism?
prism rebuilds on Oregon State's new API and starts the move to cloud-optimised GeoTIFF.
prism downloads and handles PRISM climate data in R. Version 0.3.0 rewrites the package against the API Oregon State introduced in September 2025, arriving after a gap the maintainer apologises for. Normals now download as cloud-optimised GeoTIFF rather than .bil, so helper functions such as pd_plot_slice() and pd_image() do not work with them. Archives mixing old and new API data trigger a warning and a recommendation to start fresh.
kernelshap vs prism: editorial side-by-side
kernelshap
0.0ANALYTICS
kernelshap makes permutation SHAP practical past eight features, then fixes the kernel weights it had wrong.
◆ Current state
kernelshap computes model-agnostic SHAP values in R through Kernel SHAP, permutation SHAP and an exact additive explainer. Version 0.8.0 added a sampling permutation-SHAP algorithm with standard errors and early stopping, lifting the practical feature ceiling past what the exact method allows. Version 0.9.0 then corrected a bug in how kernel weights were computed — exact Kernel SHAP now agrees with exact permutation SHAP — and moved parallelism from foreach to doFuture.
◆ Where it's heading
Two concerns drive this package: making exact methods reach further, and being demonstrably right. The first shows in the additive explainer, the optional background dataset and the sampling permutation algorithm; the second in unit tests written against Python's shap, credited fixes from outside contributors, and a willingness to ship a correctness fix that changes numbers people have already published. Speed work runs continuously underneath — direct solves replacing the Moore-Penrose pseudo-inverse, roughly 10% less memory.
◆ Prediction
The 0.6.0 and 0.7.0 notes each promised a stable 1.0.0 that has not arrived; with the weighting bug fixed and parallelism reworked, a 1.0 release is the most plausible next step.
prism
0.0ANALYTICS
prism rebuilds on Oregon State's new API and starts the move to cloud-optimised GeoTIFF.
◆ Current state
prism downloads and handles PRISM climate data in R. Version 0.3.0 rewrites the package against the API Oregon State introduced in September 2025, arriving after a gap the maintainer apologises for. Normals now download as cloud-optimised GeoTIFF rather than .bil, so helper functions such as pd_plot_slice() and pd_image() do not work with them. Archives mixing old and new API data trigger a warning and a recommendation to start fresh.
◆ Where it's heading
The package is mid-migration on two axes at once: the API endpoint, which is done, and the file format, where only normals have moved to COG while everything else still fetches .bil. The stated plan is to take the whole package to COG. Until that lands, capability is split — data downloads fine, but the plotting and slicing helpers only cover the old format.
◆ Prediction
The next substantive release should extend COG downloads beyond normals and restore the helper functions against that format, closing the gap this release opened.
Alternatives to kernelshap and prism
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 kernelshap or prism.
geoarrow-r
geoarrow tracks the GeoArrow spec and otherwise just keeps compiling
n2khab
n2khab keeps retracting interpretations of habitat data it can't actually support
tidypolars
tidypolars is grinding toward complete dplyr coverage, one supported function at a time
OneSampleMR
OneSampleMR found that argument order in a formula was silently changing its estimates
bpbounds
bpbounds found the same swapped-cell bug twice and clamped its bounds back into range
See all kernelshap alternatives → · See all prism alternatives →
Recent activity from kernelshap and prism
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 8mo agoprismRebuilt on the new PRISM API; normals move to COG ⚡
- 1y agokernelshapKernel weight bug fixed; parallelism moves to doFuture
- 1y agokernelshapSampling permutation SHAP with standard errors ⚡
- 1y agokernelshapBackground data now optional; ranger survival support
- 2y agokernelshapFactor-valued predictions dropped
- 2y agokernelshapadditive_shap() explains additive models exactly
- 2y agokernelshapFaster on plain data.frames
- 2y agoprismSubscription URLs and safer download defaults
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between kernelshap and prism?
Both compete on the same themes — r package — within Analytics. kernelshap and prism 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 kernelshap better than prism?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. kernelshap and prism 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 kernelshap?
Top kernelshap alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "kernelshap alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/kernelshap for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to prism?
Top prism alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "prism alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/prism-r for the full list with editorial commentary on each.