gps2gtfs
gps2gtfs spent a release making its docs stop describing functions it does not have.
Comparison · Analytics
KLINK vs pedbuildr
A side-by-side editorial comparison of KLINK and pedbuildr — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
KLINK vs pedbuildr: at a glance
What is KLINK?
Forensic kinship testing with linked STR markers, now peer-reviewed and taking data from anywhere.
KLINK is a Shiny application and R package for kinship testing that accounts for linkage between STR markers, rather than treating all markers as independent. The built-in genetic map covers 50 common STR markers, pairs them dynamically after data loads, and lets the user set the maximum distance at which a pair counts as linked. Custom marker maps can now arrive as Excel files including KLINK's own download files, and a paper describing the tool was published in FSI:Genetics in 2026.
What is pedbuildr?
pedbuildr reconstructs pedigrees from DNA, and it just got much faster at the search.
pedbuildr infers pedigree structure from marker data by scoring candidate pedigrees against likelihoods. Version 0.4.0 moved reconstruct() to mirai for parallel likelihood computation, deprecated the old numCores argument, and picked up the improved loop breaking from pedtools and pedprobr, which lets many complex looped pedigrees succeed where they previously failed. buildPeds() also got significantly faster in its default configuration where mating between lineally related individuals is disallowed.
KLINK vs pedbuildr: editorial side-by-side
KLINK
2.5ANALYTICS
Forensic kinship testing with linked STR markers, now peer-reviewed and taking data from anywhere.
◆ Current state
KLINK is a Shiny application and R package for kinship testing that accounts for linkage between STR markers, rather than treating all markers as independent. The built-in genetic map covers 50 common STR markers, pairs them dynamically after data loads, and lets the user set the maximum distance at which a pair counts as linked. Custom marker maps can now arrive as Excel files including KLINK's own download files, and a paper describing the tool was published in FSI:Genetics in 2026.
◆ Where it's heading
The direction is from fixed panel toward general instrument. Hard-coded linkage pairs gave way to dynamic pairing, the built-in map grew from 18 to 50 markers, the map itself was then moved out to the norSTR package, and the app now accepts custom maps in several file formats and decimal conventions. Method capability tracks the upstream pedsuite rather than KLINK itself: special lumping in pedprobr and pedmut is what allowed complex mutation models in common pedigrees, and the newest release pins pedtools 2.11.0 and pedprobr 1.1.0 for faster likelihoods and better handling of looped pedigrees. Much of the remaining work is unglamorous casework ergonomics, replacing stray Norwegian text in Excel output, controlling table heights, fixing karyogram colours.
◆ Prediction
With the map externalised and custom maps loading from multiple formats, the likeliest next step is broader marker-panel coverage through norSTR rather than changes in KLINK itself. Method gains should continue to arrive as pedprobr and pedmut version bumps.
pedbuildr
0.0ANALYTICS
pedbuildr reconstructs pedigrees from DNA, and it just got much faster at the search.
◆ Current state
pedbuildr infers pedigree structure from marker data by scoring candidate pedigrees against likelihoods. Version 0.4.0 moved reconstruct() to mirai for parallel likelihood computation, deprecated the old numCores argument, and picked up the improved loop breaking from pedtools and pedprobr, which lets many complex looped pedigrees succeed where they previously failed. buildPeds() also got significantly faster in its default configuration where mating between lineally related individuals is disallowed.
◆ Where it's heading
The package is bounded by two costs: how many candidate pedigrees it enumerates and how expensive each likelihood is. The recent release attacks both, parallelizing the likelihoods and speeding up enumeration in the common case. The earlier 0.3.0 release worked on the other end, adding inbreeding limits and a proper result class so the output of a large search is manageable. Releases are infrequent, roughly three years apart in this window.
◆ Prediction
Expect the candidate generation side to receive the same attention the likelihood side just did, since search space size is the remaining bound on what pedbuildr can reconstruct.
Alternatives to KLINK and pedbuildr
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 KLINK or pedbuildr.
ducksemantics
ducksemantics puts an ontology graph and ColBERT retrieval inside DuckDB, callable from R.
dvir
dvir keeps making disaster victim identification a single call instead of a workflow.
forrel
forrel is getting faster at the simulations forensic kinship work actually spends its time on.
pedFamilias
pedFamilias exists to read one legacy file format, and it has that job nearly finished.
pedmut
pedmut turns awkward mutation models into ones the likelihood engine can actually handle.
See all KLINK alternatives → · See all pedbuildr alternatives →
Recent activity from KLINK and pedbuildr
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 12d agoKLINKExcel marker maps, more robust map loading, and a published paper
- 1mo agopedbuildrmirai parallelism and faster pedigree enumeration
- 3mo agoKLINKIn-app help pages, a mutation-model setting, and clearer controls
- 1y agoKLINKComplex mutation models become usable via upstream special lumping
- 1y agoKLINKDownload fix for XML initials containing hyphens
- 1y agoKLINKUnlinked report picks the higher-PIC marker from each pair
- 2y agoKLINKMarkers pair dynamically against a 50-marker map, replacing hard-coded pairs ⚡
- 2y agopedbuildrpedCollection class and an inbreeding ceiling
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between KLINK and pedbuildr?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. KLINK 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 KLINK better than pedbuildr?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. KLINK 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 KLINK?
Top KLINK alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "KLINK alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/klink for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to pedbuildr?
Top pedbuildr alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "pedbuildr alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/pedbuildr for the full list with editorial commentary on each.