randomwalk
randomwalk spent every release getting an R simulation to run in the browser, not on a server.
Comparison · Analytics
simStateSpace vs soilDBdata
A side-by-side editorial comparison of simStateSpace and soilDBdata — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
simStateSpace vs soilDBdata: at a glance
What is simStateSpace?
State-space data simulation for R, filled in one function at a time
simStateSpace generates data from state-space models — discrete-time SSM and VAR, continuous-time linear SDE and Ornstein-Uhlenbeck — for use in simulation studies of longitudinal and intensive repeated-measures designs. Recent releases add moment and intercept helpers rather than new model families: SimMVN(), the LinSDE intercept functions, and consolidation of the four separate parameter-simulation functions into one. Release notes are terse, marked Patch, and typically name one or two functions.
What is soilDBdata?
soilDBdata exists so soilDB's tests can run without a NASIS connection.
soilDBdata is a data-only package supplying NASIS and gSSURGO sample datasets as .sqlite assets, installed separately by soilDB's GitHub Actions so unit tests that would otherwise need database access can run. It began as a proof of concept carrying MT663 pedon and component tables used in soil survey coursework, and its most recent release adds a Marshall Islands FY26 gSSURGO dataset. Releases are infrequent and driven by what the parent package needs to test.
simStateSpace vs soilDBdata: editorial side-by-side
simStateSpace
0.0ANALYTICS
State-space data simulation for R, filled in one function at a time
◆ Current state
simStateSpace generates data from state-space models — discrete-time SSM and VAR, continuous-time linear SDE and Ornstein-Uhlenbeck — for use in simulation studies of longitudinal and intensive repeated-measures designs. Recent releases add moment and intercept helpers rather than new model families: SimMVN(), the LinSDE intercept functions, and consolidation of the four separate parameter-simulation functions into one. Release notes are terse, marked Patch, and typically name one or two functions.
◆ Where it's heading
The package is being filled in methodically toward completeness across its four model families — whatever exists for the SSM side eventually appears for LinSDE and back again, as SSMInterceptEta/SSMInterceptY in 1.2.15 were followed by their LinSDE counterparts in 1.2.16. The other visible move was outward: bootstrap components were split into a separate bootStateSpace package, keeping this one to simulation alone. It sits in the same author's cluster of state-space and mediation packages, whose published methods papers the releases cite.
◆ Prediction
Expect the pattern to continue — small patch releases adding the missing counterpart function for a model family already served, with any larger capability likely spun out into its own package as bootstrapping was.
soilDBdata
0.0ANALYTICS
soilDBdata exists so soilDB's tests can run without a NASIS connection.
◆ Current state
soilDBdata is a data-only package supplying NASIS and gSSURGO sample datasets as .sqlite assets, installed separately by soilDB's GitHub Actions so unit tests that would otherwise need database access can run. It began as a proof of concept carrying MT663 pedon and component tables used in soil survey coursework, and its most recent release adds a Marshall Islands FY26 gSSURGO dataset. Releases are infrequent and driven by what the parent package needs to test.
◆ Where it's heading
Development follows soilDB rather than leading it: assets get bumped when a soilDB version changes, and purpose lists are updated when soilDB adds a table. The one release that changed what testing is possible was v0.1.1, which added selected-set _View_1 tables alongside whole tables so both SS=TRUE and SS=FALSE code paths could be exercised. Four-year gaps between releases are normal here and do not indicate abandonment — a fixture package only needs to move when the fixtures go stale.
◆ Prediction
The recent addition is a new geography rather than a new table structure, so further releases most likely continue broadening dataset coverage as soilDB gains regions to test against.
Alternatives to simStateSpace and soilDBdata
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 simStateSpace or soilDBdata.
fastml
fastml added survival modelling and leakage-proof resampling, moving past classification and regression.
abclass
abclass built out angle-based classifiers in 2022, then went quiet except for CRAN upkeep.
churon
churon is spending its entire release history getting a Rust ONNX binding through CRAN.
firatheme
firatheme woke up after four years and started fixing what ggplot2 changed underneath it.
bagyo
bagyo reached CRAN as a Philippine tropical cyclone dataset, with its tags stamped out of order.
See all simStateSpace alternatives → · See all soilDBdata alternatives →
Recent activity from simStateSpace and soilDBdata
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 3mo agosoilDBdataMarshall Islands FY26 gSSURGO dataset added
- 4mo agosimStateSpaceLinSDE intercept helpers added; parameter simulators consolidated
- 6mo agosimStateSpaceSSM intercept functions added
- 10mo agosimStateSpacesimStateSpace 1.2.12
- 1y agosimStateSpaceLinSDECov() and LinSDEMean() added
- 1y agosimStateSpaceBootstrap components split into bootStateSpace
- 1y agosimStateSpaceParametric bootstrap functions across all four model families
- 1y agosoilDBdataMT663 fixtures refreshed for soilDB 2.8.3
- 1y agosoilDBdataNASIS purpose lists updated for siteothvegclass
- 4y agosoilDBdataSelected-set _View_1 tables enable SS=TRUE/FALSE testing
- 4y agosoilDBdataProof of concept: MT663 pedon and component .sqlite fixtures
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between simStateSpace and soilDBdata?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. simStateSpace and soilDBdata 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 simStateSpace better than soilDBdata?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. simStateSpace and soilDBdata 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 simStateSpace?
Top simStateSpace alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "simStateSpace alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/simstatespace for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to soilDBdata?
Top soilDBdata alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "soilDBdata alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/soildbdata for the full list with editorial commentary on each.