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socialmixr vs tern.mmrm

A side-by-side editorial comparison of socialmixr and tern.mmrm — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

socialmixr vs tern.mmrm: at a glance

Featuresocialmixrtern.mmrm
SectorAnalyticsAnalytics
Velocity score0.00.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themescontact matrices, epidemiology, pipeline api, breaking changespharmaverse, mmrm, tabulation, maintenance
Last editorial update10h ago1h ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is socialmixr?

socialmixr breaks its one-shot contact_matrix() call into a composable pipeline.

socialmixr builds age-structured social contact matrices from survey data for infectious-disease modelling. Version 0.6.0 replaces the monolithic contact_matrix() entry point with a chain of composable steps — filter, assign age groups, weigh, compute, then symmetrise, split or convert per capita — behind a new contact_matrix S3 class. Survey downloading is being handed off to a separate contactsurveys package.

Read the full socialmixr trajectory →

What is tern.mmrm?

An MMRM tabulation package that has published nothing since its 2024 CRAN releases.

tern.mmrm wraps mixed models for repeated measures into the tern tabulation and plotting layer used by teal clinical modules. The visible history ends with three CRAN releases in mid-to-late 2024; before that the feed carries only automated version bumps from 2022, three of which have just been backfilled into the record. The most recent substantive change adds axis limit arguments to the LS-means plot.

Read the full tern.mmrm trajectory →

socialmixr vs tern.mmrm: editorial side-by-side

S
socialmixr
ANALYTICS
0.0

socialmixr breaks its one-shot contact_matrix() call into a composable pipeline.

◆ Current state

socialmixr builds age-structured social contact matrices from survey data for infectious-disease modelling. Version 0.6.0 replaces the monolithic contact_matrix() entry point with a chain of composable steps — filter, assign age groups, weigh, compute, then symmetrise, split or convert per capita — behind a new contact_matrix S3 class. Survey downloading is being handed off to a separate contactsurveys package.

◆ Where it's heading

The arc from 0.4.0 to 0.6.0 is decomposition: first extracting helpers like assign_age_groups(), then moving downloads out of the package, and now exposing every stage of matrix construction as its own verb. Breaking changes are accepted at each step — preserved empty age groups, arrays instead of xtabs, [N,Inf) labels — with the new class inheriting from list so existing $matrix access keeps working. The label change is explicitly aligned with the contactmatrix package.

◆ Prediction

Expect the deprecated dotted argument names and the remaining in-package download paths to be removed once the contactsurveys handoff completes, leaving contact_matrix() as a thin wrapper over the pipeline.

T
tern.mmrm
ANALYTICS
0.0

An MMRM tabulation package that has published nothing since its 2024 CRAN releases.

◆ Current state

tern.mmrm wraps mixed models for repeated measures into the tern tabulation and plotting layer used by teal clinical modules. The visible history ends with three CRAN releases in mid-to-late 2024; before that the feed carries only automated version bumps from 2022, three of which have just been backfilled into the record. The most recent substantive change adds axis limit arguments to the LS-means plot.

◆ Where it's heading

Content per release is thin and largely organisational: a maintainer change, replacing scda with random.cdisc.data in vignettes, and adapting to new {mmrm} versions. The package appears to be in maintenance, tracking its upstream dependency rather than developing independently. The 2022 entries now visible are release-automation commits, not releases in any meaningful sense.

◆ Prediction

Nothing here signals new functionality; the realistic next event is another compatibility release when {mmrm} or {rtables} changes underneath it.

Alternatives to socialmixr and tern.mmrm

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 socialmixr or tern.mmrm.

See all socialmixr alternatives → · See all tern.mmrm alternatives →

Recent activity from socialmixr and tern.mmrm

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

  1. 3mo agosocialmixrContact matrices become a composable pipeline
  2. 6mo agosocialmixrPatch: load_survey() handles files without cont_id
  3. 6mo agosocialmixrAge-group assignment and population lookup split out
  4. 1y agosocialmixrFaster survey loading and cached Zenodo lookups
  5. 1y agotern.mmrmAxis limits added to the LS-means plot
  6. 2y agotern.mmrmMaintainer change and scda replaced in vignettes
  7. 2y agotern.mmrmCRAN 0.3.0 release, mostly workflow housekeeping
  8. 2y agosocialmixrcontact_matrix() now takes survey objects only
  9. 2y agosocialmixrTest fixes for machine-precision failures
  10. 3y agotern.mmrmAutomated version bump to 0.2.1
  11. 3y agotern.mmrmPre-release branch merge
  12. 4y agotern.mmrmCI automation commit, no release content

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between socialmixr and tern.mmrm?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. socialmixr and tern.mmrm 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 socialmixr better than tern.mmrm?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. socialmixr and tern.mmrm 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 socialmixr?

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

What are the best alternatives to tern.mmrm?

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