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Comparison · Analytics

socialmixr vs tern.rbmi

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

socialmixr vs tern.rbmi: at a glance

Featuresocialmixrtern.rbmi
SectorAnalyticsAnalytics
Velocity score0.00.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themescontact matrices, epidemiology, pipeline api, breaking changespharmaverse, multiple-imputation, cran-maintenance, tabulation
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.rbmi?

Reference-based multiple imputation tables, shipping only what CRAN checks demand.

tern.rbmi renders the output of {rbmi} reference-based multiple imputation analyses into tern tables for clinical reporting. Its three most recent releases exist to satisfy CRAN: restricting vignette builds to gcc, adding V8 to Suggests, and a plain resubmission. No user-facing functionality has changed in the visible window, and the three older entries now backfilled are version-bump automation.

Read the full tern.rbmi trajectory →

socialmixr vs tern.rbmi: 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.rbmi
ANALYTICS
0.0

Reference-based multiple imputation tables, shipping only what CRAN checks demand.

◆ Current state

tern.rbmi renders the output of {rbmi} reference-based multiple imputation analyses into tern tables for clinical reporting. Its three most recent releases exist to satisfy CRAN: restricting vignette builds to gcc, adding V8 to Suggests, and a plain resubmission. No user-facing functionality has changed in the visible window, and the three older entries now backfilled are version-bump automation.

◆ Where it's heading

This is a thin adapter package and behaves like one — it moves when CRAN or an upstream dependency forces it to. Between 2022 and 2024 the feed shows only version bumps, and the 2025 releases are packaging concerns rather than analysis changes. The newly surfaced 2022 entries reinforce rather than change that reading.

◆ Prediction

Expect the next release to be triggered by a CRAN check failure or an {rbmi} update rather than by new tabulation features.

Alternatives to socialmixr and tern.rbmi

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.rbmi.

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

Recent activity from socialmixr and tern.rbmi

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 agotern.rbmiVignette built only under gcc
  5. 1y agotern.rbmiV8 added to Suggests
  6. 1y agotern.rbmiCRAN resubmission with dependency and workflow updates
  7. 1y agosocialmixrFaster survey loading and cached Zenodo lookups
  8. 2y agosocialmixrcontact_matrix() now takes survey objects only
  9. 2y agosocialmixrTest fixes for machine-precision failures
  10. 3y agotern.rbmiAutomated release commit for 0.1.1
  11. 4y agotern.rbmiDevelopment version bump to 0.1.0.9004
  12. 4y agotern.rbmiCI automation commit, no release content

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between socialmixr and tern.rbmi?

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

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

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