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Comparison · Analytics
soilDBdata vs tEDM
A side-by-side editorial comparison of soilDBdata and tEDM — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
soilDBdata vs tEDM: at a glance
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.
What is tEDM?
The temporal half of the stscl EDM pair, tracking its spatial sibling
tEDM applies empirical dynamic modeling to time series — cross mapping, convergent cross mapping and the logistic map — as the temporal counterpart to spEDM, with which it shares a maintainer and a C++ core. The recent releases are consolidation rather than expansion: index handling in cross mapping corrected, generics taught to accept varying E, k and tau, and the associated paper now cited in the README. Only three releases are visible in the feed.
soilDBdata vs tEDM: editorial side-by-side
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.
tEDM
0.0ANALYTICS
The temporal half of the stscl EDM pair, tracking its spatial sibling
◆ Current state
tEDM applies empirical dynamic modeling to time series — cross mapping, convergent cross mapping and the logistic map — as the temporal counterpart to spEDM, with which it shares a maintainer and a C++ core. The recent releases are consolidation rather than expansion: index handling in cross mapping corrected, generics taught to accept varying E, k and tau, and the associated paper now cited in the README. Only three releases are visible in the feed.
◆ Where it's heading
tEDM moves in lockstep with spEDM. Configurable distance metrics, varying E/k/tau inputs, strict floating-point comparison and the S3 plotting font unification all appear in both packages within days or weeks, as does the maintainer surname correction. The recent balance has tilted toward correcting library and prediction index handling — the kind of repeated attention that suggests the indexing model was the weak point of the shared core.
◆ Prediction
Expect tEDM to keep inheriting the shared-core changes spEDM lands, with its own releases staying small and centred on cross-mapping parameter handling rather than new method surface.
Alternatives to soilDBdata and tEDM
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 soilDBdata or tEDM.
gcube
gcube's recent releases are all packaging metadata, not simulation code
cubist
The R port of Quinlan's Cubist gets reproducibility fixes, not new modelling
ggstats
ggstats keeps widening what a coefficient or Likert plot can be
ecodive
ecodive rebuilt itself into a broad diversity-metric library, breaking as it went
simStateSpace
State-space data simulation for R, filled in one function at a time
See all soilDBdata alternatives → · See all tEDM alternatives →
Recent activity from soilDBdata and tEDM
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 3mo agosoilDBdataMarshall Islands FY26 gSSURGO dataset added
- 4mo agotEDMMaintainer name corrected, published paper cited
- 7mo agotEDMCross-mapping index handling corrected, generics accept varying E, k, tau
- 11mo agotEDMConfigurable distance metrics for cross mapping
- 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 soilDBdata and tEDM?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. soilDBdata and tEDM 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 soilDBdata better than tEDM?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. soilDBdata and tEDM 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 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.
What are the best alternatives to tEDM?
Top tEDM alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "tEDM alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/tedm for the full list with editorial commentary on each.