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spatstat.model vs spmodel

A side-by-side editorial comparison of spatstat.model and spmodel — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

Shared themes:spatial-statisticsr-package

spatstat.model vs spmodel: at a glance

Featurespatstat.modelspmodel
SectorAnalyticsAnalytics
Velocity score2.50.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesspatial-statistics, point-processes, model-fitting, r-packagespatial-statistics, regression-modelling, kriging, r-package
Last editorial update1h ago1h ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is spatstat.model?

spatstat's inference layer builds out determinantal and cluster process fitting

spatstat.model fits point process models and provides the diagnostics that go with them. The recent window is dominated by determinantal point process work — a variance-covariance matrix and more diagnostics in 3.7-2, additional `intensity` and `repul` methods in 3.7-1, and ROC curves for determinantal models in 3.5-0. Cluster and Cox process inference has advanced in parallel, with Waagepetersen's composite likelihood arriving in 3.6-1.

Read the full spatstat.model trajectory →

What is spmodel?

Spatial regression in R, adding block kriging and then tuning the numerics underneath it

spmodel fits spatial linear and generalised linear models, for both point-referenced and areal data, with prediction and diagnostics attached. Block prediction arrived in 0.11.0 and the releases since have refined it. The most recent release changes optimiser behaviour: the default Nelder-Mead relative stopping tolerance tightens from 1e-4 to 1e-6 to reduce convergence on local rather than global maxima.

Read the full spmodel trajectory →

spatstat.model vs spmodel: editorial side-by-side

S2.5

spatstat's inference layer builds out determinantal and cluster process fitting

◆ Current state

spatstat.model fits point process models and provides the diagnostics that go with them. The recent window is dominated by determinantal point process work — a variance-covariance matrix and more diagnostics in 3.7-2, additional `intensity` and `repul` methods in 3.7-1, and ROC curves for determinantal models in 3.5-0. Cluster and Cox process inference has advanced in parallel, with Waagepetersen's composite likelihood arriving in 3.6-1.

◆ Where it's heading

The pattern is that model classes enter the package as fitting machinery first and only later gain the apparatus that makes them usable in practice — standard errors, diagnostics, residuals, model checking. Determinantal processes are visibly midway through that progression, reaching variance-covariance estimation only in the most recent release. Around this, the package has been broadening where models can be fitted at all: replicated point patterns on linear networks in 3.5-0, extended spatial logistic regression, and conversion of recursively partitioned models to tessellations.

◆ Prediction

Expect determinantal model support to keep filling out along the same path other model classes took, since variance estimation has only just arrived and partial residuals already exist for the cluster and Cox families. The entries do not signal a move into three dimensions here, unlike the geometry and simulation packages.

S
spmodel
ANALYTICS
0.0

Spatial regression in R, adding block kriging and then tuning the numerics underneath it

◆ Current state

spmodel fits spatial linear and generalised linear models, for both point-referenced and areal data, with prediction and diagnostics attached. Block prediction arrived in 0.11.0 and the releases since have refined it. The most recent release changes optimiser behaviour: the default Nelder-Mead relative stopping tolerance tightens from 1e-4 to 1e-6 to reduce convergence on local rather than global maxima.

◆ Where it's heading

Two threads run in parallel. The first is expanding what can be predicted — point predictions, then areal averages over a region via block kriging, then better accuracy and efficiency for that path as the block size default moved from 1000 to 4000 in 0.12.0. The second is numerical trustworthiness, and it is unusually prominent here: a range-constraint option for stability in 0.9.0, a corrected log determinant of the fixed effects in the restricted log likelihood in 0.11.0, a cloud semivariogram that had been doubling the semivariance fixed in 0.11.1, and now a tighter optimiser tolerance. Several of these silently changed results before they were caught.

◆ Prediction

Expect the maintainers to keep publishing explicit reproduction instructions alongside numerical default changes, as 0.13.0 does by documenting the `control = list(reltol = 1e-4)` escape hatch. The entries give no signal of expansion beyond the current model families.

Alternatives to spatstat.model and spmodel

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 spatstat.model or spmodel.

See all spatstat.model alternatives → · See all spmodel alternatives →

Recent activity from spatstat.model and spmodel

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

  1. 18d agospatstat.modelVariance-covariance and diagnostics for determinantal models
  2. 2mo agospmodelTighter optimiser tolerance to avoid local maxima
  3. 2mo agospatstat.modelMore intensity and repul methods; boundary-aware predictions
  4. 6mo agospatstat.modelComposite likelihood for cluster processes
  5. 6mo agospmodelEmpirical autocovariance function and better block kriging accuracy
  6. 8mo agospatstat.modelReplicated network models and partial residuals
  7. 9mo agospmodelCloud semivariogram doubling fixed; geometry warnings added
  8. 10mo agospatstat.modelintensity.ppm improvements for Geyer models
  9. 1y agospatstat.modelROC curve support substantially extended
  10. 1y agospmodelBlock kriging for areal averages and their uncertainty
  11. 1y agospmodelRobust semivariogram and new covariance types for areal models
  12. 1y agospmodelRange constraint option and redefined covariance type names

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between spatstat.model and spmodel?

Both compete on the same themes — spatial-statistics, r-package — within Analytics. spatstat.model 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 spatstat.model better than spmodel?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. spatstat.model 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 spatstat.model?

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

What are the best alternatives to spmodel?

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