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spatstat.model vs units

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

spatstat.model vs units: at a glance

Featurespatstat.modelunits
SectorAnalyticsAnalytics
Velocity score2.50.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesspatial-statistics, point-processes, model-fitting, r-packagemeasurement units, r package, udunits2, breaking parser change
Last editorial update2h 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 units?

units reaches 1.0 by rewriting its parser and accepting the breakage that comes with it.

units attaches physical units to R vectors on top of the udunits2 library, covering arithmetic, conversion and ggplot2 scales. Version 1.0-0 replaced the unit-expression tokenizer so numbers are consistently treated as prefixes, and expressions like ml/min/1.73m^2 now parse the way physiologists write them. Printing follows NIST conventions, and 1.0-1 is a fix pass over memory handling and parser edge cases.

Read the full units trajectory →

spatstat.model vs units: 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.

U
units
ANALYTICS
0.0

units reaches 1.0 by rewriting its parser and accepting the breakage that comes with it.

◆ Current state

units attaches physical units to R vectors on top of the udunits2 library, covering arithmetic, conversion and ggplot2 scales. Version 1.0-0 replaced the unit-expression tokenizer so numbers are consistently treated as prefixes, and expressions like ml/min/1.73m^2 now parse the way physiologists write them. Printing follows NIST conventions, and 1.0-1 is a fix pass over memory handling and parser edge cases.

◆ Where it's heading

The long 0.8-x run was accretion — ggplot2 scales absorbed from ggforce, ud_convert(), matrix methods, steady performance work — while known parsing defects stayed in place. The 1.0 release finally traded backwards compatibility for correct parsing, and 1.0-1's pointer-wrapping and exception-propagation work suggests the C++ glue is being hardened behind it. Fixes cluster at the udunits2 boundary, which remains the main source of surprises.

◆ Prediction

Expect continued patch releases against udunits2 quirks and the new tokenizer's fallout rather than new surface area, with the ggplot2 integration and conversion helpers already in place.

Alternatives to spatstat.model and units

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 units.

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

Recent activity from spatstat.model and units

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

  1. 18d agospatstat.modelVariance-covariance and diagnostics for determinantal models
  2. 2mo agospatstat.modelMore intensity and repul methods; boundary-aware predictions
  3. 5mo agounitsMemory-leak and udunits2 parsing fixes after 1.0
  4. 6mo agospatstat.modelComposite likelihood for cluster processes
  5. 8mo agospatstat.modelReplicated network models and partial residuals
  6. 10mo agounitsNew tokenizer parses compound units correctly
  7. 10mo agospatstat.modelintensity.ppm improvements for Geyer models
  8. 1y agospatstat.modelROC curve support substantially extended
  9. 1y agounitsCopy semantics fix in ud_convert(); C++17 for old R
  10. 1y agounitscbind/rbind methods, ud_convert() and broad fixes
  11. 1y agounitsSilences a CRAN compiler warning
  12. 2y agounitsRestores simplify=FALSE for identical units

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between spatstat.model and units?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. 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 units?

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 units?

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