'randomFields' package removed from CRAN

[mikemeredith]

AHMbook uses functions in the RandomFields package to generate random spatial data with spatial auto-correlation in the functions

• simDynoccSpatial
• simExpCorrRF, and hence simNmixSpatial and simOccSpatial
• simPPe

Unfortunately, due to major problems with RandomFields and its interface with RandomFieldsUtils, RandomFields was removed from CRAN on 4 May 2022. At that time, AHMbook (v.0.2.5) Depended on RandomFields and was also removed from CRAN.

Version 0.2.6, now on CRAN, will use RandomFields if it is available and behave as before. Otherwise, it falls back on functions in the fields package which is much more restricted in the options which work. You may get an error message saying that simulation failed. It cannot create the data set generated by simDynoccSpatial and used in AHM2 section 9.6.1.2; an example data set is now included int the package as simDynoccSpatialData.