HydroPortailStats
France's national flood statistics, ported out of Fortran and into R.
Comparison · Infra & APIs
BayLum vs metR
A side-by-side editorial comparison of BayLum and metR — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Shared themes:r-package
BayLum vs metR: at a glance
What is BayLum?
Bayesian luminescence dating that finally replaced its folder-structure input format.
BayLum runs Bayesian age models for luminescence and combined OSL/C-14 dating on top of JAGS. The 2024 release rebuilt the front end: a single create_DataFile() replaces the separate single-grain and multi-grain generators, reads BIN/BINX and XSYG directly, and takes a YAML config in place of the old prescribed folder layout. Since then the work has been CRAN compliance and documentation.
What is metR?
A meteorology ggplot2 extension where the netCDF reader became the main event
metR supplies meteorological and oceanographic tools for R: contour and streamline geoms, EOF decomposition, wave fitting, and ReadNetCDF() for getting gridded data in. Development has concentrated heavily on that reader. Version 0.18.0 added subsetting by dimension index, so the first or last ten timesteps can be read without knowing how many exist; 0.18.1 moved time parsing to the CFtime package; 0.18.2 added cdo operations through rcdo and reading across multiple files in parallel, and fixed a subsetting bug where nearest-gridpoint matching could return data outside the requested range entirely.
BayLum vs metR: editorial side-by-side
BayLum
0.0INFRA · APIS
Bayesian luminescence dating that finally replaced its folder-structure input format.
◆ Current state
BayLum runs Bayesian age models for luminescence and combined OSL/C-14 dating on top of JAGS. The 2024 release rebuilt the front end: a single create_DataFile() replaces the separate single-grain and multi-grain generators, reads BIN/BINX and XSYG directly, and takes a YAML config in place of the old prescribed folder layout. Since then the work has been CRAN compliance and documentation.
◆ Where it's heading
Two long-running threads have converged: making JAGS runs survivable (parallel methods, halved MCMC memory, injectable custom models) and making the inputs survivable (YAML config, consistency checks, auto-detected sample names). With the deprecated generators on their way out, the next phase is removal rather than addition. Release cadence is roughly annual and slowing.
◆ Prediction
The deprecated Generate_DataFile(), Generate_DataFile_MG() and LT_RegenDose() are the obvious next casualties; a release that drops them would be the first breaking change since the YAML rework.
metR
0.0INFRA · APIS
A meteorology ggplot2 extension where the netCDF reader became the main event
◆ Current state
metR supplies meteorological and oceanographic tools for R: contour and streamline geoms, EOF decomposition, wave fitting, and ReadNetCDF() for getting gridded data in. Development has concentrated heavily on that reader. Version 0.18.0 added subsetting by dimension index, so the first or last ten timesteps can be read without knowing how many exist; 0.18.1 moved time parsing to the CFtime package; 0.18.2 added cdo operations through rcdo and reading across multiple files in parallel, and fixed a subsetting bug where nearest-gridpoint matching could return data outside the requested range entirely.
◆ Where it's heading
Two threads run through the releases. The first is tracking ggplot2, absorbing the linewidth aesthetic, the trans to transform rename and guide compatibility as each landed upstream. The second is narrowing scope while deepening the data path: GetSMNData() was made defunct as too specific for a general package, raster and gdal dependencies were removed, and the udunits2 dependency was dropped when it was orphaned, initially replaced by a homebrewed date parser and eventually by CFtime. The result is a package steadily shedding its own code in favour of specialised upstream libraries.
◆ Prediction
Expect further ReadNetCDF() work, since it has received features in four of the last five releases and the rcdo integration opens a large surface of operations to expose.
Alternatives to BayLum and metR
Other Infra & APIs 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 BayLum or metR.
bsvarSIGNs
Sign, zero and narrative restrictions brought into the bsvars ecosystem.
estimatr
Fast design-based estimators for experiments, coasting on CRAN patches.
ggdist
The grammar of uncertainty visualization, now drawing the uncertainty in its own estimates.
ipaddress
IP address vectors for R that hit 1.0 and then went quiet.
ltertools
A column-key toolkit for stitching decades of ecological field data into one table.
Recent activity from BayLum and metR
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 7mo agometRSubset notation fix in the netCDF reader
- 10mo agoBayLumCRAN anchor fixes and an R 4.4 floor
- 11mo agometRcdo operations, parallel multi-file reads, and a subsetting correctness fix
- 1y agometRnetCDF time parsing handed to the CFtime package
- 1y agometRnetCDF subsetting by dimension index
- 1y agometRLongitude scales pass the transform argument correctly
- 1y agometREOF rotation takes a function, and scope narrows
- 2y agoBayLumOne data-file function and a YAML config replace the folder layout ⚡
- 3y agoBayLumMCMC memory halved; density plots for age distributions
- 3y agoBayLumParallel JAGS runs and a file-scaffolding helper
- 4y agoBayLumCustom model injection and RNG control for parallel runs
- 5y agoBayLumParallel JAGS experiment plus IntCal20-era calibration data
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between BayLum and metR?
Both compete on the same themes — r-package — within Infra & APIs. BayLum and metR 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 BayLum better than metR?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. BayLum and metR 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 Infra & APIs products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to BayLum?
Top BayLum alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "BayLum alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/baylum for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to metR?
Top metR alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "metR alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/metr for the full list with editorial commentary on each.