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biocro vs stockplotr

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

Shared themes:r

biocro vs stockplotr: at a glance

Featurebiocrostockplotr
SectorAnalyticsAnalytics
Velocity score0.00.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesr, crop-modeling, cpp, numerical-methodsr, fisheries, stock-assessment, reporting
Last editorial update1h ago1h ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is biocro?

BioCro swapped an unstable iteration for real root finders, changing what its crop models compute.

BioCro is a C++ crop growth simulator with an R interface, built from swappable modules for photosynthesis, respiration and development. Version 3.3.0 added multidimensional and one-dimensional root finders to the C++ source and put them to work immediately, replacing the fixed-point iteration used for intercellular CO2 with a Dekker root finder on the grounds that fixed-point iteration is known to be unstable there. Getting to that release also required moving from C++11 to C++17 and updating the bundled boost from 1.71 to 1.89.

Read the full biocro trajectory →

What is stockplotr?

A stock-assessment plotting package is growing a table engine to match its figures.

stockplotr generates the figures and, since 0.8.0-beta, the tables that go into NOAA fisheries stock assessment reports. The 0.8.0 release swapped the table backend from flextable to gt and shipped table_landings() as the first table function; 0.9.0 exported it with an interface deliberately mirroring the plot functions. Alongside that, convert_output() moved in from the sister package asar so model output is standardized here rather than upstream.

Read the full stockplotr trajectory →

biocro vs stockplotr: editorial side-by-side

B
biocro
ANALYTICS
0.0

BioCro swapped an unstable iteration for real root finders, changing what its crop models compute.

◆ Current state

BioCro is a C++ crop growth simulator with an R interface, built from swappable modules for photosynthesis, respiration and development. Version 3.3.0 added multidimensional and one-dimensional root finders to the C++ source and put them to work immediately, replacing the fixed-point iteration used for intercellular CO2 with a Dekker root finder on the grounds that fixed-point iteration is known to be unstable there. Getting to that release also required moving from C++11 to C++17 and updating the bundled boost from 1.71 to 1.89.

◆ Where it's heading

Two threads run together: the biology is being broken into finer interchangeable modules — separate maintenance respiration, alternative linear and logistic SLA methods, a direct development-index module — while the numerics underneath are being made solvable in general. The root finders are explicitly staged to move into the shared biocro/framework repository, so this is groundwork for other models rather than for this package alone.

◆ Prediction

More module-level alternatives that depend on simultaneous-equation solutions are the natural follow-on, and the root finders should migrate out to biocro/framework as the notes state.

S
stockplotr
ANALYTICS
0.0

A stock-assessment plotting package is growing a table engine to match its figures.

◆ Current state

stockplotr generates the figures and, since 0.8.0-beta, the tables that go into NOAA fisheries stock assessment reports. The 0.8.0 release swapped the table backend from flextable to gt and shipped table_landings() as the first table function; 0.9.0 exported it with an interface deliberately mirroring the plot functions. Alongside that, convert_output() moved in from the sister package asar so model output is standardized here rather than upstream.

◆ Where it's heading

The package is consolidating the whole report-artifact pipeline in one place: standardize model output, then emit both figures and tables from the same long-format frame. Pulling convert_output() out of asar because stockplotr depended on it more heavily is the clearest signal of where the center of gravity now sits. Everything is still tagged beta, and the plot function count is growing faster than the table one.

◆ Prediction

More table_* functions built on the gt foundation are the obvious next step, matching the existing plot_* set; the 0.9.0 notes describe table_landings() as the first of a revamped family rather than a one-off.

Alternatives to biocro and stockplotr

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 biocro or stockplotr.

See all biocro alternatives → · See all stockplotr alternatives →

Recent activity from biocro and stockplotr

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

  1. 5mo agostockplotrtable_landings() exported with a plot-like interface
  2. 6mo agobiocroCompiler warning blocking Linux builds fixed
  3. 6mo agostockplotrTable engine moved to gt; first table function ships
  4. 7mo agostockplotrconvert_output() migrated in from asar
  5. 8mo agobiocroC++ root finders added; Ci calculation moved off fixed-point iteration
  6. 8mo agostockplotrFour new assessment figures; process_data() auto-indexing
  7. 1y agobiocroMaintenance respiration module; SLA split into swappable methods
  8. 2y agobiocroFirst CRAN-accepted release after a 20 MB to 5 MB cut
  9. 2y agobiocroDESCRIPTION date refreshed for CRAN submission
  10. 2y agobiocroCI workflow debugging tag, not a release

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between biocro and stockplotr?

Both compete on the same themes — r — within Analytics. biocro and stockplotr 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 biocro better than stockplotr?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. biocro and stockplotr 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 biocro?

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

What are the best alternatives to stockplotr?

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