driveR
A cancer driver prioritization package that ships rarely and mostly to stay installable
Comparison · Infra & APIs
dataSDA vs metR
A side-by-side editorial comparison of dataSDA and metR — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Shared themes:r-package
dataSDA vs metR: at a glance
What is dataSDA?
dataSDA grew from a dataset collection into a symbolic-data conversion toolkit.
The package now carries 105 documented datasets in interval, histogram, modal, and mixed symbolic formats, drawn from other R packages, the Billard and Diday textbooks, and public sources such as the Portuguese air quality network. Alongside the data it has accumulated conversion functions between the MM, RSDA, iGAP, SODAS, and ARRAY representations, CSV read and write support, and a keyword search over the catalogue.
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.
dataSDA vs metR: editorial side-by-side
dataSDA
2.5INFRA · APIS
dataSDA grew from a dataset collection into a symbolic-data conversion toolkit.
◆ Current state
The package now carries 105 documented datasets in interval, histogram, modal, and mixed symbolic formats, drawn from other R packages, the Billard and Diday textbooks, and public sources such as the Portuguese air quality network. Alongside the data it has accumulated conversion functions between the MM, RSDA, iGAP, SODAS, and ARRAY representations, CSV read and write support, and a keyword search over the catalogue.
◆ Where it's heading
The arc across this window runs from cataloguing to tooling. Early releases added datasets and then spent two consecutive releases fixing format documentation across all 105 of them. Later releases shift to functions: format converters, symbolic CSV I/O, and most recently a diagnostic that flags zero-width intervals before they reach tools that divide by interval width. That last addition is the clearest signal of intent — the package is starting to guard the analyses downstream of it, not just supply inputs.
◆ Prediction
Expect further validation helpers in the mould of the zero-width check, since interval data has several degenerate shapes that break downstream methods silently.
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 dataSDA 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 dataSDA or metR.
IsoriX
An isotope geolocation package still recovering from the r-spatial retirement
fdacluster
Functional data clustering grew from one algorithm into a comparable suite
profoc
A forecast combination package that spun its profiler out into its own project
adjustedCurves
A survival curve package spending release after release correcting its own estimates
mize
A numerical optimization toolkit that has been feature-complete and quiet since 2017
See all dataSDA alternatives → · See all metR alternatives →
Recent activity from dataSDA and metR
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 9d agodataSDACorrects dataset references and citations
- 2mo agodataSDAAdds zero-width interval diagnostics for symbolic data
- 5mo agodataSDAAdds symbolic format converters, CSV I/O, and 11 interval series
- 5mo agodataSDAFixes column metadata for 19 interval datasets
- 5mo agodataSDACompletes format documentation across all 105 datasets
- 5mo agodataSDAAdds 17 datasets from R packages and reference texts
- 7mo agometRSubset notation fix in the netCDF reader
- 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
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between dataSDA and metR?
Both compete on the same themes — r-package — within Infra & APIs. dataSDA 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 dataSDA better than metR?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. dataSDA 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 Infra & APIs products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to dataSDA?
Top dataSDA alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "dataSDA alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/datasda 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.