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Comparison · Analytics

deeptime vs ggmagnify

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

Shared themes:data-visualization

deeptime vs ggmagnify: at a glance

Featuredeeptimeggmagnify
SectorAnalyticsAnalytics
Velocity score0.00.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesggplot2-extension, geology, phylogenetics, deprecationggplot2, data-visualization, inset-plots, r-package
Last editorial update8h ago1h ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is deeptime?

A geologic-time plotting layer that outgrew time axes and became a geology rendering toolkit.

deeptime extends ggplot2 with geological time scales, radial deep-time coordinates and phylogeny-aware geoms, and since 2.0.0 it also renders standardized FGDC/USGS geologic patterns as ggplot2 fills. The current 2.4.0 release adds geom_text_clade() for labeling clades on radial phylogenies and repairs long-standing coord_trans_xy() and scale-placement edge cases.

Read the full deeptime trajectory →

What is ggmagnify?

A single-purpose ggplot2 inset tool, refining the same three arguments.

ggmagnify draws magnified insets of a region of a ggplot, with projection lines connecting the inset to its source area. The visible releases are all small refinements to how that inset looks — corner radius, fill between projection lines — plus one fix for inset themes being overridden. There are only three entries, so the picture is necessarily partial.

Read the full ggmagnify trajectory →

deeptime vs ggmagnify: editorial side-by-side

D
deeptime
ANALYTICS
0.0

A geologic-time plotting layer that outgrew time axes and became a geology rendering toolkit.

◆ Current state

deeptime extends ggplot2 with geological time scales, radial deep-time coordinates and phylogeny-aware geoms, and since 2.0.0 it also renders standardized FGDC/USGS geologic patterns as ggplot2 fills. The current 2.4.0 release adds geom_text_clade() for labeling clades on radial phylogenies and repairs long-standing coord_trans_xy() and scale-placement edge cases.

◆ Where it's heading

The package is converging on two jobs: being the canonical R renderer for stratigraphic drawing conventions, and keeping pace with ggplot2's own churn. A sustained deprecation program — gggeo_scale(), coord_geo_polar(), getScaleData(), now disparity_through_time() — is trimming the surface down to coord_geo(), coord_geo_radial() and the pattern functions. Roughly half of each recent release is ggplot2 4.0 compatibility work.

◆ Prediction

Expect disparity_through_time() and coord_geo_polar() to be removed outright in the next major version, and further geoms aimed at annotating radial phylogenies.

G
ggmagnify
ANALYTICS
0.0

A single-purpose ggplot2 inset tool, refining the same three arguments.

◆ Current state

ggmagnify draws magnified insets of a region of a ggplot, with projection lines connecting the inset to its source area. The visible releases are all small refinements to how that inset looks — corner radius, fill between projection lines — plus one fix for inset themes being overridden. There are only three entries, so the picture is necessarily partial.

◆ Where it's heading

Work concentrates on the visual finish of the inset rather than on new capability, which is what a package with one job should look like. Two feature releases a week apart in early 2024 suggest a short burst of attention rather than sustained development, and the feed goes quiet after mid-2024.

◆ Prediction

Too few entries to call a direction with confidence; continued small styling arguments would be consistent with what is visible.

Alternatives to deeptime and ggmagnify

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 deeptime or ggmagnify.

See all deeptime alternatives → · See all ggmagnify alternatives →

Recent activity from deeptime and ggmagnify

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

  1. 1mo agodeeptimegeom_text_clade() labels clades on radial phylogenies
  2. 8mo agodeeptimeArgument renames for ggplot2 4.0 parity
  3. 8mo agodeeptimePattern code dictionary and time-scale theming
  4. 1y agodeeptimegeom_text_phylo() arrives with ggplot2 4 compatibility
  5. 1y agodeeptimeContrast-aware label colors across the built-in scales
  6. 1y agodeeptimeFGDC geologic patterns become ggplot2 fills
  7. 2y agoggmagnifyFixes inset theme override on supplied plots
  8. 2y agoggmagnifyAdds fill between projection lines
  9. 2y agoggmagnifyAdds corner radius for target and inset

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between deeptime and ggmagnify?

Both compete on the same themes — data-visualization — within Analytics. deeptime and ggmagnify 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 deeptime better than ggmagnify?

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

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

What are the best alternatives to ggmagnify?

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