HydroPortailStats
France's national flood statistics, ported out of Fortran and into R.
Comparison · Infra & APIs
driveR vs ltertools
A side-by-side editorial comparison of driveR and ltertools — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Shared themes:r-package
driveR vs ltertools: at a glance
What is driveR?
A cancer driver prioritization package that ships rarely and mostly to stay installable
driveR prioritizes cancer driver genes from somatic variant and copy number data, combining coding impact scores, noncoding impact, copy number alteration scores and hotspot annotations into a multi-task learning classification model. Version 0.5.0 added gene-level SCNA data frames as an accepted input to create_features_df(), with an example table shipped alongside, widening the entry point beyond the segment-level format. The same release moved org.Hs.eg.db and both hg19 and hg38 TxDb annotation packages from Imports to Suggests under new CRAN policy, with dependent functions now raising an error when they are absent rather than silently degrading.
What is ltertools?
A column-key toolkit for stitching decades of ecological field data into one table.
ltertools serves the Long Term Ecological Research network, where the same measurement carries a different column name at every site and in every era. Its core is a column key: begin_key drafts one, harmonize applies it, and the 2.0.0 release added check_key to validate a key and standardize to apply one to a single dataset. Harmonization of files above 5 MB now runs in roughly half the time.
driveR vs ltertools: editorial side-by-side
driveR
0.0INFRA · APIS
A cancer driver prioritization package that ships rarely and mostly to stay installable
◆ Current state
driveR prioritizes cancer driver genes from somatic variant and copy number data, combining coding impact scores, noncoding impact, copy number alteration scores and hotspot annotations into a multi-task learning classification model. Version 0.5.0 added gene-level SCNA data frames as an accepted input to create_features_df(), with an example table shipped alongside, widening the entry point beyond the segment-level format. The same release moved org.Hs.eg.db and both hg19 and hg38 TxDb annotation packages from Imports to Suggests under new CRAN policy, with dependent functions now raising an error when they are absent rather than silently degrading.
◆ Where it's heading
Releases are infrequent and split cleanly between capability and correction. GRCh38 support arrived in 0.4.0 and cancer-type-specific thresholds were refreshed in 0.3.0, while the 0.2.x pair fixed scoring errors serious enough to require retraining: a column name mismatch meant the SCNA score was not being computed at all, and MCR table coordinates needed converting from hg18 to hg19. Both times the bundled classification model and thresholds were rebuilt as a consequence. Since 0.4.0 the changes have been input handling and packaging rather than method.
◆ Prediction
The move of the annotation databases to Suggests suggests a leaner install is the current priority; the entries give no indication of planned model or scoring changes.
ltertools
0.0INFRA · APIS
A column-key toolkit for stitching decades of ecological field data into one table.
◆ Current state
ltertools serves the Long Term Ecological Research network, where the same measurement carries a different column name at every site and in every era. Its core is a column key: begin_key drafts one, harmonize applies it, and the 2.0.0 release added check_key to validate a key and standardize to apply one to a single dataset. Harmonization of files above 5 MB now runs in roughly half the time.
◆ Where it's heading
Development has moved from breadth to depth. The first year added assorted utilities — temperature conversion, solar day length, a site timeline — while the last two releases have concentrated on the key workflow itself: incremental key expansion, validation, per-dataset application, and speed. A dependency archival forced the removal of the JSON helper, trimming the package back toward that core.
◆ Prediction
The key workflow now has draft, expand, check and apply steps, so the remaining gap is diagnostics on the harmonized output; the entries show no other thread in progress.
Alternatives to driveR and ltertools
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 driveR or ltertools.
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.
finnts
Microsoft's automated forecasting framework, still mostly a one-maintainer effort.
See all driveR alternatives → · See all ltertools alternatives →
Recent activity from driveR and ltertools
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 7mo agodriveRGene-level copy number input accepted, annotation packages made optional
- 11mo agoltertoolsWarning wording and a ggplot2 4.0.0 test update
- 1y agoltertoolsKey validation and single-dataset standardizing; JSON helper dropped
- 1y agoltertoolsIncremental key expansion for newly added files
- 1y agoltertoolsSolar day calculations, JSON export, defensive checks in harmonize
- 2y agoltertoolsFirst CRAN release: the column-key harmonization workflow
- 3y agodriveRCRAN documentation error fixed
- 4y agodriveRGRCh38 genome build supported
- 4y agodriveRCancer-type-specific thresholds updated
- 5y agodriveRMCR coordinates converted to hg19 and the model retrained
- 5y agodriveRCopy number score was never being computed, model rebuilt
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between driveR and ltertools?
Both compete on the same themes — r-package — within Infra & APIs. driveR and ltertools 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 driveR better than ltertools?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. driveR and ltertools 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 driveR?
Top driveR alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "driveR alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/driver for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to ltertools?
Top ltertools alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "ltertools alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/ltertools for the full list with editorial commentary on each.