tidytlg
A tables-listings-graphs package that reached CRAN and then went quiet.
Comparison · Analytics
dwctaxon vs riem
A side-by-side editorial comparison of dwctaxon and riem — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Shared themes:ropensci
dwctaxon vs riem: at a glance
What is dwctaxon?
A Darwin Core validator that went quiet for two years, then surfaced only to raise its R floor
dwctaxon edits and validates taxonomic data held in Darwin Core format, enforcing the referential rules that make a taxonomic database internally consistent. Its last real functional change was 2.0.3 in December 2023, which loosened an over-strict uniqueness requirement in column matching. The most recent entry is a development build two years later that does nothing but set a minimum R version and bump Roxygen.
What is riem?
A weather-data client that keeps rewriting its HTTP layer while slowly tightening its API.
riem pulls observations from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's weather-station network. Its release history is two threads: successive rewrites of the HTTP and test-mocking stack, and a gradual tightening of function arguments that culminated in 1.0.0 removing convenient-but-dangerous defaults. Contributions come partly from IEM's own maintainer.
dwctaxon vs riem: editorial side-by-side
dwctaxon
0.0ANALYTICS
A Darwin Core validator that went quiet for two years, then surfaced only to raise its R floor
◆ Current state
dwctaxon edits and validates taxonomic data held in Darwin Core format, enforcing the referential rules that make a taxonomic database internally consistent. Its last real functional change was 2.0.3 in December 2023, which loosened an over-strict uniqueness requirement in column matching. The most recent entry is a development build two years later that does nothing but set a minimum R version and bump Roxygen.
◆ Where it's heading
The visible arc is a package converging on correctness rather than growing. The 2.0.3 change is the most consequential: matching a reference column no longer demands that every value in it be unique, only that the matched values be — which is what makes dct_fill_col() usable on real taxonomic tables where scientificName legitimately repeats. Around it sits compliance work: an internet-connection and URL check added purely to satisfy CRAN policy, and examples reworked to restore user settings and skip deliberate errors.
◆ Prediction
The 2.0.3.9001 development stamp with an R >= 4.2.0 requirement suggests a 2.0.4 release is being prepared, most likely as maintenance rather than new validation rules. The two-year gap makes any stronger claim unsupported by the feed.
riem
0.0ANALYTICS
A weather-data client that keeps rewriting its HTTP layer while slowly tightening its API.
◆ Current state
riem pulls observations from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's weather-station network. Its release history is two threads: successive rewrites of the HTTP and test-mocking stack, and a gradual tightening of function arguments that culminated in 1.0.0 removing convenient-but-dangerous defaults. Contributions come partly from IEM's own maintainer.
◆ Where it's heading
The HTTP thread has moved through httr to httr2, and mocking from vcr to httptest2 — following the broader rOpenSci HTTP-stack reorganisation rather than any need of its own. The API thread runs the other way: 1.0.0 removed defaults for date_start and station and flipped latlon to FALSE, trading convenience for callers being explicit about what they request. New arguments in the same release widened what a query can ask for.
◆ Prediction
With the API stabilised at 1.0.0 and the HTTP stack settled on httr2, the next release is more likely to expose additional IEM query parameters than to change plumbing again.
Alternatives to dwctaxon and riem
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 dwctaxon or riem.
Tplyr
Tplyr made clinical summary tables explain where every number came from.
rlistings
Clinical listings that keep inheriting their hardest problem — pagination — from the layer below.
hoardr
A cache-directory helper that has shipped nothing but CRAN-triggered patches for seven years.
gigs
gigs redesigned its whole conversion API for rOpenSci, then spent three releases getting the docs to build.
datasetjson
datasetjson rebuilt its object model to track the CDISC Dataset-JSON 1.1 schema.
See all dwctaxon alternatives → · See all riem alternatives →
Recent activity from dwctaxon and riem
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 8mo agodwctaxonDevelopment build sets R 4.2.0 floor and bumps Roxygen
- 1y agoriem1.0.0 removes defaults and adds query arguments
- 1y agoriemDrops the last vcr usage in favour of httptest2
- 2y agoriemTimezone and timestamp-parsing fixes
- 2y agodwctaxonColumn matching no longer requires globally unique reference values
- 3y agodwctaxonExample cleanup and settings restoration
- 4y agoriemMoves to httr2 and httptest2
- 4y agoriemSwitches to newer IEM metadata web services
- 9y agoriemReduces dependencies to tibble alone
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between dwctaxon and riem?
Both compete on the same themes — ropensci — within Analytics. dwctaxon and riem 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 dwctaxon better than riem?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. dwctaxon and riem 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 dwctaxon?
Top dwctaxon alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "dwctaxon alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/dwctaxon for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to riem?
Top riem alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "riem alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/riem for the full list with editorial commentary on each.