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SDTM supplemental-qualifier merging got sturdier, then the package went quiet for two years.
Comparison · Analytics
FedData vs mlr3extralearners
A side-by-side editorial comparison of FedData and mlr3extralearners — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
FedData vs mlr3extralearners: at a glance
What is FedData?
FedData has spent two major versions migrating US federal geodata off R's retiring spatial stack.
FedData downloads and standardises US federal geospatial datasets — NLCD, NHD, NED, SSURGO, Daymet, GHCN, PAD-US, NASS — into consistent R objects. Two breaking majors define the current package: 3.0.0 moved returns to sf and raster and pulled data from cloud-optimised GeoTIFFs, and 4.0.0 finished the job by dropping sp and raster entirely for terra and sf. Recent releases are dataset refreshes, most recently PAD-US 4.0.
What is mlr3extralearners?
The mlr3 learner catalogue is growing fast and pruning hyperparameters just as deliberately.
mlr3extralearners is the overflow catalogue for mlr3 learners that do not ship in the core packages — currently spanning H2O, Botorch, fastai, glmnet, survival and competing-risks models. The last two feature releases added roughly thirty learners between them. 1.6.0 then went the other way, cutting hyperparameters that were never correctly forwarded.
FedData vs mlr3extralearners: editorial side-by-side
FedData
0.0ANALYTICS
FedData has spent two major versions migrating US federal geodata off R's retiring spatial stack.
◆ Current state
FedData downloads and standardises US federal geospatial datasets — NLCD, NHD, NED, SSURGO, Daymet, GHCN, PAD-US, NASS — into consistent R objects. Two breaking majors define the current package: 3.0.0 moved returns to sf and raster and pulled data from cloud-optimised GeoTIFFs, and 4.0.0 finished the job by dropping sp and raster entirely for terra and sf. Recent releases are dataset refreshes, most recently PAD-US 4.0.
◆ Where it's heading
The package tracks two moving targets at once: the R spatial stack, which it has now fully migrated onto terra and sf, and the federal agencies whose URLs, file naming and hosting keep shifting. With the dependency migration finished, releases have shrunk to single-dataset updates such as annual NLCD and PAD-US 4.0, which suggests the structural work is done and the ongoing cost is data-source maintenance.
◆ Prediction
Expect continued small releases pinned to new vintages of the underlying federal datasets, plus fixes when an agency moves or reformats a source; no further dependency-level upheaval is visible in these entries.
mlr3extralearners
0.0ANALYTICS
The mlr3 learner catalogue is growing fast and pruning hyperparameters just as deliberately.
◆ Current state
mlr3extralearners is the overflow catalogue for mlr3 learners that do not ship in the core packages — currently spanning H2O, Botorch, fastai, glmnet, survival and competing-risks models. The last two feature releases added roughly thirty learners between them. 1.6.0 then went the other way, cutting hyperparameters that were never correctly forwarded.
◆ Where it's heading
Two forces are visible. The catalogue expands in bursts — 1.4.0 and 1.5.0 each added large batches, including a full H2O family and Bayesian regression models — while the maintenance releases in between are dominated by skipping tests on platforms where Python-backed learners crash. 1.6.0 marks a shift toward correctness of the existing surface: priority_lasso parameter sets reduced to what actually passes through, and Cox-inapplicable glmnet parameters removed.
◆ Prediction
The Python-backed learners are the recurring source of platform instability, so expect continued pinning and test-skipping there alongside the next batch of additions.
Alternatives to FedData and mlr3extralearners
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 FedData or mlr3extralearners.
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logrx
A clinical-script logger that stopped shipping after its 0.2 line, changelogs made of merged PRs.
lobstr
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GSODR
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giscoR
giscoR's 1.0 moved its dataset index into the cache, so new Eurostat releases arrive without a package update.
See all FedData alternatives → · See all mlr3extralearners alternatives →
Recent activity from FedData and mlr3extralearners
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 1mo agomlr3extralearnersHyperparameter sets pruned where arguments were never forwarded
- 3mo agomlr3extralearnersDependency version updates
- 4mo agomlr3extralearnersPlatform-specific test skips
- 4mo agomlr3extralearnersSixteen new learners, including a full H2O family
- 6mo agomlr3extralearnersTwenty new learners and a survival learner rename
- 1y agoFedDataget_padus() updated to PAD-US 4.0
- 1y agoFedDataAnnual NLCD access added; get_nass() retired
- 2y agoFedDatasp and raster dropped; everything returns terra or sf ⚡
- 3y agoFedDataGHCN moves to https; NHD handles empty and odd geometries
- 3y agoFedDataAll raster writing moves to terra
- 3y agoFedDataVersion 3 rebuilds on sf and cloud-optimised GeoTIFFs ⚡
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between FedData and mlr3extralearners?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. FedData and mlr3extralearners 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 FedData better than mlr3extralearners?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. FedData and mlr3extralearners 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 FedData?
Top FedData alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "FedData alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/feddata for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to mlr3extralearners?
Top mlr3extralearners alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "mlr3extralearners alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/mlr3extralearners for the full list with editorial commentary on each.