qqman
The Manhattan-plot package for GWAS results, finished and dormant since 2017.
Comparison · Analytics
geoarrow-r vs symengine
A side-by-side editorial comparison of geoarrow-r and symengine — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
geoarrow-r vs symengine: at a glance
What is geoarrow-r?
geoarrow tracks the GeoArrow spec and otherwise just keeps compiling
geoarrow gives R zero-copy access to geospatial data in the Arrow columnar format, with conversions to and from sf and wk. The package is thin by design — most of the work lives in vendored copies of geoarrow-c and nanoarrow — and its release notes reflect that: the substantive one in the window implemented GeoArrow 0.2 specification features, and everything since has been compiler warnings and a test fixed for a new sf version.
What is symengine?
An R symbolic-maths binding whose changelog is really the C++ core's release notes.
symengine gives R access to the SymEngine computer algebra core for symbolic expressions, matrices and sets. The tracked feed carries the upstream C++ library's releases rather than R-binding changes, so what shows here is core work: parser fixes, locale-independent double parsing, an SOVERSION bump and matrix transpose corrections. Feature growth in the core has slowed considerably since the 0.9 and 0.10 releases.
geoarrow-r vs symengine: editorial side-by-side
geoarrow-r
0.0ANALYTICS
geoarrow tracks the GeoArrow spec and otherwise just keeps compiling
◆ Current state
geoarrow gives R zero-copy access to geospatial data in the Arrow columnar format, with conversions to and from sf and wk. The package is thin by design — most of the work lives in vendored copies of geoarrow-c and nanoarrow — and its release notes reflect that: the substantive one in the window implemented GeoArrow 0.2 specification features, and everything since has been compiler warnings and a test fixed for a new sf version.
◆ Where it's heading
Development is downstream of two things the package does not control: the GeoArrow specification and the C libraries it vendors. When the spec added non-PROJJSON CRS types and spheroidal edge interpolations, the R package followed; when the geoarrow.box type appeared, it gained conversions to and from wk::rct(). Between those, releases exist to keep CRAN builds green. The type-selection work in 0.4.0 — letting callers force geoarrow.wkb output when converting from sf — is the only recent change driven by R-side ergonomics rather than upstream.
◆ Prediction
Given that every feature release so far has implemented a spec revision, the next one likely arrives when GeoArrow publishes its next set of extension types rather than on any schedule of its own.
symengine
0.0ANALYTICS
An R symbolic-maths binding whose changelog is really the C++ core's release notes.
◆ Current state
symengine gives R access to the SymEngine computer algebra core for symbolic expressions, matrices and sets. The tracked feed carries the upstream C++ library's releases rather than R-binding changes, so what shows here is core work: parser fixes, locale-independent double parsing, an SOVERSION bump and matrix transpose corrections. Feature growth in the core has slowed considerably since the 0.9 and 0.10 releases.
◆ Where it's heading
The upstream core has moved from adding capability — serialization, a first simplify(), set types, matrix expressions, LLVM support — toward maintenance: build fixes, dependency support such as Flint3, and correctness patches. For R users the practical consequence is that new symbolic features arrive only as fast as the binding exposes them, which this feed does not report on.
◆ Prediction
Expect further upstream maintenance releases tracking LLVM and Flint versions; nothing in these notes signals a new capability push.
Alternatives to geoarrow-r and symengine
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 geoarrow-r or symengine.
constants
The R package for CODATA constants rebuilt its symbol table on NIST's naming so future updates stop being hand work.
austraits
The R client for AusTraits spends its releases chasing the dataset it reads.
ggdemetra
A ggplot2 layer for seasonal adjustment output, filling in one plot type at a time.
fossilsim
A fossil-record simulator that quietly grew a trait-evolution engine.
tern.rbmi
Reference-based multiple imputation tables, shipping only what CRAN checks demand.
See all geoarrow-r alternatives → · See all symengine alternatives →
Recent activity from geoarrow-r and symengine
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 2mo agogeoarrow-rgeoarrow 0.4.3
- 8mo agogeoarrow-rgeoarrow 0.4.1
- 10mo agogeoarrow-rgeoarrow lets callers choose the geometry type when converting from sf
- 1y agogeoarrow-rgeoarrow implements the GeoArrow 0.2 specification features
- 1y agosymengineLocale-independent double parsing and matrix transpose fix
- 2y agogeoarrow-rgeoarrow 0.2.1
- 2y agogeoarrow-rLegacy geoarrow tagged before the rewrite
- 2y agosymengineFlint3 support and SBML printing fixes
- 3y agosymengineBuild fixes only, no functional change
- 3y agosymengineMatrix expressions, Intersection class and LLVM 16 support
- 4y agosymengineAdds serialization and a first simplify() implementation
- 4y agosymengineFixes MSVC2017 compilation failure
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between geoarrow-r and symengine?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. geoarrow-r and symengine 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 geoarrow-r better than symengine?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. geoarrow-r and symengine 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 geoarrow-r?
Top geoarrow-r alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "geoarrow-r alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/geoarrow-r for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to symengine?
Top symengine alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "symengine alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/symengine-r for the full list with editorial commentary on each.