ggpointless
ggpointless keeps adding the ggplot2 layers nobody else bothered to write.
Comparison · Infra & APIs
glcdp vs surveytidy
A side-by-side editorial comparison of glcdp and surveytidy — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Shared themes:r-packages
glcdp vs surveytidy: at a glance
What is glcdp?
glcdp reaches 1.0.0 with a stable schema contract behind its data explorer.
glcdp imports light-logger data packages published to the GLC standard, driven by declared schemas rather than format-specific readers. 0.9.3 added glc_explore(), a Shiny application for browsing the registry and exporting an annotated reproducible script. 1.0.0 promotes schema 3.0.2 to the default and primary stable import contract and makes schema-declared variable types and factor-level order drive the import itself.
What is surveytidy?
surveytidy taught every dplyr verb to operate on a whole collection of surveys at once.
surveytidy is the tidyverse-facing half of a two-package survey stack, wrapping survey design objects from surveycore so filter, mutate, select and the rest work on them while carrying variable labels, value labels and a transformation log alongside the data. The May release extended that verb surface to survey_collection, the abstraction surveycore uses to hold several surveys as one object, so a pipeline written once dispatches across every member.
glcdp vs surveytidy: editorial side-by-side
glcdp
6.3INFRA · APIS
glcdp reaches 1.0.0 with a stable schema contract behind its data explorer.
◆ Current state
glcdp imports light-logger data packages published to the GLC standard, driven by declared schemas rather than format-specific readers. 0.9.3 added glc_explore(), a Shiny application for browsing the registry and exporting an annotated reproducible script. 1.0.0 promotes schema 3.0.2 to the default and primary stable import contract and makes schema-declared variable types and factor-level order drive the import itself.
◆ Where it's heading
The package is serving two audiences from one model. Programmatic users get glc_collect(), extract_metadata() and add_metadata(), with imports that reject file groups whose factor labels or level order disagree. Interactive users get an Explorer that filters by device, wearing position, modality, role and data state, pages large inventories at 100 rows, and caches remote metadata for immutable revisions. Schemas 1.0.0 and 2.0.0 stay reachable as barebones legacy paths.
◆ Prediction
With 3.0.2 named the primary stable contract and the older schemas explicitly labelled legacy, retiring the barebones paths is the most likely next structural move. The notes give no indication of work beyond the current schema line.
surveytidy
0.0INFRA · APIS
surveytidy taught every dplyr verb to operate on a whole collection of surveys at once.
◆ Current state
surveytidy is the tidyverse-facing half of a two-package survey stack, wrapping survey design objects from surveycore so filter, mutate, select and the rest work on them while carrying variable labels, value labels and a transformation log alongside the data. The May release extended that verb surface to survey_collection, the abstraction surveycore uses to hold several surveys as one object, so a pipeline written once dispatches across every member.
◆ Where it's heading
The package is being built in two layers that arrive in order: vector-level transformations first, structural dispatch second. The make_* family in 0.4.0 handles the recoding that survey work actually consists of — labelled to factor, multi-level to dichotomous, scale reversal, valence flipping — with value labels propagating automatically. Collection support then applies data-masking, tidyselect, grouping, slicing and collapsing verbs per survey, with joins explicitly refused and a typed message reporting which surveys were skipped. Metadata fidelity is the recurring bug source: labels surviving across(), stale labels left behind by recoding, the transformation log keeping up with what the verbs did.
◆ Prediction
Joins are the one verb family that errors on collections, with users directed to join before constructing the collection, so that restriction is the clearest outstanding gap. The re-export of surveycore's collection constructors suggests the package is positioning itself as the single import users need, which points toward more re-exports as surveycore's stable API settles.
Alternatives to glcdp and surveytidy
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 glcdp or surveytidy.
mpactr
mpactr spent two spring releases normalizing case in metadata after users kept tripping on it.
surveycore
surveycore declared its API stable with every survey design type covered.
PEIMAN2
PEIMAN2 cut its annotation database loose from its release cycle without breaking CRAN.
prospectr
prospectr spent its biggest release in years fixing spectra it had been quietly mangling.
standardlastprofile
A German electricity load-profile package added gas and doubled the market it serves.
See all glcdp alternatives → · See all surveytidy alternatives →
Recent activity from glcdp and surveytidy
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 13d agoglcdpSchema 3.0.2 becomes the default import contract
- 29d agoglcdpglc_explore() adds a Shiny browser and metadata joins ⚡
- 1mo agoglcdpLogo and favicon refresh
- 2mo agosurveytidymutate() syncs metadata for across() recodes
- 3mo agosurveytidydplyr and tidyr verbs dispatch across survey collections
- 5mo agosurveytidyFive label-aware recoding functions for use inside mutate()
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between glcdp and surveytidy?
Both compete on the same themes — r-packages — within Infra & APIs. glcdp is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 0.0), with 1 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is glcdp better than surveytidy?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. glcdp is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 0.0), with 1 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Infra & APIs products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to glcdp?
Top glcdp alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "glcdp alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/glcdp for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to surveytidy?
Top surveytidy alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "surveytidy alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/surveytidy for the full list with editorial commentary on each.