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Comparison · Analytics
robma vs soilDBdata
A side-by-side editorial comparison of robma and soilDBdata — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
robma vs soilDBdata: at a glance
What is robma?
RoBMA 4.0 tears out its own constructor surface and rebuilds on one class hierarchy
RoBMA fits robust Bayesian model-averaged meta-analyses that adjust for publication bias. The 3.x line grew by accretion: separate constructors for each model family (RoBMA.reg, NoBMA, BiBMA and their .reg variants), a spike-and-slab algorithm in 3.3.0 that made estimation fast enough to matter, then a steady stream of post-estimation tooling gated on that algorithm — heterogeneity summaries, residuals, funnel plots, z-curve conversion, predict, extract, pooled and adjusted effects. Version 4.0.0 in May 2026 collapses all of it into a unified brma class hierarchy.
What is soilDBdata?
soilDBdata exists so soilDB's tests can run without a NASIS connection.
soilDBdata is a data-only package supplying NASIS and gSSURGO sample datasets as .sqlite assets, installed separately by soilDB's GitHub Actions so unit tests that would otherwise need database access can run. It began as a proof of concept carrying MT663 pedon and component tables used in soil survey coursework, and its most recent release adds a Marshall Islands FY26 gSSURGO dataset. Releases are infrequent and driven by what the parent package needs to test.
robma vs soilDBdata: editorial side-by-side
robma
0.0ANALYTICS
RoBMA 4.0 tears out its own constructor surface and rebuilds on one class hierarchy
◆ Current state
RoBMA fits robust Bayesian model-averaged meta-analyses that adjust for publication bias. The 3.x line grew by accretion: separate constructors for each model family (RoBMA.reg, NoBMA, BiBMA and their .reg variants), a spike-and-slab algorithm in 3.3.0 that made estimation fast enough to matter, then a steady stream of post-estimation tooling gated on that algorithm — heterogeneity summaries, residuals, funnel plots, z-curve conversion, predict, extract, pooled and adjusted effects. Version 4.0.0 in May 2026 collapses all of it into a unified brma class hierarchy.
◆ Where it's heading
The 3.x series solved the modeling problem and left an interface problem behind: a caller had to know which of six constructors matched their data type, and argument names differed across them. 4.0.0 resolves that by making the model family a set of arguments rather than a function name, and by standardizing input naming on metafor-style conventions. It shipped one day after BayesTools 0.3.0, the author's own upstream infrastructure package, whose new standardization and prior-transformation machinery this rewrite depends on.
◆ Prediction
A rewrite this wide usually needs a follow-up, so expect 4.0.x patches addressing migration gaps as users hit the removed constructors and renamed arguments.
soilDBdata
0.0ANALYTICS
soilDBdata exists so soilDB's tests can run without a NASIS connection.
◆ Current state
soilDBdata is a data-only package supplying NASIS and gSSURGO sample datasets as .sqlite assets, installed separately by soilDB's GitHub Actions so unit tests that would otherwise need database access can run. It began as a proof of concept carrying MT663 pedon and component tables used in soil survey coursework, and its most recent release adds a Marshall Islands FY26 gSSURGO dataset. Releases are infrequent and driven by what the parent package needs to test.
◆ Where it's heading
Development follows soilDB rather than leading it: assets get bumped when a soilDB version changes, and purpose lists are updated when soilDB adds a table. The one release that changed what testing is possible was v0.1.1, which added selected-set _View_1 tables alongside whole tables so both SS=TRUE and SS=FALSE code paths could be exercised. Four-year gaps between releases are normal here and do not indicate abandonment — a fixture package only needs to move when the fixtures go stale.
◆ Prediction
The recent addition is a new geography rather than a new table structure, so further releases most likely continue broadening dataset coverage as soilDB gains regions to test against.
Alternatives to robma and soilDBdata
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 robma or soilDBdata.
gcube
gcube's recent releases are all packaging metadata, not simulation code
cubist
The R port of Quinlan's Cubist gets reproducibility fixes, not new modelling
ggstats
ggstats keeps widening what a coefficient or Likert plot can be
ecodive
ecodive rebuilt itself into a broad diversity-metric library, breaking as it went
simStateSpace
State-space data simulation for R, filled in one function at a time
See all robma alternatives → · See all soilDBdata alternatives →
Recent activity from robma and soilDBdata
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 3mo agorobmaUnifies six model constructors into one brma class hierarchy ⚡
- 3mo agosoilDBdataMarshall Islands FY26 gSSURGO dataset added
- 8mo agorobmaRoBMA 3.6.1
- 11mo agorobmaRoBMA 3.6.0
- 1y agorobmaRoBMA 3.5.1
- 1y agorobmaRoBMA 3.5.0
- 1y agorobmaRoBMA 3.4.0
- 1y agosoilDBdataMT663 fixtures refreshed for soilDB 2.8.3
- 1y agosoilDBdataNASIS purpose lists updated for siteothvegclass
- 4y agosoilDBdataSelected-set _View_1 tables enable SS=TRUE/FALSE testing
- 4y agosoilDBdataProof of concept: MT663 pedon and component .sqlite fixtures
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between robma and soilDBdata?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. robma and soilDBdata 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 robma better than soilDBdata?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. robma and soilDBdata 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 robma?
Top robma alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "robma alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/robma for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to soilDBdata?
Top soilDBdata alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "soilDBdata alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/soildbdata for the full list with editorial commentary on each.