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tmap

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Velocity0.0

Thematic Maps

github.com/r-tmap/tmap ↗

Two years after a from-scratch rewrite, tmap is filling in the layers v4 promised.

thematic-mappingspatial-dataggplot-alternativeextensibilityinteractive-maps
◆Current state
tmap draws thematic maps in R across static and interactive modes. The 4.0 rewrite replaced the layer syntax with explicit visual variables, scales, legends and charts, and opened the package to extensions; the 4.x line since has been steady capability fill-in. The 4.4 release adds tm_circles with fixed unit-based radii, a blend argument on every layer, and hitboxes so small objects stay clickable in view mode.
◆Where it's heading
The extension mechanism introduced in 4.0 is where the interesting work is migrating: PMTiles support arrived through a separate experimental tmap.sources package, mode cycling became configurable via tmap_mode_pool() so packages like tmap.mapgl can register themselves, and shiny dispatch methods were added specifically to let other modes integrate. The core package is increasingly a rendering contract that satellite packages plug into.
◆Prediction
Expect more rendering backends to land as sibling packages rather than in tmap itself, with the core continuing to absorb the dispatch and mode-management plumbing they need.

◆Recent moves

  1. 1mo ago

    Documentation-only patch tidying man-page titles

    De-duplicates man-page titles and harmonizes terminology for consistency with upcoming publications. Tagged roughly a minute after 4.4 itself, so it reads as a release-day documentation cleanup rather than a separate cycle.

    View source ↗
  2. 1mo ago

    tm_circles, layer blending and clickable small objects

    Adds tm_circles for fixed unit-based radii, a blend argument across all layers, and hitboxes so small lines and symbols stay hoverable in view mode, plus terra PackedSpatX support and a fix for view-mode maps above 1000 polygons. The entry body is cumulative and also restates the 4.3 and 4.2 notes, where the PMTiles and text-halo work actually landed.

    View source ↗
  3. 1y ago

    tmap v4 rewritten from scratch with a new layer syntax

    ⚡ SPARK

    The release everything else in this feed is downstream of: a full rewrite with reorganized layer arguments, consistent visual variable names, and an extension mechanism. The 4.x releases since have been filling in layers and wiring up the extension points this version opened.

    View source ↗
  4. 1y ago

    Final 3.x release before the v4 rewrite

    Two bug fixes and an explicit notice that this is the last of the 3.x line. Useful only as the marker for where the pre-rewrite era ends.

    View source ↗