25 years of open source forecasting software

Open source forecasting software has evolved from a few basic R functions to a rich ecosystem of R, Python, Julia, and C/C++ implementations of established models. In this session, the historical development of these tools will be reviewed and key gaps and areas requiring further attention will be highlighted.

Published

June 26, 2025

25 years of open source forecasting software

June 26, 09:05 AM

Twenty-five years ago, the only open source forecasting software available were the HoltWinters(), arima() and StructTS() functions in R. Now we have many R packages available that are widely used, a burgeoning number of Python packages, and a few Julia packages, along with C or C++ implementations of ETS, ARIMA and other well-known models. I will discuss the development of open source forecasting software over the years, and highlight areas needing attention.