How to use Web Scraping in data science with Python

 Python, as an object-oriented language, is one of the most straightforward methods to get started. Python’s classes and objects are far more user friendly than those of any other programming language. Furthermore, several libraries exist that make creating a web scraping tool in Python simple.

What is Web Scraping?

Scraping is extracting data from web pages. Web scraping removes vast amounts of information from multiple websites. Consider the following scenario: You’re evaluating electronic gadgets on various websites and need the prices, brand name, and customer reviews to determine which one is the best. Obtaining these details by visiting multiple websites will take a long time. Web scraping comes in handy in this situation because it allows you to get the results you desire with just a few lines of code.

What is the process of Web Scraping?

These are the following steps to perform web scraping. Let’s understand the working of web scraping.

Step -1: Locate the URL that you want to scrape

First and foremost, you must comprehend the data requirements for your project. A webpage or website contains a significant amount of data. As a result, only relevant data should be scraped. To put it another way, the developer should be aware of the data requirements.

Step – 2: Inspecting the Page

The information is extracted in raw HTML format, which you must process properly to remove noise. Data can range from as simple as a name and address to as sophisticated as high-dimensional weather and stock market data in some circumstances.

Step – 3: Write the code

Write a program to extract the data, then give pertinent data and run the program.

Step – 4: Store the data in the file

Save the data in the desired CSV, XML, or JSON file format.

What are the advantages of using Web Scraping?

The significant advantages of web scraping services are:

• Accuracy— Not only are web scraping services quick, but they’re also accurate. Accuracy is critical on websites that deal with pricing data, sales prices, real estate numbers, or any other type of financial data.
• Easy to Implement— When a web scraping service uses the proper method to extract data, you can rest assured that you’re collecting data from multiple servers, not just a single page.
• Inexpensive— Web scraping services offer a valuable service at a low price. The internet must work properly so that data from websites are collected timely and evaluated. Scraping sites is a cost-effective and efficient way to get the work done.
• Speed and low-maintenance – Online scraping methods require little to minimal maintenance cost over time. The rate at which web scraping services execute their jobs is another advantage worth considering. A project that would typically take a week gets completed in a handful of hours.

Where is Web Scraping used?

The uses of Web Scraping is outlined below:

• Market Research – The use of web scraping for market trend analysis is ideal. It is getting knowledge about a specific market. A huge corporation requires a lot of data, and web scraping ensures that the data is reliable and accurate.
• Price Monitoring in Real-Time – It’s extensively used to gather information from various online websites, compare product costs, and make successful pricing decisions. It ensures that the business consistently outperforms the competition.
• Research and Development – Websites are scraped for a vast set of data, such as general information, statistics, and temperature, examined and used for surveys or research and development.
• Email Marketing – For email marketing, several organisations use personal email They will be able to market to a specific audience.
• News and Content Surveillance – If your company relies on an organisation’s news analysis, it will frequently appear in the information. As a result, web scraping is the best way to keep track of and parse the most important news. The stock market can be influenced immediately by news stories and social media platforms.
• Social Media Scraping– Web scraping is critical for gathering data from social media sites to identify trending topics.

Why do we use Python for Web Scraping?

The qualities of Python that make it the most helpful programming language for web scraping are described below.

• A vast collection of libraries– Python has several libraries, such as NumPy, Matplotlib, Pandas, Scipy, and others, allowing you to work with a variety of data types. It’s suitable for nearly any new area, as well as online scraping for data extraction and manipulation.
• Dynamically Typed– In Python, we do not need to define data types for variables; we can use them wherever required. It saves time and facilitates the completion of work. Python defines classes to identify the variable’s data type.
• Less Code– The goal of scraping the web is to save time. Python allows us to complete a task with just a few lines of code.
• It’s Free– Python is open-source, which means it can be used for free by anyone. It has one of the world’s largest communities to seek help if you get stuck while coding in Python.

Let’s look at the Python libraries that are used for web scraping.

• Selenium– It is a free and open-source testing framework. It’s used to keep track of what’s going on in the browser. Type the following line in your terminal to install this library.
• Pandas– The Pandas library is used to manipulate and analyse data. It’s used to extract data and save it in the format that you want.
• BeautifulSoup– BeautifulSoup is a Python package for extracting information from HTML and XML files. It’s mostly intended for web scraping. It works in conjunction with the parser to give a natural way to navigate, search, and alter the parse tree.

Where can we learn Python, Data Science Course?

Data science is required to master the art of web scraping. It’s one of the most talked-about topics on the planet. And, given the market demand, a person with a data science certification has a bright future. Most people nowadays contemplate enrolling in an online certification course that allows them to work at their own pace.

Data science online courses from a reputable institution such as Great Learning expands knowledge and allows students to upskill. Great Learning offers the best data science and Business Analytics courses online along with a postgraduate degree in data science, Mtech in data science, and an online master’s degree in data science.

Web scraping with Python was introduced by Great Learning specifically for those who want to learn web scraping.  In addition, the costs of enrolling in excellent data science courses vary. Those interested in learning data science can check out the learning website to view the various courses available.

Conclusion

Web scraping is a critical technology used in a wide range of applications, including data science and data mining. People nowadays are always looking to upskill to get a better job, a raise in pay, or a promotion. As a result, obtaining an online certification in data science will serve their purpose.

Institutes such as Great Learning provide courses for both students and professionals. Their master’s courses range in length from 6 months to 2 years. They also offer a 6-month data science course for those who want to become certified in data science. Python is frequently regarded as the preferred language for web scraping. Online certificate programs are the best solution for today’s busy people. Web scraping, regardless of its application, is a skill that every Python programmer should possess.