What is Data Science?

Data science is an inter-disciplinary field that uses scientific methods, processes, algorithms and systems to extract knowledge and insights from structured and unstructured data. Data science is related to data mining and big data. ~Wikipedia

Before Getting Deep into Data Science, we will first get some idea about various terms which are related to Data Science.

1. Data : It is a distinct pieces of information, usually formatted in a special way. It may be an Excel Sheet, CSV (Comma Separated Value) file, Text File, Image, Audio,Video, SQL file or any other Database file.
2. Big Data : It is a Data with Large amount, it is generally beyond normal size and needs huge storage and processing power.
3. Data Mining : It is the practice of examining large pre-existing databases in order to generate new information.
4. Artificial Intelligence : It is the ability of machines to exhibit intelligence by mimicking human actions. Such abilities can be introduced through Machine Learning.
5. Machine Learning : It is a process, through which humans train machines to mimic their logic.
6. Deep Learning : It is a subset of Machine Learning, which consists of networks, similar to human brain (kind of Neurons). Which works faster than machine learning.
7. Statistics : It is a form of mathematical analysis that uses quantified models, representations and synopses for a given set of experimental data or real-life studies.

Data Science is a field where we apply ‘scientific skills’ (Statistics, Machine Learning, Analyzing, Visualizing) to available ‘data’ in order to get the ‘patterns’ or ‘insights’ from it. Which can further help a business to optimize operations or improvise decisions.

It is an amalgamation of various fields and techniques.

In a simple terms , we need to read the data from files. We then cut the file into small chunks, we perform various operations on it. We visualize it, make model out of it and then we predict the trends and behavior based on the data.

Why Data Science is in demand right now?

Today, Data is considered as new gold or new crude oil. As we are interconnected with the world via internet, it has now became a part of our life. large chunks of data is generated on daily basis. Organizations now want to take quick and smart decisions based on this data.

E.g. Share market prediction, Customer churn prediction, Effectiveness of ad on a product etc.

Data science continues to evolve as one of the most promising and in-demand career paths for skilled professionals. We will discuss about the skills and job profiles in next post.