The NSDC Data Science Flashcards series will teach you how the data pipeline is developed for data science projects. This flashcard was created by Emily Rothenberg, National Student Data Corps (NSDC) Program Manager. You can find the full NSDC Data Science Flashcards collection of videos on the NEBDHub Youtube channel.
The second step in the Data Pipeline is Data Acquisition. Data Acquisition is the process of gathering data. Once gathered or collected the data will be stored, filtered, cleaned and analyzed in order to provide insights to the user.
There are a variety of methods that can be used to acquire data. To collect new data (primary research), you may conduct experiments, make observations, or collect survey responses. Pre-existing data can be leveraged as well, perhaps transformed or converted to better fit your data needs (secondary research). Data can also be shared or exchanged, and even purchased.
You and/or your company may turn to Data Acquisition when you are looking to optimize an already-existing system, or to answer a question or solve a problem.
For example, maybe you’re wondering how a new product of yours will do once it hits the market. You may want to acquire data from sales patterns, financial reports, market trends, or other sources.
Please follow along with the rest of the NSDC Data Science Flashcard series to learn more about the Data Pipeline.