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introduction to data science

Data science is an interdisciplinary field that utilizes scientific methods and algorithms to extract insights from structured and unstructured data, applicable across various industries like business, healthcare, and finance. The data science process involves steps such as data collection, cleaning, exploratory analysis, model building, and deployment, while addressing challenges like data quality and ethical considerations. Data scientists play a crucial role in interpreting data and ensuring responsible usage, emphasizing the importance of ethics, transparency, and accountability in their work.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
5 views

introduction to data science

Data science is an interdisciplinary field that utilizes scientific methods and algorithms to extract insights from structured and unstructured data, applicable across various industries like business, healthcare, and finance. The data science process involves steps such as data collection, cleaning, exploratory analysis, model building, and deployment, while addressing challenges like data quality and ethical considerations. Data scientists play a crucial role in interpreting data and ensuring responsible usage, emphasizing the importance of ethics, transparency, and accountability in their work.

Uploaded by

ishanvisri16
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Data science is an interdisciplinary field that uses scientific methods, processes, algorithms, and systems

to extract knowledge and insights from structured and unstructured data. It involves the use of techniques
from statistics, data analysis, machine learning, and computer science to extract insights and knowledge
from data. Data science can be applied in a wide range of fields, including business, healthcare, finance,
and government, among others. The goal of data science is to turn raw data into actionable insights that
can inform decision-making and improve outcomes.
Data science is the study of data. Like biological sciences is a study of biology, physical sciences, it’s
the study of physical reactions. Data is real, data has real properties, and we need to study them if we’re
going to work on them. Data Science involves data and some signs.
It is a process, not an event. It is the process of using data to understand too many different things, to
understand the world. Let suppose when you have a model or proposed explanation of a problem, and
you try to validate that proposed explanation or model with your data.
It is the skill of unfolding the insights and trends that are hiding (or abstract) behind data. It’s when you
translate data into a story. So use storytelling to generate insight. And with these insights, you
USES OF DATA SCIENCE:
Data science is a field that involves using scientific methods, processes, algorithms, and systems to
extract knowledge and insights from structured and unstructured data. It can be used in a variety of
industries and applications such as:
1. Business: Data science can be used to analyze customer data, predict market trends, and optimize
business operations.
2. Healthcare: Data science can be used to analyze medical data and identify patterns that can aid in
diagnosis, treatment, and drug discovery.
3. Finance: Data science can be used to identify fraud, analyze financial markets, and make investment
decisions.
4. Social Media: Data science can be used to understand user behavior, recommend content, and
identify influencers.
5. Internet of things: Data science can be used to analyze sensor data from IoT devices and make
predictions about equipment failures, traffic patterns, and more.
6. Natural Language Processing: Data science can be used to make computers understand human
language, process large amounts of text or speech data and make predictions.
Overall Data Science is a multidisciplinary field that involves the use of statistics, machine learning, and
computer science to extract insights and knowledge from data.

Applications of Data Science:


Following are some of the applications that make use of Data Science for their services:
 Internet Search Results (Google)
 Recommendation Engine (Spotify)
 Intelligent Digital Assistants (Google Assistant)
 Autonomous Driving Vehicle (Waymo)
 Spam Filter (Gmail)
 Abusive Content and Hate Speech Filter (Facebook)
 Robotics (Boston Dynamics)
 Automatic Piracy Detection (YouTube)

Who is Data Scientist?


In simple words, a Data Scientist is one who knows and practices the art of Data Science. Data Scientists
are those scientists who crack complex data problems with their strong expertise in certain scientific
disciplines. They work with many elements related to mathematics, statistics, probability, Quantitative
and Qualitative forecasting, computer science, etc. (though they may not be an expert in all these fields).
We can say that Data Scientists are Business Analysts and Data Analysts, with a difference!. Though the
initial training or basic requirements are similar for all these disciplines, Data Scientists require:
 Strong Business Acumen
 Strong Communication Skills
 Exploring Big Data

Why Data Scientists are called ‘Data Scientists’?


The term “Data Scientist” has been in existence after considering the fact that a Data Scientist collects a
huge amount of information from the scientific fields and applications whether the information is
statistical, mathematical, or computer science. They make use of the latest technologies and tools in
finding the solutions and reaching the conclusions that are important for an organization’s growth and
development. Data Scientists present the data in a much more useful form as compared to the raw data
available to them from structured as well as unstructured forms.
ADVANTAGES OF DATA SCIENCE :
There are many advantages of using data science in various industries and applications. Some of the key
advantages include:
1. Improved decision-making: Data science can be used to analyze large amounts of data and extract
valuable insights that can inform business decisions and improve organizational performance.
2. Predictive modeling: Data science can be used to build predictive models that can forecast future
events and outcomes, such as sales or customer behavior.
3. Automation: Data science can be used to automate repetitive tasks, such as data cleaning, feature
engineering, and model selection, which can save time and resources.
4. Personalization: Data science can be used to personalize experiences for customers, such as
recommending products or tailoring advertising campaigns.
5. Cost reduction: Data science can be used to identify inefficiencies and reduce costs in various
industries, such as supply chain management and healthcare.
6. Fraud Detection: Data science can be used to analyze large amounts of transaction data and identify
fraudulent activities, which can reduce financial losses.
7. Improved customer service: Data science can be used to analyze customer data and understand
their needs, preferences and behavior which can improve the overall customer service.
8. Improved product innovation: Data science can be used to analyze data from research and
development, customer feedback, and market trends to identify new product opportunities.

Data Science Process Life Cycle


 Data Collection – After formulating any problem statement the main task is to calculate data that
can help us in our analysis and manipulation. Sometimes data is collected by performing some kind
of survey and there are times when it is done by performing scrapping.
 Data Cleaning – Most of the real-world data is not structured and requires cleaning and conversion
into structured data before it can be used for any analysis or modeling.
 Exploratory Data Analysis – This is the step in which we try to find the hidden patterns in the data
at hand. Also, we try to analyze different factors which affect the target variable and the extent to
which it does so. How the independent features are related to each other and what can be done to
achieve the desired results all these answers can be extracted from this process as well. This also
gives us a direction in which we should work to get started with the modeling process.
 Model Building – Different types of machine learning algorithms as well as techniques have been
developed which can easily identify complex patterns in the data which will be a very tedious task
to be done by a human.
 Model Deployment – After a model is developed and gives better results on the holdout or the real-
world dataset then we deploy it and monitor its performance. This is the main part where we use our
learning from the data to be applied in real-world applications and use cases.

Steps for Data Science Processes:

Step 1: Define the Problem and Create a Project Charter


Clearly defining the research goals is the first step in the Data Science Process. A project
charter outlines the objectives, resources, deliverables, and timeline, ensuring that all stakeholders are
aligned.
Step 2: Retrieve Data
Data can be stored in databases, data warehouses, or data lakes within an organization. Accessing this
data often involves navigating company policies and requesting permissions.
Step 3: Data Cleansing, Integration, and Transformation
Data cleaning ensures that errors, inconsistencies, and outliers are removed. Data integration combines
datasets from different sources, while data transformation prepares the data for modeling by reshaping
variables or creating new features.
Step 4: Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA)
During EDA, various graphical techniques like scatter plots, histograms, and box plots are used to
visualize data and identify trends. This phase helps in selecting the right modeling techniques.
Step 5: Build Models
In this step, machine learning or deep learning models are built to make predictions or classifications
based on the data. The choice of algorithm depends on the complexity of the problem and the type of
data.
Step 6: Present Findings and Deploy Models
Once the analysis is complete, results are presented to stakeholders. Models are deployed into production
systems to automate decision-making or support ongoing analysis.
Benefits and uses of data science and big data
 Governmental organizations are also aware of data’s value. A data scientist in a governmental
organization gets to work on diverse projects such as detecting fraud and other criminal activity or
optimizing project funding.
 Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) are also no strangers to using data. They use it to raise
money and defend their causes. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF), for instance, employs data
scientists to increase the effectiveness of their fundraising efforts.
 Universities use data science in their research but also to enhance the study experience of their
students. • Ex: MOOC’s- Massive open online courses.
Tools for Data Science Process
As time has passed tools to perform different tasks in Data Science have evolved to a great extent.
Different software like Matlab and programming Languages like Python, Java and R Programming
Language provides many utility features which help us to complete most of the most complex task within
a very limited time and efficiently.

Usage of Data Science Process


The Data Science Process is a systematic approach to solving data-related problems and consists of the
following steps:
1. Problem Definition: Clearly defining the problem and identifying the goal of the analysis.
2. Data Collection: Gathering and acquiring data from various sources, including data cleaning and
preparation.
3. Data Exploration: Exploring the data to gain insights and identify trends, patterns, and
relationships.
4. Data Modeling: Building mathematical models and algorithms to solve problems and make
predictions.
5. Evaluation: Evaluating the model’s performance and accuracy using appropriate metrics.
6. Deployment: Deploying the model in a production environment to make predictions or automate
decision-making processes.
7. Monitoring and Maintenance: Monitoring the model’s performance over time and making updates
as needed to improve accuracy.

Challenges in the Data Science Process


1. Data Quality and Availability: Data quality can affect the accuracy of the models developed and
therefore, it is important to ensure that the data is accurate, complete, and consistent. Data availability
can also be an issue, as the data required for analysis may not be readily available or accessible.
2. Bias in Data and Algorithms: Bias can exist in data due to sampling techniques, measurement
errors, or imbalanced datasets, which can affect the accuracy of models. Algorithms can also
perpetuate existing societal biases, leading to unfair or discriminatory outcomes.
3. Model Overfitting and Underfitting: Overfitting occurs when a model is too complex and fits the
training data too well, but fails to generalize to new data. On the other hand, underfitting occurs
when a model is too simple and is not able to capture the underlying relationships in the data.
4. Model Interpretability: Complex models can be difficult to interpret and understand, making it
challenging to explain the model’s decisions and decisions. This can be an issue when it comes to
making business decisions or gaining stakeholder buy-in.
5. Privacy and Ethical Considerations: Data science often involves the collection and analysis of
sensitive personal information, leading to privacy and ethical concerns. It is important to consider
privacy implications and ensure that data is used in a responsible and ethical manner.
What is Ethics in Data Science?
Ethics in Data Science refers to the responsible and ethical use of the data throughout the entire data
lifecycle. This includes the collection, storage, processing, analysis, and interpretation of various data.
 Privacy: It means respecting an individual's data with confidentiality and consent.
 Transparency: Communicating how data is collected, processed, and used, So it will maintain
transparency.
 Fairness and Bias: Ensuring fairness in data-driven processes and addressing biases that may arise
in algorithms, preventing discrimination against certain groups.
 Accountability: Holding individuals and organizations accountable for their actions and decisions
based on data.
 Security: Implementing robust security measures sensitive data and protects them from unauthorized
access and breaches.
 Data Quality: Ensures the accuracy of the data , completeness and the reliability of the data to
prevent any misinformation.

The Importance of Ethical Data Usage


Data Scientist are the Heart of Data they hold the data which can make powerful decisions that can shape
the future. the data is more valuable than anything so maintaining ethical standards is not a obligation
but it's a fundamental aspect of a Data scientist ensuring responsible data usage
Ethical Data usage is the main block of trust. When individuals provide their Data to organizations or
platforms, they expect it to maintain with integrity and basic ethics. Respecting their privacy is most
important part as it will increase the organization reputation
Key Practices for Responsible Data Usage
Transparency and Documentation
Transparent documentation serves as the backbone of ethical decision-making in data science. It
involves:
 Data Sources: Clearly outlining where the data originates from, including its collection methods
and any third-party sources involved.
 Methodologies: Describing the techniques, algorithms, and processes used for data analysis and
model creation. This transparency aids in understanding how conclusions are drawn.
 Transformations: Documenting any modifications or preprocessing steps applied to the data before
analysis. It ensures reproducibility and validates the accuracy of results.
Bias Mitigation
Identifying and mitigating biases in data and algorithms is critical for fair outcomes. This includes:
 Data Audits: Regularly auditing datasets for inherent biases based on demographics or historical
imbalances.
 Algorithm Fairness: Assessing algorithms to detect and rectify biases in decision-making processes
to ensure fairness across diverse groups.
 Diverse Representation: Actively seeking diverse perspectives and inclusivity in datasets and
model development to avoid reinforcing existing biases
Data Privacy and Consent
Respecting data privacy laws and obtaining informed consent are foundational principles:
 Informed Consent: Clearly communicating to individuals how their data will be used, ensuring they
understand and agree to its usage.
 Anonymization: Stripping personally identifiable information whenever possible to protect
individual identities.
 Compliance: Adhering to legal frameworks such as GDPR, HIPAA, or CCPA to ensure lawful and
ethical data handling.
Security Measures
Safeguarding data against breaches or unauthorized access involves robust security protocols:
 Encryption: Protecting data through encryption methods to ensure confidentiality, especially for
sensitive information.
 Access Control: Implementing strict access controls to limit data access to authorized personnel
only.
 Regular Audits: Conducting periodic security audits and assessments to identify vulnerabilities and
rectify them promptly.
Ethical Decision-making
Considering the broader ethical implications of data usage and model outcomes involves:
 Societal Impact Assessment: Evaluating the potential societal consequences of deploying models
or algorithms on different groups or communities.
 Ethical Frameworks: Using established ethical frameworks to guide decision-making and identify
potential ethical dilemmas.
 Continuous Evaluation: Regularly assessing the ethical implications of data usage and model
outcomes throughout the project lifecycle.
Transparency and Accountability
 Transparency means being open and telling everyone about what's happening and letting everyone
know how the data is being used. it's like an open window
 When it comes to Data Science, data is the most valuable thing so, maintaining the transparency in
how the data is being used that means telling where the data comes from and how it's being used
 on the other hand accountability means nothing but responsibility that means taking the responsibility
for how the data is handled
 Together, transparency and accountability create trust and reliability. Transparency builds
understanding, allowing others to see the 'why' and 'how' behind actions.
 Accountability ensures that those responsible for managing data are answerable for their actions and
decisions, fostering a sense of responsibility and trustworthiness in data practices.

The five Cs of Data Science


Five framing guidelines help us think about building data products. We call them the five Cs:
consent, clarity, consistency, control (and transparency), and consequences (and harm).
They’re a framework for implementing the golden rule for data. Let’s look at them one at a time.
Consent
You can’t establish trust between the people who are providing data and the people who are using it without
agreement about what data is being collected and how that data will be used. Agreement starts with
obtaining consent to collect and use data. Unfortunately, the agreements between a service’s users (people
whose data is collected) and the service itself (which uses the data in many ways) are binary (meaning that
you either accept or decline) and lack clarity. In business, when contracts are being negotiated between two
parties, there are multiple iterations (redlines) before the contract is settled. But when a user is agreeing to
a contract with a data service, you either accept the terms or you don’t get access. It’s non negotiable.
For example, when you check in to a hospital you are required to sign a form that gives them the right to
use your data. Generally, there’s no way to say that your data can be used for some purposes but not others.
When you sign up for a loyalty card at your local pharmacy, you’re agreeing that they can use your data in
unspecified ways. Those ways certainly include targeted advertising (often phrased as “special offers”), but
may also include selling your data (with or without anonymization) to other parties.
Clarity
Clarity is closely related to consent. You can’t really consent to anything unless you’re told clearly what
you’re consenting to. Users must have clarity about what data they are providing, what is going to be done
with the data, and any downstream consequences of how their data is used. All too often, explanations of
what data is collected or being sold are buried in lengthy legal documents that are rarely read carefully, if
at all.
Even when it seems obvious that their data is in a public forum, users frequently don’t understand how that
data could be used. Most Twitter users know that their public tweets are, in fact, public; but many don’t
understand that their tweets can be collected and used for research, or even that they are for sale. This isn’t
to say that such usage is unethical; but as Casey Fiesler points out, the need isn’t just to get consent, but to
inform users what they’re consenting to. That’s clarity.
Consistency and trust
Trust requires consistency over time. You can’t trust someone who is unpredictable. They may have the
best intentions, but they may not honor those intentions when you need them to. Or they may interpret their
intentions in a strange and unpredictable way. And once broken, rebuilding trust may take a long time.
Restoring trust requires a prolonged period of consistent behavior.
Consistency, and therefore trust, can be broken either explicitly or implicitly. An organization that exposes
user data can do so intentionally or unintentionally. In the past years, we’ve seen many security incidents
in which customer data was stolen: Yahoo!, Target, Anthem, local hospitals, government data, and data
brokers like Experian, the list grows longer each day. Failing to safeguard customer data breaks trust—and
safeguarding data means nothing if not consistency over time.
Control and transparency
Once you have given your data to a service, you must be able to understand what is happening to your data.
Can you control how the service uses your data? For example, Facebook asks for (but doesn’t require) your
political views, religious views, and gender preference. What happens if you change your mind about the
data you’ve provided? If you decide you’re rather keep your political affiliation quiet, do you know whether
Facebook actually deletes that information? Do you know whether Facebook continues to use that
information in ad placement?
All too often, users have no effective control over how their data is used. They are given allor-nothing
choices, or a convoluted set of options that make controlling access overwhelming and confusing. It’s often
impossible to reduce the amount of data collected, or to have data deleted later.
A major part of the shift in data privacy rights is moving to give users greater control of their data. For
example, Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requires a user’s data to be provided to
them at their request and removed from the system if they so desire.
Consequences
Data products are designed to add value for a particular user or system. As these products increase in
sophistication, and have broader societal implications, it is essential to ask whether the data that is being
collected could cause harm to an individual or a group. We continue to hear about unforeseen consequences
and the “unknown unknowns” about using data and combining data sets. Risks can never be eliminated
completely. However, many unforeseen consequences and unknown unknowns could be foreseen and
known, if only people had tried. All too often, unknown unknowns are unknown because we don’t want to
know.

What Is Diversity in the Workplace?


Diversity in the workplace means that an organization employs a diverse team of people that’s reflective
of the society in which it exists and operates. Unfortunately, determining what makes a team diverse isn’t
so simple. Diversity incorporates all of the elements that make individuals unique from one another, and
while there are infinite differences in humans, most of us subconsciously define diversity by a few social
categories, such as gender, race, age and so forth.
 In its simplest form, diversity means being composed of differing elements. In a workplace,
diversity means that the workforce is made up of employees with different races, gender identities,
career backgrounds, skills and so on. Diversity is proven to make communities and workplaces
more productive, tolerant and welcoming.
What Is Inclusion in the Workplace?
Although often used in tandem with diversity, inclusion is a concept of its own. SHRM defines inclusion
separately from diversity as “the achievement of a work environment in which all individuals are treated
fairly and respectfully, have equal access to opportunities and resources, and can contribute fully to the
organization’s success.”
 Inclusion is the practice of providing everyone with equal access to opportunities and resources.
Inclusion efforts in the workplace help to give traditionally marginalized groups — like those based
on gender, race or disabilities — a means for them to feel equal in the workplace. Inclusive actions,
like creating employee resource groups or hosting information sessions, make the workplace a
safer, more respectful environment for all employees.
Inclusion in the workplace is all about understanding and respect. Making sure everybody’s
voices and opinions are heard and carefully considered is vital in creating a more inclusive
work environment where everyone feels respected. Creating a work environment where
everyone feels accepted and where everyone is part of the decision-making process is
incredibly challenging and needs constant support to make it work.
Diversity vs. Inclusion
Diversity refers to the traits and characteristics that make people unique while inclusion refers to the
behaviors and social norms that ensure people feel welcome. Not only is inclusivity crucial for diversity
efforts to succeed, but creating an inclusive culture will prove beneficial for employee engagement and
productivity.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION?
Diversity is the presence of differences within a given setting. In the workplace that can mean differences
in race, ethnicity, gender identity, age and more. Inclusion is the practice of ensuring that people feel a
sense of belonging and support from the organization. Though diversity and inclusion may be different,
you cannot have either without first establishing a culture that embraces different perspectives. A close-
minded workplace culture will ultimately fail to facilitate any semblance of diversity or inclusion. It is
leadership’s responsibility to overtly acknowledge that different perspectives matter. The more diverse an
organization gets, the more important inclusion becomes. Inclusive efforts need to focus on making every
single employee feel like they are respected and trusted, regardless of their background.

Future Trends in Data Science


https://binariks.com/blog/data-science-trends/

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