Getting a Coding Job For Dummies®

Chapter 8

Analyzing Big Data

In This Chapter

Defining big data

Understanding the techniques and tools for analyzing data

Using R and Python for data analysis

Visualizing data by using libraries and APIs

Data is one of the most powerful mechanisms for telling stories. I take a huge pile of data, and I try to get it to tell stories.

—Steven Levitt, author of Freakonomics

Although all coding jobs are in high demand, the big data and data analytics professions continue to be at the top. This jobs explosion has happened, in part, because sensors and systems can measure much more data than before. Big data professionals analyze data to create useful insights.

Traditionally, the data captured from cellphones consisted of only phone call information, such as caller number, time of call, and duration. Today’s smartphones have additional sensors that capture location, speed, direction, ambient light, and elevation. The trend around increased data generation and collection isn’t limited to physical devices — our online behavior generates data as well, and the volume of data increases as more ...