Introduction


Eying on the huge amount of data generated and collected on behalf of several IT sectors, data science has become a fundamental part of business today. Customer satisfaction is the modern goal of every second industry. Due to this, the importance of data science has grown over the years.

In this article, we will discuss the definition, importance, and applications of data science. We will also highlight data science prerequisites that will help you become a data scientist. Let's begin with the definition of data science.

What is Data Science and its applications?


Data science can be defined as the study of data. Data science is a realm/sector that helps in the study of real data. Data is real & possesses real properties. Data Science draws in data and some signs.
Data science can be understood as the skill of developing abstract insights and trends from raw and unstructured data. Data science has a lot of applications; especially in the business sector. It can be also defined as extracting, analyzing, and processing data of various forms and from various resources.
To be precise, data science is the realm of study that handles vast volumes of data. The data is handled with the use of modern tools and techniques. The main aim of data scientists is to find unseen patterns, establish meaningful information, and help in ideal business decisions.

Data science applications


Now that you are well aware of data science's definition, let's have a look at its applications. Data science finds its applications in almost every industry. A few of the major data science applications are as follows:

1.  Education


Data science is largely used within the educational sector. It helps in developing social-emotional skills, monitoring students' needs, formulating the curriculum, and analyzing instructor performance. Data science is becoming a productive tool that can shape academic skills.

2. Gaming


Today, data science is used to create video and computer games. Hence, the importance of data science in the gaming sector is unmatchable.

3. Recommendation Methodology


Data science comprises algorithms that can track users' search history and then recommend products based on what users like to watch, purchase, or browse on respective platforms.

4. Healthcare


Healthcare sectors like hospitals etc. are using data science to establish advanced medical tools. These tools can very well detect and cure diseases. Moreover, data science helps foresee the patient's health and suggests preventive measures.

5. Image Recognition


Detecting patterns, texts, and objects in images has become one of the most popular data science applications. You can illustrate the need for a data science algorithm in image recognition.

6. Retail & Logistics


Data Science is used by retail and logistics companies for determining effective routes. These routes guarantee faster delivery of products and enhance operational efficiency. Prevention of dead stock issues is also possible because of data science.

7. Fraud Detection


With the advancement in technology & internet usage, frauds have also multiplied. Data science is used in banking and financial institutions. With the help of data science algorithms, fraudulent transactions could be easily detected.

What does the Data Science Lifecycle look like?


The lifecycle of Data science comprises five separate stages. Each stage further comprises its tasks. The five data science lifecycle are as follows:
"  Capture
Data Assumption, Data Entry, Signal Treatment, Data Extraction. The 'capture' is a stage in data science that focuses on gathering raw structured and unstructured data.
 Maintain
Data Handling, Data Modeling, Data Staging, Data Processing, Data Architecture. The 'maintain' is a stage in data science that focuses on gathering the raw data and putting it in a usable form.
" Process
Data Mining, Data Collection, Data Classification, Data Summarization. In this stage, data scientists arrange the prepared data and survey its patterns & ranges to discover data usage. It is also helpful in generating predictive analysis.
" Analyze
Probatory, Predictive Analysis, Backsliding, Text Mining, Qualitative Analysis. Analyzing the data is the primary stage in the data science lifecycle.
" Communicate
Data Investigation, Data Visualization, Business Intelligence, Decision Making. This is the final step in the data science lifecycle. It is all about assembling the data analyses & presenting them in readable forms - charts/graphs/reports.

What are the few Prerequisites for Data Science?


Below are some of the practical concepts that are essential for data science for beginners. Before thinking about learning data science, you must have a clear knowledge of the below-mentioned domains.

1. Machine Learning


Machine learning is the foundation of data science. For pursuing a career in Data Science, one needs to comprehend Machine learning (ML). you can even consider pursuing additional basic knowledge of statistics.

2. Statistics


Statistics are the fundamentals of data science. Research work on statistics can help you derive more intelligence and acquire more meaningful results.

3. Modeling


Machine learning is all about learning and authorizing mathematical models. Mathematics modeling will help you be quick with mathematical calculations and make data predictions. Identifying data science algorithms is the most suitable aspect of modeling.

4. Programming


Developing a certain level of programming is an essential prerequisite for executing a successful data science project. You have to learn some common programming languages - Python, JavaScript, and R.

5. Databases


You will be tagged as a 'proficient' data scientist only if you can understand how databases work. Data management and data extraction are also important forms of databases.

Data Science Tools


Now that you know all about applications, prerequisites, and lifecycle related to data science; let's learn about data science tools. Yes, we understand that data science is a tough profession that requires proper knowledge about plenty of tools. These scientific tools help data scientists succeed at their job.
1.  For being a Data Analysis tools useful are: SAS, Jupyter, R Studio, MATLAB, Excel, RapidMiner
2.  For being a Data Warehousing tools useful are: Informatica/ Talend, AWS Redshift
3.  For being a Data Visualization tools required are: Jupyter, Tableau, Cognos, RAW
4.  Machine Learning is a job role in data science that requires tools: Spark MLib, Mahout, Azure ML studio

Why Become a Data Scientist?


In conclusion, we can say that learning data science is a need of time. Demand for data scientists will multiply to double by 2020. As Data science for beginners, you must focus on the above domains in a detailed manner.
We hope this article has helped you in understanding the basics of data science and its applications in detail.


Advanced Certification in Applied Data Science, Machine Learning & IoT By E&ICT Academy, IIT Guwahati