- Data science, it powers so much of modern life,
the internet, social media, artificial intelligence.
But also on a personal level, the statistics
from your Fitbit or the next song recommended by Pandora.
And, truly, data science is driving a personal
and social evolution.
We're constantly learning and getting better
and accomplishing monumental goals.
However, do you feel like you're missing the boat?
Maybe you're watching all these advances,
but you don't really know how to get in the game.
And you wonder, "What goes on under the hood?
"How does someone one do data science?"
You don't know where to start.
Do not worry, this is where I can help.
My name is Michele Vallisneri,
and I'm a research scientist at NASA.
I use data science concepts and tools every day
to analyze astronomy datasets,
and my tool of choice is Python.
It's an expressive and pragmatic computer language
that has its own spirit and style.
And it's supported by a diverse and helpful user community.
My goal with this course is to get you started
with data science, and more specifically, data analysis
with Python, in a friendly and approachable way.
It's not all encompassing.
I don't recommend applying for a PhD program
right after this course, but it will get you started,
and I really hope inspired.
That's what matters, and that's what you need,
a jumping off point.
I will take you through the foundations
of doing data analysis with Python.
We will look at the most important programming constructs,
data structures, and third party packages.
With this, you will be able to complete
simple data analysis tasks, and you will be ready
to move on to more advanced topics.
I like to teach by example rather than in the abstract,
so throughout this course, we will write
and execute practical code and analyze real-world data.
So let's enter the friendly but exciting world
of Python data analysis.