Data Science Projects with Python
Data Science Projects with Python is designed to give you practical guidance on industry-standard data analysis and machine learning tools in Python, with the help of realistic data. The course will help you understand how you can use pandas and Matplotlib to critically examine a dataset with summary statistics and graphs, and extract the insights you seek to derive. You will continue to build on your knowledge as you learn how to prepare data and feed it to machine learning algorithms, such as regularized logistic regression and random forest, using the scikit-learn package. You’ll discover how to tune the algorithms to provide the best predictions on new and, unseen data. As you delve into later chapters, you’ll be able to understand the working and output of these algorithms and gain insight into not only the predictive capabilities of the models but also their reasons for making these predictions.
By the end of this course, you will have the skills you need to confidently use various machine learning algorithms to perform detailed data analysis and extract meaningful insights from data.
If you are a data analyst, data scientist, or a business analyst who wants to get started with using Python and machine learning techniques to analyze data and predict outcomes, this book is for you. Basic knowledge of computer programming and data analytics is a must. Familiarity with mathematical concepts such as algebra and basic statistics will be useful.
You’ll also need the following software installed in advance:
- OS: Windows 7 SP1 64-bit, Windows 8.1 64-bit or Windows 10 64-bit, Ubuntu Linux, or the latest version of OS X
- Browser: Google Chrome/Mozilla Firefox Latest Version
- Notepad++/Sublime Text as IDE (Optional, as you can practice everything using Jupyter notecourse on your browser)
- Python 3.4+ (latest is Python 3.7) installed (from https://python.org)
- Python libraries as needed (Jupyter, Numpy, Pandas, Matplotlib, BeautifulSoup4, and so on)
Installation and Setup
Before you start this course, make sure you have installed the Anaconda environment as we will be using the Anaconda distribution of Python.
Installing Anaconda
- Install Anaconda by following the instructions at this link: https://www.anaconda.com/distribution/
For an optimal student experience, we recommend the following hardware configuration:
- Processor: Intel Core i5 or equivalent
- Memory: 4GB RAM (8 GB Preferred)
- Storage: 35 GB available space
Lesson 1: Data Exploration and
Cleaning
Python and the Anaconda Package Management System
Different Types of Data Science Problems
Loading the Case Study Data with Jupyter and pandas
Data Quality Assurance and Exploration
Exploring the Financial History Features in the Dataset
Activity 1: Exploring Remaining Financial Features
in the Dataset
Lesson 2: Introduction to
Scikit-Learn and Model Evaluation
Introduction
Model Performance Metrics for Binary Classification
Activity 2: Performing Logistic Regression with a
New Feature and Creating a Precision-Recall Curve
Lesson 3: Details of Logistic
Regression and Feature Exploration
Introduction
Examining the Relationships between Features and the
Response
Univariate Feature Selection: What It Does and Doesn't Do
Building Cloud-Native Applications
Activity 3: Fitting a Logistic Regression Model and
Directly Using the Coefficients
Lesson 4: The Bias-Variance
Trade-off
Introduction
Estimating the Coefficients and Intercepts of Logistic
Regression
Cross Validation: Choosing the Regularization Parameter and
Other Hyperparameters
Activity 4: Cross-Validation and Feature Engineering
with the Case Study Data
Lesson 5: Decision Trees and
Random Forests
Introduction
Decision trees
Random Forests: Ensembles of Decision Trees
Activity 5: Cross-Validation Grid Search with Random
Forest
Lesson 6: Imputation of Missing
Data, Financial Analysis, and Delivery to Client
Introduction
Review of Modeling Results
Dealing with Missing Data: Imputation Strategies
Activity 6: Deriving Financial Insights
Final Thoughts on Delivering the Predictive Model to the Client