Sunday, February 14, 2010

Internet Data Mining Software

Internet data mining software is used almost universally. Several businesses and government agencies utilize this software for a more efficient method of searching the Internet for the information they need. Law enforcement agencies utilize data mining software to search for criminal activity that goes on over the Internet. These criminal acts can vary and can become construed with legal activity so software that can weed out the bad from the good is very useful to them. To go one step further, homeland security uses data mining software to prevent terrorism. Many individuals unknowingly put information up on the Internet that compromises their goals because they believe it to be a safe place when in fact, it is constantly being scoured by government data mining software that searches for words or phrases related to terrorist activity.

Internet data mining software is also utilized by business owners. Knowing what your competitors are doing with specials and pricing gives the user a huge advantage in their targeted market. Internet data mining software will pick out certain specials that are given by certain business as determined by the software's owner. There is so much information stockpiled on the Internet that looking for specific data can be a lost cause. Even after finding information related to whatever it is that you searched for most of it is probably useless. The use of internet data mining software negates all of these problems making it a very useful tool for anybody who researches extensively.

One of the biggest names in data mining software is Mozenda. Mozenda is a very advanced data mining program. It has programming that enables it to be automated; this means that even while you are away Mozenda can carry out whatever task you gave to it. Mozenda creates virtual agents that can extract and manage data from various sources and can even publish data to multiple destinations at the same time. All of the data extracted through Mozenda is stored in their virtual warehouse where it will be safe and secure until you are ready to access it. Companies will find Mozenda to be very useful because of its ease of integration with a data system that is already in place. Mozenda will enable the company to store their data and then publish it automatically as they wish.

Kapow Technologies is another major player in the internet data mining software industry. Kapow Technologies is geared towards big business. Their software helps businesses to better communicate with their partners. This allows the sharing and publishing of data between partners to be seamless. Kapow Technologies takes pride in providing up to the second web data that is related to the interests of the business. This allows for more informed business decisions.

Internet data mining software will continue to be a huge part of businesses worldwide as long as the internet remains functional. The versatility of the software means that many different types of businesses will utilize it. The fact that there is information regarding everything one could imagine on the internet means that there is probably someone who could use software to extract that data, share it with others, and then publish it again to their advantage. On top of this, data mining software can also show you how your product or service is doing. This is achieved by using the software to mine your own data, and then seeing how relevant that data is compared to other data of the same variety.

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Web Scraping Software

Web scraping software is an innovative tool that makes gathering lots of information relatively easy. The program has numerous implications for anyone who has the need to search for comparable information from various locations and put it into usable context. This method of finding extensive information in a short period of time is cost effective. Applications are used everyday for business, medicine, meteorology, government, and law enforcement.

The software is user friendly and can be operated by anyone from non-tech data collectors to experienced Web designers. Programs are available for purchase in stores or online. Certain online sites, such as Visual Web Ripper, provide video guides to go along with their products. Tutorials on how to create a project, navigating the software, and extracting data are provided. There are websites that allow users to establish an account, start a monthly membership and access software that way. There are websites tutorials providing step by step instructions to users which demonstrate how to make their own screen scraper using various programs.

A user enters the software and begins by programming an “agent”, this is the tool that will retrieve any and all information. A desired list is made of pertinent information pertaining to the search. Parameters are set as to how extensive the search must be and in what locations. A user has full control over which pages are crawled and how elements are mapped. Visual and/or textual information may be retrieved. Web pages or hard disk files can be searched. Once the information is obtained, it can be saved as CSV, TSV, XML, or RSS, spreadsheets or databases. The data can be formatted into chunks, such as names and addresses, for easy retrieval. After data is received it can be analyzed. Agents start gathering data with the click of the run button or when programmed to start at specific scheduled times. The program can also alert users to changes it encounters within scheduled search fields.

Web scraping software provides customer information, marketing information, and competitor information. Businesses develop a closer relationship with their customers by discovering what products are selling, what product defects have been encountered, what consumers like or dislike about a product, or what particular group of customers favor a product. The software directs companies as to which decisions to make as it analyzes how they stand in relation to their competitors or they gain knowledge of current or upcoming trends. Price comparisons, buying and selling trends, and consumer logistics are all data options that can be gathered, stored, analyzed and implemented into profitable business platforms.

There have been legal ramifications as some have complained about intrusion and copyright infringement. Legal boundaries and guidelines may become established in the future. Some have implemented software to prohibit or block webcrawlers.

Visual Web Ripper, Irobot, and Happy Harvester are a few of the top rated Web scraper programs currently available. There are many others on the market. This tool is sure to gain popularity as it makes data research and monitoring quick and effective.



Screen Scraper