Question

    Which of the following scenarios is best suited for web

    scraping as a data collection method?
    A Aggregating financial data from publicly available APIs. Correct Answer Incorrect Answer
    B Gathering customer feedback using survey forms. Correct Answer Incorrect Answer
    C Extracting information from competitor websites for market analysis. Correct Answer Incorrect Answer
    D Querying structured data from SQL databases. Correct Answer Incorrect Answer
    E Collecting data logs generated by IoT devices. Correct Answer Incorrect Answer

    Solution

    Explanation: Web scraping is an automated process used to extract data from websites. It is particularly suitable for scenarios where data is publicly available on competitor websites but not provided through formal APIs or other structured means. For market analysis, companies may use web scraping tools like BeautifulSoup or Scrapy to extract competitor pricing, customer reviews, and product details. This enables businesses to stay competitive by analyzing trends and strategies in their industry. However, it is important to ensure that web scraping adheres to legal and ethical guidelines, such as terms of service and intellectual property rights. Option A: APIs are designed for structured data access and should be used instead of web scraping when available. Option B: Surveys are better suited for directly soliciting feedback from specific audiences, not automated data collection. Option D: SQL databases provide structured querying capabilities, eliminating the need for web scraping. Option E: IoT data logs are generated internally and accessed through device protocols or APIs, not web scraping.

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