VizChitra 2025

Workshop

Having ready-to-use data is cool, but what about data that is not readily downloadable from the internet? What if a manual download is a hassle when there are lots of information and sources involved?

Join me as we explore the domain of data scraping from the web using various tools and techniques — from Google Sheets to some advanced hands-on coding for data gathering.

Takeaways

Attendees will learn how to look under the hood of websites for data sources and collect them in different ways. The session will also introduce GitHub actions as a tool to automate the collection and storage process.

• Getting and storing data as JSON or CSV
• Collecting information from webpages
• Automating scraping with GitHub actions

Audience

Anybody who needs to collect data as a part of their practice, including but not limited to students, researchers, and journalists. The session will start with the basics and will guide the attendees through the setup process for working with some code. Prior knowledge of coding is not mandatory to attend the session.

About me

Prasanta Kumar Dutta — Data visualisation developer, Reuters

Prasanta is an Information Experience Designer from India, working at the intersection of design, coding, and journalism at Reuters. With a background in engineering and design, he crafts data-driven pieces that help narrate important stories visually. Several of his works have been recognized with numerous awards. He also teaches and talks about data visualization, narrative cartography, and design at eminent institutes across India.