What is network data collection

Automatic data collection on the Internet is about as long as the Internet has existed. Although network data collection is not a new term, for many years, it has been more commonly referred to as screen scraping, data mining, web harvesting, or other similar versions. Today, the public seems to be more inclined to use “network data collection”, but sometimes network data collection programs are called network robots (bots).

In theory, network data collection is a way to collect network data through a variety of means, not only through interaction with APIs (or directly with browsers). The most commonly used method is to write an automated program to request data from a web server (usually using HIML forms or other web files), and then parse the data to extract the required information. In practice, network data collection involves a wide range of programming techniques and methods, such as data analysis and information security.