README Out of date since code reformat.

Updated 2/23/2024

Bigfoot Tracking and Analysis Project - Version 1.3

Overview

The Bigfoot Tracking and Analysis Project is an automated system designed to collect and analyze sightings of Bigfoot from the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO) website.

Version 1.3

• Major restructure of files. Easier to understand.
• inserted error handling.

Version 1.2

• Introduction of new main script that replaces original bash script
• Removed scraping recent sightings, may add again in future but currently the project drops the whole database every time it runs.
• Removes local files after uploading to database

Version 1.1

• Determines whether the entire website should be scraped or only the recent sightings
• Runs webscraping tools
• Cleans columns of unwanted keys from the webscraping process
• Inserts json data into PostgreSQL databse

Components

File Structure

• bigfoot_factory/sql_commands/create_table.py
• bigfoot_factory/sql_commands/insert_data.py
• bigfoot_factory/sql_commands/stored_proc_python.py
• bigfoot_factory/clean_db.py
• bigfoot_factory/db_check.py
• bigfoot_factory/initiate_db.py
• bigfoot_factory/update_db.py
• datalake/bfro_data.json
• datalake/cleaned_columns_bfro_data.json
• media/
• webscrapers/

Packages Used

• beautifulsoup
• psycopg2
• dotenv

Workflow

1. Initializes Database:
   • Drops database in ElephantSQL if it exists and creates new one.
2. Web Scraping:
   • runs complete_webscrape.py
3. Clean Data:
   • Cleans unwanted columns
   • Slight formatting
4. Updates Database:
   • Uploads cleaned json to ElephantSQL hosted database
5. Drops local files
   • Removes all local files to keep a clean workspace

Release Plan

• Version 1.2:
  • Clean year and date column.
  • Clean submitted_by column.
  • Clean follow_up colum.
• Version 1.3:
  • Automate SQL Stored Procedures using python script
  • Clean nearest_town columns.

Installation and Execution

Note: This project uses python3.

1. Clone Repository:

   git clone https://github.com/CollinClifford/bf_proj
   cd bf_proj

2. Install Dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Configure Environment Variables: Create a .env file in the project root with the necessary environment variables with the following as a template.

   # Database connections
   DB_HOST=
   DB_NAME=
   DB_USER=
   DB_PASSWORD=
   DB_PORT=
   SSL_MODE=disable

4. Run the Program:
   • Execute the bash script:

   python3 ./main.py
   

This setup should ensure a seamless installation and execution of the Bigfoot Tracking and Analysis Project. Please reach out to collinclifford@ymail.com for any questions.