Recently, import.io (a free scraping online tool) announced that they are adding another way to get data from the web: they’ll build it for you. This new “Data as a Service” program is targeted at businesses and organizations who need data, but don’t have the time or resources to devote to using the import.io tool to build it themselves. For these clients, import will curate custom datasets based on their specific requirements as well as develop custom data implementation solutions based on the organization’s in-house software.
The difference between import’s method and those of traditional data providers is their ability to act as a pipeline to provide clients with live data, direct from the source. According to their site they have already begun providing custom data solutions for several high-profile organizations both in the UK and the US.
Prices depend on the scope of the project and are priced on a case-by-case basis. Factors such as number of sources (think 5 to 10,000 sites/sources) and frequency of querying will certainly play a major role in the costing. Luckily, import’s more targeted data extraction method and novell architecture, means they incur very little overhead when processing queries at scale, which should keep costs below those of their direct competitors.
Importantly, they still say the self-service offering is still and will always be free.
If you’re interested in learning more about import.io’s Data as a Service program, you can visit their website.