Preface
Every secret agent needs a good set of tools and gadgets. When an agent's missions involve gathering data, high-powered data processing is required. This book will provide you with the kinds of information processing tools that will help you gather, analyze, and communicate the data that the HQ demands.
Python allows agents to write simple scripts to gather data, perform sophisticated calculations, and produce useful results. Agents can also use Python to extract data from local files, HTTP web servers, and FTP file servers.
Python has numerous add-on packages. This book will explore just two: Pillow allows for sophisticated image conversion and manipulation, and BeautifulSoup allows an agent to extract data from HTML web pages. Agents with specific needs might have to explore the Python Natural Language Toolkit (NLTK), Numeric Python (NumPy), or even Scientific Python (SciPy).