The clock struck 9:30 pm IST on 23rd April, 2018. I had been extremely impatient for this day since I submitted my proposal for Google Summer of Code on 27th March 2018. I checked my dashboard on the GSoC website and it showed my status as Active. I was flummoxed after seeing it, as I did not really know what to comprehend - Am I selected ? or Am I not ?. I started repeatedly refreshing my email account to witness an official email from Google stating my selection. After about 20 minutes, it was as it is, no new email. Well, it were really long 30 minutes, after which I received the email and then I had the tranquil realization, I had been waiting for, My Project Selection. Subsequently, I received “congrats” from my mentors which made me even more happier.
I applied for the RDataRetriever project under the NumFocus umbrella. It is the R API for Data Retriever packages in Python. The Data Retriever handles downloading, pre-processing and storing of datasets in the user environment. It eases life of analysts and gives a head start by providing clean and normalized (analysis - ready) data with the goal that the users can reserve their time for studying/analyzing. I will be working on enhancing capabilities of R API and synchronizing it capabilities with the Python API.
The awesome part of my project is the fact that its a CRAN package. I have used R for almost two years during my tenure at R & D lab of Mphasis Inc and saying that CRAN packages are the most powerful weapon of R is an understatement. Therefore, I feel privileged to be contributing for the same, which will be accessible to other R and data analysis enthusiasts.
The entire time period of prepping myself for GSoC to create a bespoke project proposal was a great learning exprience. I contributed to the RDataRetriever repo, had various conversations with the mentors,became enlightened of new tools, understood Open Source projects to a deeper level, and the list goes on. The exposure received from the GSoC selection process, invigorates me for a stimulating three months ahead ! I will be updating my progress through a post for elucidating my journey in GSoC 2018.