JSON to pandas DataFrame

Question

What I am trying to do is extract elevation data from a google maps API along a path specified by latitude and longitude coordinates as follows:

from urllib2         


        

Answer 1

I prefer a more generic method in which may be user doesn't prefer to give key 'results'. You can still flatten it by using a recursive approach of finding key having nested data or if you have key but your JSON is very nested. It is something like:

from pandas import json_normalize

def findnestedlist(js):
    for i in js.keys():
        if isinstance(js[i],list):
            return js[i]
    for v in js.values():
        if isinstance(v,dict):
            return check_list(v)


def recursive_lookup(k, d):
    if k in d:
        return d[k]
    for v in d.values():
        if isinstance(v, dict):
            return recursive_lookup(k, v)
    return None

def flat_json(content,key):
    nested_list = []
    js = json.loads(content)
    if key is None or key == '':
        nested_list = findnestedlist(js)
    else:
        nested_list = recursive_lookup(key, js)
    return json_normalize(nested_list,sep="_")

key = "results" # If you don't have it, give it None

csv_data = flat_json(your_json_string,root_key)
print(csv_data)