I used the official steem library for Python (steem-python) to get the data.

Here is a short descripion from http://steem.readthedocs.io/en/latest/

The Steem library has been designed to allow developers to easily access its routines and make use of the network without dealing with all the releated blockchain technology and cryptography. This library can be used to do anything that is allowed according to the Steem blockchain protocol.