Working with .mat Files in Python
Data science and machine learning are gaining popularity with the increasing availability of data. MATLAB .mat files are commonly used to store data in data science and machine learning.
In this article, we will guide you through the process of working with .mat files in Python.
Purpose of .mat files
.mat files are created using MATLAB software and serve the purpose of storing metadata, annotations, and contour values.
MATLAB is a popular software package used for mathematical calculations and is capable of handling large data sets. .mat files are commonly used in scientific research, especially in the fields of biology, physics, and engineering.
Reading .mat files in Python
Python provides the SciPy library to handle .mat files. The loadmat module in the SciPy library is used to import .mat files in Python.
Before using the SciPy library, it must be installed on your system. The installation process will be discussed in the second part of this article.
To read the .mat file, you first need to import the loadmat function from the SciPy library and specify the name of the file. You can import the .mat file by using the following code:
import scipy.io as sio
data = sio.loadmat('filename.mat')
This code imports the data from the .mat file and stores it in the variable data.
The data is stored in a dictionary-like structure that can be accessed using keys. You can view the keys using the following code:
data.keys()
Parsing the .mat file structure
Once you have read the .mat file, you need to parse the structure to obtain the data.
The structure of the .mat file depends on how it was created. You can use the values of the keys to determine the structure of the file.
To access the data, you have to index the dictionary-like structure using the keys. For example, if the .mat file has a key called ‘data’, you can access the data using the following code:
data['data']
Using Pandas Dataframes to work with the data
Pandas is a powerful library in Python that is used for data analysis. Pandas provides a DataFrame data structure that is widely used for data analysis in various industries.
You can convert the data from the .mat file into a Pandas DataFrame by using the following code:
import pandas as pd
df = pd.DataFrame(data['data'], columns=['col1', 'col2', 'col3'])
This code converts the data into a Pandas DataFrame with the columns named col1, col2, and col3. You can rename the columns based on your needs.
Installing and Setting Up Scipy
Scipy is a powerful library in Python that provides various tools for scientific computing. It is widely used in data science and machine learning.
Installing Scipy using pip
To install Scipy using pip, you can open the command prompt or terminal and enter the following command:
pip install scipy
This command will download and install Scipy on your system. Once installed, you can import it in your Python program and start using it.
Conclusion
Working with .mat files in Python can be a daunting task for beginners. However, by using the right tools and libraries, it can be made easier.
The SciPy library provides tools to handle .mat files, and the Pandas library provides tools for data analysis. By using these libraries, you can easily read and work with .mat files in Python.
The installation of Scipy is also a straightforward process using pip. With the right skills and tools, you can become a pro in working with .mat files in Python.
3) Importing and Using Scipy.io.loadmat Module
Python provides a number of libraries for scientific computing, and the SciPy library is one of the most popular ones. It offers a wide range of tools for tasks like integration, optimization, signal processing, and more.
SciPy also provides a module to handle MATLAB .mat files called loadmat. In this section, we will discuss how to import and work with the loadmat module.
Importing loadmat module
To use the loadmat function, you must first import it from the scipy.io library.
import scipy.io as sio
mat_contents = sio.loadmat('filename.mat')
This code imports the loadmat function and reads the contents of a .mat file named filename.mat.
Example of working with accordion annotations by Caltech
Caltech is a scientific research university located in California, USA. It is known for its contributions to science and technology, and it has been one of the pioneers in developing object recognition algorithms.
One of the datasets it has released is the Caltech 101 dataset. This dataset contains 101 categories of objects, and each category has 50-800 images.
The dataset also contains annotations that can be used to train machine learning models. In this example, we will work with the accordion annotations in the Caltech 101 dataset.
The .mat file that contains the annotations is called an_accordion.mat. It has the following variables:
- box_coord: A 4 x N matrix that contains the bounding boxes of the objects in the images.
- obj_contour: A cell array that contains the coordinates of the object contours.
To access these variables, we first load the .mat file using the loadmat function:
import scipy.io as sio
mat_contents = sio.loadmat('an_accordion.mat')
We can then extract the box_coord and obj_contour variables using the following code:
box_coord = mat_contents['box_coord']
obj_contour = mat_contents['obj_contour']
We can now use these variables to work with the annotations.
4) Parsing Through .mat File Structure
MATLAB .mat files are binary files that can be read in MATLAB as well as in other programming languages such as Python. The structure of the .mat file depends on how it was created and what type of data it contains.
In this section, we will discuss the structure of .mat files and how to parse through it.
Understanding the structure of .mat files
A .mat file is composed of a header and a body.
The header contains information about the version of MATLAB used to create the file, the size of the body, and the location of the variables in the body. The body contains the variables in the file, along with their names, sizes, and types.
The variables in the .mat file are stored in a hierarchical manner, and each variable has its own hierarchy. The hierarchy consists of a series of fields that contain information about the variable.
These fields are called object/record metadata.
Assigning contour values to Python list
Extracting the correct values from the .mat file can be challenging due to its hierarchical structure. Loadmat, which we looked at in the previous section, returns the data from the .mat file in a dictionary format.
The keys in the dictionary correspond to the variable names in the .mat file. The values in the dictionary are the variables themselves.
To access the values, we use indexing like a normal dictionary in Python. When working with contour values in .mat files, it is common to convert them to a Python list for ease of use.
To extract the contour values from the obj_contour variable in the an_accordion.mat dataset, we can use the following code:
import scipy.io as sio
mat_contents = sio.loadmat('an_accordion.mat')
contours = mat_contents['obj_contour'][0]
contour_list = [list(contour[0]) for contour in contours]
We first load the .mat file and extract the obj_contour variable. We then extract the contours from the obj_contour variable.
The contours are stored as a 1 x N cell array, where each cell contains a 1 x P matrix of contour points. We convert the contours to a list of lists, where each list represents a contour and contains the (x,y) coordinates of its points.
Conclusion
The SciPy library provides a convenient module called loadmat for reading MATLAB .mat files in Python. Understanding the structure of .mat files is important for parsing through them and extracting the data you need.
By converting the contour values to a Python list, we can easily work with them using tools such as NumPy and matplotlib.
5) Using Pandas DataFrames to Work with Data
Pandas is a powerful data analysis library in Python. It provides a data structure called DataFrame that is widely used in data science and machine learning.
In this section, we will look at how to import Pandas and construct DataFrames.
Importing Pandas module
To use Pandas, you must first import the module.
import pandas as pd
This code imports Pandas and gives it an alias of pd. The alias is used to reference Pandas in the code.
Constructing DataFrames
A DataFrame is a 2-dimensional labeled data structure in Pandas. It is similar to a table in a SQL database or a spreadsheet in Excel.
DataFrames can be created using various different methods like manually adding data to it or by importing data from external sources. We can construct a DataFrame from the data we have in Python using the following code:
import pandas as pd
data = {'name': ['John', 'Sarah', 'Trevor', 'Emily'],
'age': [25, 34, 29, 30],
'city': ['New York', 'Chicago', 'San Francisco', 'Los Angeles']}
df = pd.DataFrame(data)
This code creates a dictionary called data that contains the information we want to put into our DataFrame. The dictionary contains three keys: name, age and city.
These keys are the column names for our DataFrame. The values of the keys are lists that contain the data we want to put into the DataFrame.
We then pass this dictionary to the DataFrame() function provided by pandas, which creates a new DataFrame and stores it in the variable df. A new column can be added to the DataFrame by assigning it a list of values in the following way:
df['newData'] = [10, 20, 30, 40]
This adds a new column to our DataFrame called newData and assigns it a list of values.
Adding Rows to a DataFrame
A new row can be added to a DataFrame by appending it to the DataFrame using the append() function.
df = df.append({'name': 'David', 'age': 23, 'city': 'Boston', 'newData': 50}, ignore_index=True)
This code appends a new row to the DataFrame that contains the information for a new person named David with age 23 who lives in Boston, and also has a new data value of 50.
The ignore_index=True argument ensures that the new row is appended with a new index.
Selecting Rows and Columns
Pandas provides various ways to select specific rows and columns from a DataFrame. One of the most common ways is to use the loc() function.
The loc() function is used to select rows and columns based on labels, which can be either row or column names.
import pandas as pd
data = {'name': ['John', 'Sarah', 'Trevor', 'Emily'],
'age': [25, 34, 29, 30],
'city': ['New York', 'Chicago', 'San Francisco', 'Los Angeles']}
df = pd.DataFrame(data)
# select the row with index 1
row1 = df.loc[1]
# select the 'name' column
name_col = df['name']
# select the rows with index 2 and 3, and the 'age' and 'city' columns
subset = df.loc[[2, 3], ['age', 'city']]
This code demonstrates how to select specific rows and columns using the loc() function. The first line of code selects the row with index 1.
The second line of code selects the ‘name’ column. The third line of code selects the rows with index 2 and 3, and the ‘age’ and ‘city’ columns.
Conclusion
In this section, we have looked at how to import Pandas and construct DataFrames in Python. We have also looked at how to add new rows and columns to a DataFrame.
Finally, we have looked at how to select specific rows and columns using the loc() function. Pandas provides many more powerful tools for data analysis such as merging, joining and grouping of DataFrames.
With these tools, you can easily manipulate and analyze your data in Python. In this article, we’ve discussed two important topics related to working with MATLAB .mat files in Python: working with Pandas DataFrames and importing and using SciPy’s loadmat module.
Pandas provides a powerful way to create, manipulate, and analyze data in Python. We’ve looked at how to import Pandas and construct DataFrames in Python, as well as how to add new rows and columns to a DataFrame.
We’ve also discussed how to select specific rows and columns using the loc() function. Additionally, we’ve examined SciPy’s loadmat module, which enables us to read .mat files in Python.
With this article, you can gain a deeper understanding of how to work with .mat files in Python, which is an essential skill for anyone working in data science or machine learning.