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Download data: MAT file format

This is the data storage file format for MathWorks MATLAB. It can also be opened in the open source alternative GNU Octave, and in Python using SciPy.

When to use MAT

MAT is ideal when you need to:

  • Perform numerical analysis in MATLAB or GNU Octave
  • Work with multi-dimensional arrays efficiently
  • Use MATLAB's built-in visualization and analysis tools
  • Store large numerical datasets in a compact binary format

For data you want to open in a spreadsheet, use CSV. For hierarchical data in a programming environment, consider JSON.

Compatible data structures

MAT format is available for:

Loading MAT data

Accessing the data in MATLAB or Octave is as easy as using the load command:

load('Meadows_myStudy_3D.mat')

For more information, see the MathWorks documentation for load.

from scipy.io import loadmat

# Load the MAT file
data = loadmat('Meadows_myStudy_3D.mat')

# Display available variables
print(data.keys())

# Access specific arrays (e.g., property, confidence)
property_data = data['property']
confidence_data = data['confidence']

library(R.matlab)

# Load the MAT file
data <- readMat('Meadows_myStudy_3D.mat')

# Display available variables
names(data)