  Pattern recognition and machine learning are becoming integral parts of
algorithms in a wide range of applications. Different algorithms and approaches
for machine learning include different tradeoffs between performance and
computation, so during algorithm development it is often necessary to explore a
variety of different approaches to a given task. A toolbox with a unified
framework across multiple pattern recognition techniques enables algorithm
developers the ability to rapidly evaluate different choices prior to
deployment. MATLAB is a widely used environment for algorithm development and
prototyping, and although several MATLAB toolboxes for pattern recognition are
currently available these are either incomplete, expensive, or restrictively
licensed. In this work we describe a MATLAB toolbox for pattern recognition and
machine learning known as the PRT (Pattern Recognition Toolbox), licensed under
the permissive MIT license. The PRT includes many popular techniques for data
preprocessing, supervised learning, clustering, regression and feature
selection, as well as a methodology for combining these components using a
simple, uniform syntax. The resulting algorithms can be evaluated using
cross-validation and a variety of scoring metrics to ensure robust performance
when the algorithm is deployed. This paper presents an overview of the PRT as
well as an example of usage on Fisher's Iris dataset.
