Data compression
Data Compression
Data compression (/ˈdeɪtə kəmˈprɛʃən/) is a process that reduces the size of data for efficient storage and transmission.
Etymology
The term "data compression" is derived from the English words "data", meaning facts or information, and "compression", meaning to reduce in size or volume.
Definition
Data compression involves encoding information using fewer bits than the original representation. It can be divided into two broad categories: lossless and lossy compression.
- Lossless compression is a method of data compression in which the original data can be perfectly reconstructed from the compressed data. This is contrasted with lossy data compression, which does not allow the exact original data to be reconstructed from the compressed data.
- Lossy compression is a method of compression that removes data that is not noticeable or not important. This type of compression is used frequently in video and audio compression, where small losses in data quality are often undetectable to human senses.
Related Terms
- Entropy Encoding: A type of lossless data compression scheme that is independent of the specific characteristics of the medium.
- Run-Length Encoding: A simple form of data compression in which runs of data are stored as a single data value and count.
- Dictionary Coding: A class of lossless data compression algorithms which operate by searching for matches between the text to be compressed and a set of strings contained in a data structure maintained by the algorithm.
- Transform Coding: A type of data compression for "natural" data like audio signals or photographic images.
- Fractal Compression: A method used to compress images based on fractals.
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Data compression
- Wikipedia's article - Data compression
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