A Concise Introduction to Data Compression

Compressing data is an option naturally selected when faced with problems of high costs or restricted space. Written by a renowned expert in the field, this book offers readers a succinct, reader-friendly foundation to the chief approaches, methods and techniques currently employed in the field of data compression.

Part I presents the basic approaches to data compression and describes a few popular techniques and methods commonly used to compress data. The reader discovers essential concepts, such as variable-length and prefix codes, statistical distributions and run-length encoding. Part II then concentrates on advanced techniques, such as arithmetic coding, orthogonal transforms, subband transforms and the Burrows-Wheeler transform.

Features:

Clear overview of the principles underlying this field
Outlines the essentials of the various approaches to compressing data
Contains many learning aids such as: chapter introductions and summaries, chapter-end exercises, comprehensive glossary, etc.
Provides several examples of important compression algorithms
Offers a supplementary author-maintained website, with errata and auxiliary material www.davidsalomon.name/DCugAdvertis/DCug.html
An ideal introductory volume to David Salomons fourth edition of Data Compression: The Complete Reference

Complete and clear, this book is the perfect resource for undergraduates in computer science and requires a minimum of mathematics. It is also ideal for readers with a basic knowledge of computer science wanting to learn about data compression.