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Everything about Run-length encoding

Form of lossless data compression

Run-length encoding (RLE) is a form of lossless data compression in which runs of data are stored as a single occurrence of that data value and a count of its consecutive occurrences, rather than as the original run. For example, a sequence of "green green green green green" in an image built up from colored dots could be shortened to "green x 5". Wikipedia →

🧭 Start here: a 6-step reading path

  1. Read the overview: Run-length encodingA 5-minute orientation
  2. Skim a recent paper: ECG Data Compression Using Modified Run Length Encoding of Wavelet Coefficients for Holter MonitoringInfluential work since 2022
  3. Pick up a classic book: Computational Thinking for the Modern Problem SolverThe most-reprinted book on the subject
  4. Read the landmark paper: Efficient N-Dimensional surface estimation using Crofton formula and run-length encodingCited 55 times
  5. Go sideways: PCXA closely related topic
  6. Go sideways: BMP file formatA closely related topic

đź“– Definitions

Noun A simple data compression scheme in which sequences of the same item are replaced by one such item and a count (so for example the text BBBBB is stored as a single B with count of 5).

🗂️ The subject at a glance

  1. History and applications
  2. Algorithm
  3. Example
  4. Variants

🏆 Landmark papers (most cited)

🆕 Influential since 2022

đź“š Books worth reading

Ranked by number of editions on Open Library, a rough measure of how lasting a book is.

đź”— Related topics