Fractal Image Compression

Most advances can be thought of as evolutionary, but in describing the contents of this book, one is tempted to add a soft r in front of the e. If fractal image compression lives up to its early promise, then the r should be made a very hard one. One seemingly inviolable law of computing is, ''Data will expand to fill all available memory, whether it be RAM, hard drive or floppy disk. It will also expand to exceed the capacity of any medium of data transfer''. As those who work with transferring large data sets understand, much of the recent success is due to the quality of the data compression algorithms rather then to improvements in the hardware. Compression utilities are now commonly bundled with many systems, for example, DOS 6.0. To illustrate the potential impact of fractal compression, we take the following paraphrased quote from the introduction to the book. '' Encarta is a multimedia encyclopedia on a single CD... . In addition to an exhaustive collection of articles it contains seven hours of sound, 100 animations, 800 color maps... more than 7,000 photographs... and all encoded in less than 600 megabytes of data. All of the pictures are stored using fractal compression techniques." The mathematics used to obtain such rates of compression is thoroughly explained, but it is not easy to understand. Presented in the standard form of theorem followed by proof, some background in real analysis and linear algebra is essential to understand the heavier ideas. But it is well worth it, as some of the results are truly astonishing. Most impressive is the ability to zoom in on the images without significant loss of clarity. C source code solutions to some of the problems are included. There is no doubt in my mind that by the end of this decade, exposure to fractals will be an essential component of the undergraduate major in applied mathematics. The majority of pure math programs will also include some exposure. While futurists dispute the consequences, there is universal agreement that the rapid transfer of enormous amounts of data will be the driving economic and entertainment force of the next several decades. Fractal compression techniques appear to be the leading candidate to provide the necessary degree of compacting. Suitable for a course in the mathematics of fractals or an advanced seminar in data compression, this book should be required reading for all applied mathematicians. It is truly one of the most fascinating books that I have ever encountered. Published in Mathematics and Computer Education, reprinted with permission.

With code and example Barnsley leads your through some very hard concepts. I really like that he has covered the topic of information compression so well for the traditional archiving methods. A must for anyone serious about fractals. Your unique Associates ID is: thefractaltransl.