SFI Centre for Research Training in Foundations of Data Science Master Class
Speaker: Professor Muriel Médard, Cecil H. Green Professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) Department at MIT
Title: "A compressed introduction to compression"
Abstract: Compression, or source coding, deals with the space complexity of data representation, for storage, retrieval and transmission. In the first part of the course, we overview the theoretical limits, in particular the relation between compression and entropy. Time permitting, we shall also relate compression to quantization and granularity of digital representation of analog data. In the second part of the course, we examine a couple of coding algorithms, including the popular gzip one, that perform close to the theoretical optimum. As storage and networking are increasingly integrated, we also illustrate currently and proposed use of codes to ensure that retrieving data in congested or unreliable networks can be done with low cost in storage and transmission. This course only assumes a general familiarity with probability.