Lossless Volume Data Compression Schemes.

Abstract

Volumetric data is one of the most frequently generated type of data in modern medical imaging. Technical advances in the respective scanning technologies also increase the amount of data that is generated by a typical scanner. Since 1971 with the introduction of the first CT scanner, the space requirements for representing data have increased rapidly, in essence at an exponential rate. In this paper, we examine various compression methods for their applicability for volume data, focusing on the reduced space requirements of the approaches. We apply these methods to a wide range of 8bit and 10-12bit volume datasets, thus exposing strengths and weaknesses of the compression methods. In summary, significant differences in compression performances clearly indicate which compression techniques should be used.