Geographic Information Systems
Vector Data Compression Techniques
Dr. Arun K. Saraf,
Professor
Department of Earth Sciences
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Vector Data Compression
• The re-sampling of vector data is the key of the study, which is
the vector data compression in the narrow sense.
• In the narrow sense, the conception of the vector data
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compression is that extract a subset B from the set A which is a
collection of the points that compose vector graphics, then try
to make this subset B reflect the original data set A within
certain accuracy as much as possible, and make sure that the
points of the subset B are as little as possible.
• At this level, the natural reason why the vector data can be
compressed is that there is a certain redundancy of the raw
data.
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Vector Data Compression
• Generalized vector data compression should include storage
compression and re-sampling of the vector data.
• Storage compression is to reduce the amount of vector data
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and then to speed up the transmission / processing by
converting the data type or file type.
• For example, the short type instead of the double or float type is
used to store data, or the common compression methods are
directly adopted to compress data files into such as zip, rar, cab
and other forms.
• Because of the low compression rate, this compression method
for vector data is generally not independently used.
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Vector Data Compression
Though vector data is generally do not have much redundancy. However,
sometimes with large vector data sets, it become imperative to compress.
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Therefore, the vector data can also be compressed to save computer
storage space.
Point data compression
• If we are considering the UTM coordinates (Universal Transverse
Mercator), points are described by an easting and northing coordinate,
respectively.
• If we are dealing with a relatively small area, we can imagine that
coordinate values are stored with considerable redundancy, because for
example the first two or three digits of all eastings and northings have the
same values throughout the file.
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Vector Data Compression
• To save storage space, it is possible
to define a LOCAL ORIGIN and
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store all the coordinates relative to
this new origin.
• These new coordinates will be
smaller numbers than the original
ones and can be stored in a smaller
amount of computer storage space.
• The coordinate offsets will preserve
the ABSOLUTE COORDINATES,
which will be used to restore the
information when we use the data.
(Local origin)
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Vector Data Compression
The spatial vector data can also be compressed to save computer storage
space.
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Linear features compression
• The procedure described for the point features can also be applied to
linear features where only the first point is saved with the full
coordinate information.
• All remaining coordinates of each line use the local origin as reference.
• In this case, the local coordinates can be stored as short integer, saving
2 bytes per coordinates..
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Vector Data Compression
Rasterising vector data and the Freeman coding compression
• Another possibility suitable for
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lines is first rasterizing the
features onto a regular grid and
afterwards proceeding with the
Freeman coding or chain coding
method.
• With this compression method,
only the coordinates of the
starting point of each line are
stored.
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Vector Data Compression
Rasterising vector data and the Freeman coding compression
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• Increasing the number of directional positions from 8 to e.g. 16
(corresponding to 4 bits) or 32 (corresponding to 5 bits) it is possible to
enhance the geometric precision.
• Codes can be stored using integer types.
• Only boundary information is stored.
• Shape analysis is possible (perimeter, directional analysis, shape
turns).
• Used in raster-to-vector conversion.
• All boundaries between regions are stored twice.
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Classification of common vector data compression algorithms
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THANKS
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