Compression

Compression is a software-based technique used to reduce the storage requirements of raster datasets by decreasing the amount of data needed to represent an image. Raster files, especially those containing high-resolution satellite imagery, aerial photographs, or geographic information, can occupy significant disk space and require considerable bandwidth for sharing and distribution. Compression addresses these challenges by encoding data more efficiently, resulting in smaller file sizes while preserving the usefulness and accessibility of the raster information.

Compression methods are generally classified into two categories: lossless and lossy. Lossless compression retains all original information and allows the dataset to be reconstructed exactly as it was before compression. Lossy compression, on the other hand, removes selected data to achieve greater size reduction, often with minimal visual impact. By reducing file size, compression improves storage efficiency, accelerates data transmission, enhances system performance, lowers storage costs, and facilitates easier management, processing, and distribution of raster datasets across various GIS, remote sensing, and image analysis applications.