A simple data compression scheme for binary images of bacteria compared with commonly used image data compression schemes

A run length code compression scheme of extreme simplicity, used for image storage in an automated bacterial morphometry system, is compared with more common compression schemes, such as are used in the tag image file format. These schemes are Lempel-Ziv and Welch (LZW), Macintosh Packbits, and CCITT Group 3 Facsimile 1-dimensional modified Huffman run length code. In a set of 25 images consisting of full microscopic fields of view of bacterial slides, the method gave a 10.3-fold compression: 1.074 times better than LZW. In a second set of images of single areas of interest within each field of view, compression ratios of over 600 were obtained, 12.8 times that of LZW. The drawback of the system is its bad worst case performance. The method could be used in any application requiring storage of binary images of relatively small objects with fairly large spaces in between.