Bit-Plane Encoding: A Technique for Source Encoding

This paper describes bit-plane encoding, a technique for reducing redundancy in data gathered in space probes. The results of testing bit-plane encoding on particular data gathered by Explorer XII are summarized, and the technique is compared with alternative schemes for encoding the same data. Bit-plane encoding is intended for use aboard spacecraft. The technique presumes input data in binary form. The encoder implementation consists of a memory to store data samples, a monitor, and a code box. Both the monitor and the code box perform simple operations on binary sequences. Bit-plane encoding is especially useful when the data have an amplitude spectrum which is concentrated in different ranges in different time intervals. With a stored group of 128 samples, bit-plane encoding could be used to describe energetic particle counts gathered by Explorer XII with less than 50 percent as many bits as were actually used, and with no loss of information. The technique also conveniently allows certain useful information destroying operations.