Partially Decodable and Reversible Variable Length Code for Efficient Image Transmission

Variable length codes are often used in entropy coding, but are very vulnerable in noisy environments. Reversible variable length codes, however, muse possible to decode instantaneously in both forward and backward directions, so that more usable data can be retrieved when bit errors occur via transmission. Furthermore, partial decodability is desirable to introduce in the reversible variable length code because ROI (Region Of Interest) decoding function is sometimes required in recent image information systems such as the medical imaging, the digital museum and so on. In this paper, we propose a partially decodable and reversible variable length code by modifying Golomb-Rice code.