Network-aware Source Coding and Communication

An introduction to the theory and techniques for achieving high quality network communication with the best possible bandwidth economy, this book focuses on network information flow with fidelity. Covering both lossless and lossy source reconstruction, it is illustrated throughout with real-world applications, including sensor networks and multimedia communications. Practical algorithms are presented, developing novel techniques for tackling design problems in joint network-source coding via collaborative multiple description coding, progressive coding, diversity routing and network coding. With systematic introductions to the basic theories of distributed source coding, network coding and multiple description coding, this is an ideal self-contained resource for researchers and students in information theory and network theory.

• First book covering network information flow with fidelity
• Demonstrates how higher overall bandwidth economy can be achieved by allowing network clients to reconstruct a source signal at different fidelities, rather than insisting on an identical reconstruction at all sinks
• Detailed descriptions of code design algorithms make them easy for readers to implement