Challenges and Solutions in Selecting Optimal Lossless Data Compression Algorithms

Abstract

The rapid growth of digital data has heightened the demand for efficient lossless compression methods. However, existing algorithms exhibit trade-offs: some achieve high compression ratios, others excel in encoding or decoding speed, and none consistently perform best across all dimensions. This mismatch complicates algorithm selection for applications where multiple performance metrics are simultaneously critical, such as medical imaging, which requires both compact storage and fast retrieval. To address this challenge, we present a mathematical framework that integrates compression ratio, encoding time, and decoding time into a unified performance score. The model normalizes and balances these metrics through a principled weighting scheme, enabling objective and fair comparisons among diverse algorithms. Extensive experiments on image and text datasets validate the approach, showing that it reliably identifies the most suitable compressor for different priority settings. Results also reveal that while modern learning-based codecs often provide superior compression ratios, classical algorithms remain advantageous when speed is paramount. The proposed framework offers a robust and adaptable decision-support tool for selecting optimal lossless data compression techniques, bridging theoretical measures with practical application needs.