Image and video compression of fluid flow data

We study the compression of spatial and temporal features in fluid flow data using multimedia compression techniques. The efficacy of spatial compression techniques, including JPEG and JPEG2000 (JP2), and spatiotemporal video compression techniques, namely H.264, H.265, and AV1, in limiting the introduction of compression artifacts and preserving underlying flow physics are considered for laminar periodic wake around a cylinder, two-dimensional turbulence, and turbulent channel flow. These compression techniques significantly compress flow data while maintaining dominant flow features with negligible error. AV1 and H.265 compressions present the best performance across a variety of canonical flow regimes and outperform traditional techniques such as proper orthogonal decomposition in some cases. These image and video compression algorithms are flexible, scalable, and generalizable holding potential for a wide range of applications in fluid dynamics in the context of data storage and transfer.

Automated summary

We investigate the compression of spatial and temporal features in fluid flow data using multimedia compression techniques. The effectiveness of spatial compression techniques (including JPEG and JP2) and spatiotemporal video compression techniques (namely H.264, H.265, and AV1) in minimizing compression artifacts and preserving underlying flow physics are examined for different flow scenarios. These compression techniques achieve significant data compression while maintaining dominant flow features with minimal error. AV1 and H.265 compressions demonstrate superior performance across various canonical flow regimes, outperforming traditional techniques like proper orthogonal decomposition in some cases. These image and video compression algorithms are flexible, scalable, and widely applicable in fluid dynamics for data storage and transfer.